CHRIS NEAR
Mountain Running
The main “thing” for me is definitely hill running and I feel most at home on long trips in the mountains – often feeling like I’m starting to get into it after 3 hours or so.
But, I’m equally happy Alpine road biking , exciting Welsh or Scottish Sea / River Kayaking, Ski touring or XC Skiing or even ( rarely these days ) climbing . In amongst all of this there’s an exciting family life looming with Griff , our son, now nearly 2 and looking pretty active!
Chris uses the Intense Range, and this is what he has to say about it
“Living, training and racing in the mountains of the UK and Europe makes our clothing selection vitally important in order to deal with the ever changing weather patterns. We want to be able to keep performing at the same intensity regardless of the weather – be it extremes of hot or cold, wet or windy. We constantly demand the lightest weight and most packable kit to stay safe out in the harshest of weather - and yet, we don’t want to be hindered in any way by the kit we wear or carry. On the hottest days we want to stay cool in the Tempo tops, on the coldest we need the added insulation of Actives Regular or Warm products. We demand a summer wind Shield or a Winter WindStopper on a bike descent or an early morning run. When we need full-on cold weather waterproofing for long trips we grab the Endo but when its eyeballs- out racing in the hills we stuff the brilliant OZ smock into our bumbag. The quality of the Intense Range therefore lies in its use of cutting edge fabrics and a breadth of products that is as diverse as the weather itself and reflects the fact that one item is often not good enough for all situations.”
Favourite Kit:
Without question..... the (older / lighter) OZ Jacket. Simply brilliant! Impressively packable and lightweight and yet able to withstand extreme weather (due to quality of fabric and the ergonomic hood) whilst engaging in high intensity activity. I wouldn't think about venturing out in bad weather in the mountains without it – it's been tried and tested in harsh weather and I have every confidence in it. Definitely THE choice for lightweight waterproof outer layers.
Selected Achievements
UK long Distance Rounds Record Holder (combined time of all 3 major rounds)
8 Time Elite Mountain Marathon Winner ( LAMM, SWISS (2), MOURNE, HIGHLANDER (4))
British Adventure Race Champions 2005 (Team Aberdeen Asset)
Winner Mountain X Race, 5 Days French Alps 2007 (Team Saab Salomon )
Open Adventure Endurance Series Winners 2006
Wales Mountain Running Squad member since 2008 - Represented team in International Snowdon Race and Kaisermarathon – Austria
Winner King of Bens – Scottish Islands Peaks Race
World Adventure Race Championship – New Zealand
Raid World Championships – Australia, Idaho, French Alps and Quebec ( SaabSalomon )
5th Place Ultra Tour de Beaufortain (100km)
4th Place Marathon de Frison Roche – France ( 42km)
28th /2500 in UTMB 2011 ( 170km)