Sportiva Events

01/02/2025

We've EXTENDED our PayDay offer til next Wednesday. Just
Just use the code PAYDAY2 at check out to save. Share this post to go in a draw for a £30 event voucher (or if you've already booked we'll part refund you)
The offer covers all our events including triathlons, cycling events, running events & open water swims. Quick links to our events in the first comment.
You'll need to get your runners on as this offer ends on Wed 5th Feb.
Snowdrops are out & the weather is showing signs of improvement, so time to line up those Spring event targets. We recently enabled Klarna on our site so you can spread the cost of events over three months completely interest free.

26/01/2025

SAVE big with our January Payday offer! You've done a bit of January training (we hope) so time to line up those Spring event targets. And with payday just past or just approaching now is a great time to book. We recently enabled Klarna on our site so you can spread the cost of events over three months completely interest free.
Just use the code PAYDAY2 at check out. The offer covers all our events including triathlons, cycling events, running events & open water swims. Quick links to our events in the first comment.
You'll need to get your runners on as this offer ends on Monday 3rd Feb. Share this post to go in a draw for a £30 event voucher (or if you've already booked we'll part refund you)

24/01/2025

Today Helen Ryvar completed an astonishing streak of 1000 half marathons on consecutive days. But any standards that's incredibly impressive, but when you consider she's a single parent who runs her own cleaning business full time it's completely mind blowing. To complete her daily half, she lays out her running kit the night before, charges her head-torch & sets her alarm for 4am. By 4.15am, rain or shine, she's out the door. Helen, aged 43, took up running again during the lock-down in 2020, lost 4 stone & started her run streak. Her initial target was 150 runs later extended to 222, 333 & finally 1000. She's running to raise funds for Mind following the sudden death of her ex-husband. Her JustGiving link is in the comments.

20/01/2025

18/01/2025

Thanks to our ace marshals and everyone else who helped tonight at the races. Brilliant to see around ninety under 11s in our kids races plus lots of youngsters taking part in the longer 5K and 10K races. Full results on our website now (see first comment) and photos coming soon

17/01/2025

Course marking today at Haldon Forest for the Haldon Night runs. Here are the markers to look out for: orange arrows with reflective tape and fiberglass snow poles (not easy to see in daylight but highly reflective at night). First video also shows the 10K/5K split

16/01/2025

The UK's maddest ultra running race, the Montane Winter Spine Race is taking place at the moment. It involves running all 268 miles of the Pennine Way in winter as fast as possible. The conditions have been epic with everything from snow & ice to thigh deep bog.
This year's female winner is former pro triathlete and multi-ironman winner Lucy Gossage who improved on last year's third place with a time of 87:52:38. Lucy crossed the line with previous winner, and former elite ironman John Kelly. Turns out some triathletes are pretty good at ultra running too. See first link for an account of the race from ukclimbing

15/01/2025

We have new medals for our gravel events this year. The gravel season kicks off with the return of the Exeter Gravel Races to Escot on Sunday 23rd March, next up is the Haldon Heroic gravel sportive at Haldon Forest on Sunday 13th April. Our summer event on Sunday 24th August is Devon Grit on the best trails that Woodbury Common & East Devon have to offer. The final event of the season is Cornwall Grit on Saturday 13th Sept. It starts & finishes at Marazion near Penzeance on the same day as our Lands End 100 road sportive.

14/01/2025

Why not join your friendly local tri club? If you sign up now you get almost 15 months for the price of 12! And you even get three FREE trial sessions before you need to sign up.
Torbay Tri Club has some great coaches & really does cater for all levels of competitor. And as 'Any Fule Kno', training with other people is the way to ensure training becomes a habit & gets you out even when conditions are sub-optimal! Apparently New Years resolution gym visits start to drop off around the 20th Jan so don't let January drift, happen to you, join Torbay Tri Club instead.

13/01/2025

Before our season proper kicks off in March Sportiva Events staff & volunteers headed to a first aid course on Saturday, hosted by our regular first aid supplier, Medicare. You can never have too much first aid training as, unless you're a medical professional, you don't use it enough to keep it fresh in your mind. Also it changes. For example, until recently the well known Bee Gees song Stayin' Alive was taught as a good way to ensure CPR is delivered at the right speed. Unfortunately this led to situations with lots of people standing round unconscious patients singing in unison! To see how not to do it, check out the American Office First Aid sketch on youtube (link in first comment)

10/01/2025

Last few places for the Haldon Night Races on Saturday 18th Jan. There's a 10K, 10K canicross, 5K + 2K & 1K kids races. After the recent wild weather, it looks like perfect running conditions for next Saturday (dry, 9C & hardly any wind!) so register now to avoid disappointment.
Medals for all, finish line snacks & beer & podium presentations, chip timing with instant results

09/01/2025

Are you ready to take on an iron distance triathlon? Our first ever iron distance triathlon is on Sunday 31st August at the the South West's biggest lake - Roadford Lake. Take on a four lap 3.8K swim, a four lap 185K rolling bike course & a four lap 42K full marathon!
We have 70.3, Standard & Sprint options on the same day

07/01/2025

If you're looking for inspiration to get out running in 2025, look no further than Jeff Galloway. Jeff Galloway ran the 10K for the US Olympic team in 1972 and is still running now. He's had a pretty big influence on training methods over the years & one of his most successful and influential ideas is 'jeffing'. In brief, Jeffing involves mixing up walking & running. Of course it's a key part of any 'couch to 5K' programme but it also turns out to be great for more experienced runners too. It can really help avoid the niggly injuries that plague so many amateur runners but can still lead to fast times particularly in longer distance or hilly events. There's a link to a great Jeffing article in the first comment.