Training For A 200-Miler (From Hardmoors Winner, Gary Thwaites)

A huge congrats to friend of Harrier, Gary Thwaites (of Tea & Trails podcast), on bagging the big win at Hardmoors 200 last weekend.

After expecting dry trails for a change, the weather had other ideas. Here’s what Gary said about the win:

“I never thought in a million years I would need my waterproof jackets, but we did have rain during the night! Also, my crew socks came with me for the whole journey. Poles smashed it too! Thanks so much for all your support over the years.”

So… how do you train for something like the Hardmoors 200? Here’s how Gary tackled it:

“The weeks before the taper felt like a real slog. After the Northern Traverse was cancelled, I had to reset, and if I’m honest, I wobbled. I still got most of the work done, but it all felt forced. In the end I reminded myself how much I’d already put in this year and gave myself a bit of grace.

Luckily, I had a Hardmoors Trail Marathon booked, which made it easy to lock in the long run for that week. I came away with an age‑group win, and that little boost was exactly what I needed to stop myself unravelling during the dreaded taper.

Training volume is personal to every athlete, but I had a 200‑mile race ahead of me, and after years of staying mostly injury‑free, I felt confident I could build to a big load. My peak weeks were two long runs, one interval session, either on the treadmill or the local trails, and a steady run, around marathon race effort. Add in a gym session and some mobility work at home, just bits I’ve picked up from physios over the years, and the week was absolutely packed. There wasn’t much room for anything else. It’s not sustainable for me long‑term, but I’d committed, so I saw it through.

And the race? It couldn’t have gone any better. I had a perfect support crew, enough energy to run right to the finish, and my body just about held up to the challenge. I’m wrecked, sore, and exhausted, but the satisfaction makes every bit of it worthwhile.”

Well done Gary from all of us here at Harrier. You can check out the great Tea and Trails Podcast where Gary and Eddie Sutton chat all things trails weekly.