The Runners

Mark Sutherland

I come from the village of Lauder in the Scottish Borders, where I began and continue my running. In 2014 I took the plunge into longer running, completing the 28 mile Northumberland Coastal Marathon in 4^th and 38 mile Jedburgh Ultra in 7^th place. I returned to Northumberland for the Ultra this year, finishing in 2nd. I now run distances over 30 miles regularly and am preparing for my first 55-mile race in March. In 2013 I completed a 9-day 1,050mile cycle that involved running the most northern, western, eastern and southern Munros. This challenge pushed me beyond what I thought possible of myself and sparked a fire to push myself further. I pride myself on my stamina, will power and ability to just keep on going no matter what.

Hendrik Sporing

Before Mark and I met at the University of Glasgow I spent most of my time in my small home town close to Hamburg, Germany. I feel drawn to a number of outdoor sports like skiing, sailing, and mountain biking, but I always felt most passionate about running which I took up aged 10. Eight years later I have run my first marathon (Zurich, 1^st age group). Since then I ran six more marathons; most notably I finished 6^th overall in the Washington DC Marathon. In 2013, I chose the Iceland Marathon as my first Ultra, which I finished 4^th overall. The 2014 Mountainman (80km + 5,000 vertical meters, 1^st age group) was my biggest and most rewarding race so far and made me hungry for more. Over the past fourteen years, this sport has given me a lot already and I am looking forward to new experiences like the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (167km) in two years’ time or the Scottish National Trail this summer.