Name: Simon Prytherch

Occupation: Co-Founder, CTO & Exec Producer for Video Games

Home Town: Banbury, Oxfordshire

Questions

What is your running background?

In my teens, 20’s and 30’s I was always fairly active, mostly mountain sports, such as
climbing, expeditions, long hikes and 30 years of snowboarding, so I spent a lot of time
in the French Alps, living there for a few years. After becoming a single parent in 2010,
my 10-year old daughter, Polly, asked me if I would also die, it made me more
conscious of my health and I stopped smoking and took up running.

I am now 57 years old and I can reassure new or young runners that you do indeed lose
your raw speed in your fifties but your endurance tails off much more slowly. And if you
are a late-comer to running like me, you can actually still hit new pb’s.

When did you first start running Ultra marathons and why?

I ran my first marathon in Edinburgh in 2013.

Not super fast, but I did think I could run further and this coincided with my moving next door to Rob Treadwell, an accomplished ultra runner. We started training together, as Rob was coming back from a major injury/operation. He encouraged me and infected me with an enthusiasm for ultras.

My first ultra was with Rob in January 2015, Winter Tanners, an LDWA 30-mile route in the
Surrey hills. We then completed 120km as a pair in an off-road 12 hours race called
Conti Lightning in May 2015 and came 4th, although Rob did most of the hard work.

By September that year I was running a 102-mille race, Cotswold Century, not the easiest
100-miler. I really should have looked at the elevation profile before I entered!
Big thanks to Rob Treadwell and his wife Jan for helping to nurture my ultra spark and
my wife Lucy and our girls for letting me indulge in this passion, which requires large
amounts of training and racing time away from them

When or where (at which events) are we most likely to see you?

I love the canal races (GUCR, KACR WRCR, LLCR) and until this year I had finished
every race I entered. It is such a friendly group of supporters, runners and organisers. I
was really sad that I pulled out of this year’s Canalslam, but Spartathlon took priority.
Big thanks to Keith Godden, Dick Kearn and Wayne Simpson for keeping these great
races going.

In recent years, I also decided to go after 24 hour track races, this resulted in a lot of
learning (not failures) and some success. I would still like to top my best performance at
Crawley in 2022.

What are your personal key running achievements to date?

24 hours pb: 215km at Crawley 2022, 1st man but 2nd overall to my coach at the time,
Wendy Whearity. Wendy is also running Spartathlon this year, so we have a rematch!
100 miles pb: 16:58 at Barcelona 24h 2022. Race was going really well until I had to
pullout with an injury after 18 hours after running 190km.

12 hours pb: 119km at Barcelona 24h 2022.

My first and only ultra win was at St Illyds 50k (very hilly race in South Wales) in 2019.
The RD’s were Nathan Flear (fellow Welsh ultra runner and elite Spartathlete) and Tori
Robinson. I also shared a lovely month of training in Iten, Kenya with Nath and Tori in
Jan 2019, so it seemed like a perfect way to complete the circle.

Other notable races include:

I came 2nd at the inaugural Warwickshire Ring Canal Race (115 miles) in 2022 and 3rd
at Endure 24 North in 2019 (125 miles).
Being a Welshman. I love the Barry 40 event and I have ran it twice. Completing 40
miles in 5:16:23 in 2023.

I completed the Canalslam in the first year it was organised in 2017 and in 2018
completed the Centurion 100 Grandslam, the same year I ran my first Spartathlon! You
can read about that below.

What was your hardest experience?

In my top 3 must be my DNF after 121 miles at Spartathlon 2018. See full story below.
The hardest race was probably the first time I completed King Offas’s Dyke Race in

Not just the distance of 190 miles that I ran, but the time on my feet, over 80
hours. But mostly the continual problems that were thrown my way that I needed to
overcome. At one point I stumbled into a slurry pit in the middle of the night. Covered
from head to toe in cow shit after fishing one of my shoes out of the bottom. I had the
great idea to go sit in a mountain stream to clean off. Trust me, this is not a good idea
when temperatures are already 4 degrees celsius and you have running clothing on. I
nearly gave myself hypothermia. I was in a remote location and the only thing keeping
myself alive was a thought in my head that I could not stop running or I would freeze
and a promise to my wife not to die. I think that was only topped by crossing the
Clwydian Hills in torrential rain 3 days into the event, now hallucinating madly so my
head torch bounced off the sheets of water making my brain see big buildings pop up in
front me. I don’t know how I got off those hills.

