RUNNING POLAND

As the bus made a dangerous turn on a narrow pass, I saw the silhouette of a domed peak and the looming shadows of another endless forest. At that moment, I knew that this trip was one of my better ideas.

A couple of months before, I made an impulsive decision to join my wife Riana on a trip to a graph theory conference. Obviously, it was the theoretical maths that pulled me, and the discovery of lavish green rolling hills during some Google-fu on the location: Szklarska Por?ba, Poland.

Rookie border-running

Surrounded by beautiful foreign mountains, I felt like Heidi when I opened my hotel window the next morning. After a final Google Earth and kit-check I made my way into the picturesque little town which, in September, is a sleeping ski-resort.

My strategy was simple: run to the base of the mountain, get to the top, and then