Hi All,
Yes, it has been quite a while since my last UltraStu blog post way back in 2016! Well today I am simply posting here the facebook post that I posted today which ended up being a bit longer than expected. It reminded me of my UltraStu blog posts from 2010 - 2016, so I thought I would share the facebook post here. Although I doubt there will be many readers, as no doubt I would expect most UltraStu followers would have ran out of patience after nearly 10 years waiting for my next blogpost!
I may get back into writing a few UltraStu blog posts during 2026, but I wouldn't 'hold your breath' as it may not happen!
Wishing you all the best for 2026, and I hope you had a good year in 2025, and also in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016. Cheers, Stuart
Copy of my 2nd January 2026 facebook post for those of you out there, who like me, perhaps seldom view facebook.
The start of a new year, and therefore time for an update to my three Lifetime Mileage Graphs to include 2025 Run, Cycle and Run Equivalent mileage data. Note: 4 cycling miles is equivalent to 1 running mile, Mills (2014).
2025 started off well with an uninterrupted build-up to the London Marathon in April resulting in a very pleasing 2:49:23 marathon time. Unfortunately, for various reasons, (which I will aim to resolve in 2026), London Marathon was my best racing
performance of the year, with my races for the remainder of the year not reaching the same level. However, there were some other running/cycling highlights during the year including my 405 mile cycle tour to The Hague in The Netherlands to run 5km to complete my parkrun alphabet challenge.
Without actually realising it, as it didn't seem that I was doing more running/cycling than usual, with a Run Equivalent Mileage of 2630 miles, this was my 6th highest Run Equivalent Mileage from my 48 years of data since 1978. Looking at the five higher years, apart from 2020 (5th highest by only 41 miles) which was due to Covid, all of the top 4 years tended to correspond with years where I really focussed on a specific race, and on most occasions performed really well. For those interested I will provide a brief summary of these TOP FOUR YEARS at the bottom of this post.
Back to 2025: Run mileage = 2144 miles, 9th highest from 48 years; Cycling mileage = 1945 miles, 25th highest mileage from 43 years. Therefore it was the relatively high run mileage that was the cause of the high year ranking for Run Equivalent Mileage for 2025.
I have a few key races lined up for 2026, including Paris Marathon in April and Cape Town Marathon in May, so look out for a few post-race posts during the year.
All the best with your endurance activities and everything else during 2026.
Stuart MillsPS Thanks for the many Happy Birthday messages I have received. Always good to recognise the names of those leaving messages, as I find it brings back good memories with these people.
My Top Four Run Equivalent Mileage Years
1992, 3412 miles. Focus race Hawaii Ironman, 10th Oct. Actually performance wise, 9 hours 30 minutes, this race wasn't great, but overall experience wise, it was fantastic. During the year I had many very pleasing performances, including winning the Scottish Half-Ironman Champions (I lived in Aberdeen for a year) in 4 hours 7 minutes, finishing with a 76-minute half marathon run. Also pleasing was finishing in 3rd place at the Scottish Marathon Running Championships in a time of 2:30:16, and finishing in18th place in the Scottish Road Cycling Championships just 3 weeks later.
1985, 3373 miles. Focus race Coast to Coast 2-Day Multisport Cycle-Run-Cycle-Kayak-Cycle Race, 1st-2nd Feb 1986. Similar to Hawaii Ironman in 1992, the focus race was a bit of a disappointment, finishing in 6th place overall. During the 1985 build-up races, with the aid of cycling friends Cleggy and McLay my race performances really improved this year, including finishing in 33rd place in the New Zealand National Road Running Championships, whilst finishing in 9th place in the Wellington Provincial (County) Road Cycling Championship 5 weeks earlier was probably my best cycle racing performance. Although beating two New Zealand Commonwealth / Olympic Games Cycling Representatives to win the First Stage of the Wellington Centre Air NZ 2-Day Cycling Stage Race, apart from being a total shock, was quite an achievement in my first year of cycling road racing.