Thanks Richard Weremiuk for a great event (same Richard that sponsors the team and
provides our trackers). It was such a good race I went back and ran it again in 2019,
finishing 12 hours quicker.

What is your typical race strategy for an ultra?

I tell myself to hold back and know In my logical brain that is the sensible thing to do,
then run too fast and regret it later. I have got better at this over the years. In canal
races I love to start at the back and work my way through the field. I adopted this
strategy from Pat Robbins and it is a great way to speak to most of the runners plus it
always gives you a new person to chase down on the horizon.

I aim to always run to the end of a race with no death marching. For races over 100
miles including the canal races and Spartathlon that means building in short structured
walking breaks. I normally start this from about the marathon distance, once I am
warmed up. These days I have optimised it to be 18.5 minutes running followed by 1.5
minutes walking. I use the walking breaks to stretch out my legs and eat/drink and go to
the toilet. In the later stages the ratio of run/walk will often gradually change with less
running and more walking.

What does a typical training week look like?

I try to run 6 days per week with an average of 50 miles rising to a max of about 70
miles, 4 weeks before a big race. Each week I will have one tempo run, usually on

Tuesday night with my running club. A hill sprint session, usually Thursday night with
my club. Saturday is either strides or a parkrun and Sunday is my long run, typically
between 12 and 20 miles. The rest of the days are easy runs or cross-training, if I want
less impact. I also try to include regular strength and conditioning throughout the week.

What one tip would you pass onto people running an Ultra marathon for the first time?

Think about the pace that you will be running at mile 50 or mile 75 and run that pace
from the beginning. Virtually everybody goes off too fast and blows up. It is such a boost
to overtake loads of people in the second half of an ultra, but you need to have the
confidence to let the people going too fast get away from you in the first stage. I would
also plan a walk/run strategy to ensure you can run all the way to the finish and give
your muscles regular respite from the repetitive running.

Tell us one interesting fact about you?

In my career creating video games for PC, consoles and mobile devices I have worked
with a lot of stars, a lot of them world-class sports stars or celebrities. Some notable
ones include: Gareth Bale and Alan Hanson for being such lovely people, Mel B for
being hell to get to the studio on time (and that potty mouth) and Jose Mourinho, who
always wanted to do it his way, but I am sitting here writing this in a his specially made
tracksuit that I forgot to give him (sorry Adidas). I have so many stories that I have kept
to myself for so many years because of contractual and NDA reasons, so maybe catch
me in Sparti when I finish and I will tell you some of them.

Have you taken part in the Spartathlon before?

I ran Spartathlon in 2018 the year we all had to contend with torrential rain, flooding,
and high winds as Greece was hit by a hurricane. I am sure it will also be memorable
for most of the runners because there was hardly anyone out on the course especially
in Sparti.

How did you get on at Spartathlon?

I had to pull out at 121 miles with an achilles injury. This was after fighting all night
through torrential rain, wind and cold then getting to mountain base in 19 hours. I think
my downfall was hammering down the track on the other side of the mountain. I split
open the bottom of my feet which were macerated from hours of running through ankle
deep water and I did something to my achilles. The pain was masked by the
excruciating pain from my feet which was treated by a doctor at Tegea CP and his
magic cream took away the foot pain. But then I realised that my achilles was injured
and I walked out to find I could not even walk let alone run. It felt very serious. To this
day I am unsure whether I pulled out too early and I regret not trying to crawl/limp along.
I was hours in front of the cutoffs. You can read my blog on it here

What tip would you pass on to those taking part for the first time?
Enjoy every minute, you have earned it, just qualifying. It is a chance to run with the
elite runners and feel an equal. Plus because of my DNF in 2018, if there is even the
remotest chance you can make it to the next CP, push yourself to get there. It may take
years to get another entry, so give it all ya got!

What are you looking forward to at the Spartathlon race?

I am looking forward to seeing more local people out on the course and I am also
looking forward to seeing the last 30 miles of the course including the final run into
Sparti.

What are you not looking forward to during the Spartathlon race?

Nothing

How will you prepare specifically for the Spartathlon race?

I know from my success in 2019 that strength and conditioning sessions make a huge
difference and are especially important for an aging athlete like me. BUT I hate gyms,
so I find ways to motivate myself to do these. I also do regular sauna before Spartathlon
for about 4 weeks so my body can heat adapt

Will you be bringing any support crew to the race? (If so, please introduce them briefly)

In 2018 I had 3 crew, but this year I have none. But I know that the other BST crews will
give encouragement and help if I need it. Plus I am making full use of the checkpoints
that allow drop bags with 20 drop bags!