Race Director and Rebel Runner
This week we welcome to the show Andrew ‘Ferg’ Ferguson a Race Director at MudCrew Events here in the UK and a well travelled runner of the world trail running scene.
Ferg talks to Tris and Jay about some of the trials and tests of establishing a trail running events company back when such things were new!
MudCrew famously ‘don’t do easy!’. Ferg and the other 2 race directors have travelled the world to experience the best and worst in events’ organisation, pulling the parts they like into MudCrew’s iconic RAT (Roseland August Trail) weekend and the epic winter, internationally renowned Arc of Attrition 100 winter ultra on the savage Cornish coastline in deepest dark January. We hear how they managed to turn a race from single digit entry numbers into a Western States qualifier.
Race Directors have an unforgiving job and MudCrew’s reputation as friendly, hospitable (we talk ‘honey pot’ aid stations) and tough are all accolades they have earned. Keeping everyone from land owners to locals happy while herding over a thousand runners along single file cliff top paths safely, sometimes in both directions, takes some doing, and in the start no one knew how.
The chap clearly didn’t understand the out and back concept when he asked “I can see where we get the bus to the start, but where do we get the bus to the finish?”
We also hear some of Fergs thoughts on the future of running clubs and whether the anti establishment, rebel runners are the future in our hyper connected lives. Less club night, more flash mob.
Listen to the show here: https://www.trailanderror.co.uk/podcast
or via your favourite podcast source.
We hope you enjoy the show and if you do, please ‘Like and Subscribe’
Thanks for listening!!
Jay and Tris
Show Links
You can find MudCrew here: http://mudcrew.co.uk
Follow Fergs adventure on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ultrafergy
And get a flavour of the BRUTAL Arc of Attrition here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uojIZtERh9w
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