1988, 2932 miles. Throughout the year I was totally focussed on Cycling Road Racing, with the 5-Day Tour of Southland, 12-16th October probably being the focus race. I was so cycling focussed this year that I cycled 11660 miles and only ran a grand total of 17 miles! For a change, I had a very pleasing performance at my focus race, i.e., at the Tour of Scotland finishing in 9th place overall in an extremely top quality field, with 7 out of the 8 cyclists that finished ahead of me all having ridden for the New Zealand National Cycling Road or Track Teams. This performance was probably my highest ever level of endurance performance until my performance at the 2011 IAU World Ultra Trail Running Championships, where I finished in 15th pace overall, which was also being first British finisher from the Great Britain Elite Five-Man Team.
1984, 2912 miles. Focus race Christchurch Road Marathon, 3rd June. I had set myself the target of running a sub 2-hours 30-minute marathon. I was totally on target, running 3:30kms (2:27:41) until 35 kilometres, where due to there being no gels in 1984, so racing entirely on water only, I physiologically truly 'Hit the Wall' and finished in 2:30:35. Very disappointing to not achieve my running goal. During the remainder of the year I had some very pleasing road running performances including finishing in 46th place at the New Zealand National Road Running Championships.
Apologies for the ultra-length facebook post. I should have really made this an UltraStu blog post. My UltraStu blog is still live, but I haven't posted on it since 2016. Maybe with it now being 2026, so 10 years later, I should start posting again. Although, perhaps I will need to change the blog title from UltraStu to MarathonStu, with my race focus currently and has been since 2019. on road marathon running. Cheers.
Just thought I might add below a few photos from My Top Four Run Equivalent Mileage Years
1992, 3412 miles. Focus race Hawaii Ironman, 10th Oct.
At around the 8-mile mark into the marathon
With Frances at the finish - the disappointment is clearly evident!
1985, 3373 miles. Focus race Coast to Coast 2-Day Multisport Cycle-Run-Cycle-Kayak-Cycle Race, 1st-2nd Feb 1986.
During the mountain run over the Southern Alps on day 1.
End of day 1 after the mountain run that didn't go too well. A 'bit' frustrated, wth cycling friend and mentor Graeme McLay trying to get me in the 'right place' for the following day.
End of the two-day race at Sumner Beach, Christchurch on the East Coast of the South Isalnd, New Zealand. Having started near Greymouth on the West Coast of the South Island.
1988, 2932 miles. Throughout the year I was totally focussed on Cycling Road Racing, with the 5-Day Tour of Southland, 12-16th October probably being the focus race. A quick search couldn't find any photos from the 1988 Cycling Tour of Southland, but below is a photo of me cycle racing earlier in July 1988 with the hair net crach helnet we used to wear, and a photo from 1989 cycle racing with the new style polystyrene crash helmet.
1988, 2932 miles. The 5-Day Tour of Southland, 12-16th October probably being the focus race.
Racing to a win in the Milton to Saddle Hill 60km Cycling Road Race,16th July 1988.
Racing alongside (translation: 'hanging onto') New Zealand's leading 1980/90s road cyclist Brian Fowler (3 times Commonwealth Games Cycling Road Race Silver Medalist 1986, 1990, 1994) to a 5th place finish in the 100km Waikari Cycling Road Race, 8th July 1989.
1984, 2912 miles. Focus race Christchurch Road Marathon, 3rd June. A quick search couldn't locate any photos from 1984, but I will do a more thorough search tomorrow and hopefully add a photo or two.
If you are new to my UltraStu blog and perhaps wanting to read a bit more about my background from 1978 to 1992, I wrote a few blogpost at the end of 2012 / start of 2013 when I did a few 5-year review posts. Links to these blogpost are copied below.
https://ultrastu.blogspot.com/2012/12/review-of-2012-well-not-quite-first.html
https://ultrastu.blogspot.com/2012/12/five-year-review-from-1983-to-1987.html
https://ultrastu.blogspot.com/2013/01/wanting-it-and-winning.html
https://ultrastu.blogspot.com/2013/01/five-year-review-part-3-1988-to-1992.html
