Fresh from winning the 2023 Cheviot Goat, we chatted to SCARPA Athlete Simon Roberts. Simon told us all about his race, coming back from injury and his plans for the Spine.
Read on to hear Simon’s Cheviot Goat round up.
Hi Simon, congratulations on winning the Montane Cheviot Goat 2023! How did it feel to win?
Thank you! Felt great to win the race. Felt great to win a hard race like that, it was such a relief to get to the finish. It was a hard day at the office!
For those who don’t know the Cheviot Goat tell us a little bit about the race.
The Cheviot Goat is a 60 mile ultra marathon in Northumberland just below the Scottish border. The race has a reputation for being very hard! The course is a tough one, hills, bogs, bracken, rocks when mixed with winter conditions, its no joke! Its true wilderness out there.
You also won in 2021 – what keeps you coming back to this race?
There must be something wrong with me? This was my third Cheviot Goat. There is something about the Cheviots. It is a beautiful place, but extremely unforgiving. Its the perfect setting for a winter ultra marathon. I love it!
The conditions this year were particularly tough – how did that effect your race?
We were treated to real Cheviot Goat conditions, proper winter stuff! My car in morning said -7.5 degrees. There was ice, snow and frozen bogs! The course was very slow, especially in the higher places. The snow mixed with the bogs just took all the energy out of my legs, so tough to move through.
Take us through your shoe choice for the race.
The Scarpa Spin ST‘s. The best soft ground shoe of the year! The race is an extremely muddy course so you need real grip for the mud.
The shoes with the 7mm lugs are perfect for the mud. They also turned out to be perfect for the snow, the grip was amazing! They were perfect.
You lead from early on in the race. Was it always your strategy to go hard from the start?
Yeah kind of, its always my strategy usually. I have had a bad year with being injured for most of it. It was good to test my fitness and see where I’m at. I’m pretty happy with my running at the moment.
Tell us about some of your highlights from the race route.
I like the start, there’s a real buzz. The people know what lies ahead and they all well up for it! This year, I really loved getting the end, it was such a hard day out, a big relief to finish.
You’ve been unlucky with injuries over the last year or so, how are you doing now? Any tips for coming back from injury?
Yes its been a rubbish year being down and out for most of. I’m in a really good place now, the goat was a good test.
Coming back from injury, the main thing is to have patience, you may not find fitness in weeks or even maybe months, so just be patient and it will happen when your ready.
Your next big race is the Spine – how are you feeling ahead of that one? What does your preparation look like over the next month in the build up to such a big race?
Very excited for the Spine Race. Its my favourite race. I’m feeling fit and I’m ready to take it on. We have an all star line up this year. We are 6 weeks away now, will just continue my training, spending some days with the heavy pack in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons).
Want to keep up with the latest from our Athletes? Follow us on Facebook or Instagram.
