Club Partner Spotlight: Ash Tuck Battles the Heat for 2nd Place at the Black Mountains Half

One of the best parts of working with the Trail Runners Club community is seeing members take on some of the toughest races in the UK, and then hearing the stories behind them.

Ash Tuck is the founder of our Club Partner Trail Runners UK, and he recently lined up at the Limitless Trails Black Mountains Half Marathon. With steep climbs, technical descents, soaring temperatures and unforgiving terrain, it was a proper test of fitness, resilience and race-day fuelling.

The result? A superb 2nd place finish, just 14 seconds behind the winner.

A Proper Mountain Race

The course packed plenty into its 22km distance:

• 1,200m of elevation
  
• Three major climbs
  
• Technical descents
  
• Temperatures reaching 29°C

Ash set off aggressively, taking control of the race from the gun.

"The plan was simple: go out hard, have fun, and see what happened."

For the opening half of the race, everything clicked. The climbs felt strong, the legs were responding well and the Black Mountains provided the sort of scenery that almost makes you forget you're racing.

Almost.

The Turning Point

The race changed on one technical descent.

In the space of just a couple of minutes, Ash rolled his right ankle twice on the same descent. Despite losing the lead, he kept pushing all the way to the finish.

Crossing the line in 2nd place, just 14 seconds behind the winner and 15 minutes clear of third, was still an outstanding result on one of the toughest trail races of the summer.

Fuelling That Simply Worked

With temperatures pushing close to 30°C, nutrition became just as important as fitness.

Ash kept things simple:

• Three bottles
  
• Three servings of Highland Fuel BareFuel
  
• Electrolytes topped up at the aid station

His goal was straightforward: keep carbohydrate intake consistent, stay hydrated and avoid fading in the heat.

It worked.

"BareFuel ticked every box. Easy on the stomach, clean energy, and—crucially—it actually tastes good when you're 18km in and the bracken is trying to eat you alive."

Despite the demanding conditions, Ash's energy remained consistent throughout the race.

"The legs didn't fade. The head stayed sharp. The ankle situation was, we can all agree, a separate department entirely."

Trail Running is Thriving

As proud partners of the Trail Runners Club, it's fantastic to see members like Ash pushing themselves at events like this and sharing honest experiences from race day.

Whether you're racing for the podium or simply aiming to reach the finish line, getting your fuelling right allows your training to shine when it matters most.

Huge congratulations to Ash on a brilliant performance and a hard-earned second place.

In Ash's Own Words

"22km. 1,200m of elevation. Three climbs. 29-degree heat. Head-high bracken. And me, absolutely loving every second of it — right up until my ankle had other ideas.

The Limitless Trails Black Mountains Half is the kind of race that looks unhinged on paper and even more so when you're standing at the start line sweating before you've even moved. The profile — three chunky climbs, steep technical descents, and more bracken than a nature documentary — is exactly the sort of thing I get excited about. Technical, physical, demanding. My people.

The plan was simple: go out hard, have fun, and see what happened. Spoiler: mostly good things happened.

I led for the first half. The climbs felt strong, the legs were turning over well, and the views across the Black Mountains were genuinely jaw-dropping — the kind that make you briefly forget you're racing and just feel quietly grateful to be out there. Briefly.

Then came a technical descent. My bread and butter. My thing. And somehow, in the space of about two minutes, I managed to roll my right ankle not once but twice. Same ankle. Same descent. Twice. I'd like to say there was a rogue rock or a freak gust of wind involved. There wasn't. Just me, a slope, and a lapse in concentration that cost me the lead — and ultimately, by 14 seconds, the win.

Second place. A finish I'm genuinely proud of, especially given we crossed the line a full 15 minutes ahead of third. The racing up front was close, honest, and brilliant fun. I'll take it.

Now — the bit I actually want to talk about, because it made a real difference on a day when the heat was relentless and the course was demanding every gram of energy I had.

Three bottles. Three portions of BareFuel carb mix. Job done.

I went in with a simple fuelling plan: keep the tank topped up, stay on top of the carbs, and don't let the heat grind me down before the last climb. BareFuel ticked every box. Easy on the stomach, clean energy, and — crucially — it actually tastes good when you're 18km in and the bracken is trying to eat you alive. At the one aid station on course, I refilled with their electrolyte mix to keep the salts topped up, and honestly the combination felt dialled from start to finish.

The legs didn't fade. The head stayed sharp. The ankle situation was, we can all agree, a separate department entirely.

The Black Mountains delivered everything it promised: brutal, beautiful, and completely worth it. Huge thanks to Limitless Trails for an epic event, and to Highland Fuel Nutrition — BareFuel was with me every step of the way, even when my ankles weren't quite doing the same.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to practise descending."