I registered for Snowdonia and got down to training. I used a 'get me round' training program as I'd never been a great fan of running and the challenge was to complete the race.
Training was slow and laborious, mainly based of a pace of 10 minute miles. I think the longest training run was around 18 miles which got me from my home in Jarrow to Seaburn before coming back via South Shields.
The weekend of the race came and I had arranged to stay with a friend near Wrexham the night before the race. I went down with my youngest son who came along for the ride. On the day the weather was awful, this was the same day that the mountain marathon in the Lake District was called off due to floods. I bought a blue Ron Hill hat before the race and that was probably the best piece of kit I had on.
The second half of the course is particularly exposed and I remember the sideways wind and rain. I got to the finish soaked through in just under 5 hours. I was disappointed with how long it had taken but still glad to finish.
Early in 2009 I went  on a skiing expedition to Norway and met a top bloke called Graham. Graham is from Glasgow and had run the Marathon de Sable and was into hill racing and other such crazy activities.
That expedition and meeting Graham sent me down the road I am now on.