So I left it a week to blog about this one. It was a knee jerk enter on
the day type race. The weather had been nice and the write up sounded
fantastic, and I quote
‘These events will
make you wish you had never taken up exercise. Each event is exactly 10Km long
and uses only natural obstacles such as hills, steep hills and flat hills.
There are often water obstacles, mud, uneven ground, and hills.’
The photos on the website showed
knee high and waist high water, mud, hills, and the Facebook page showed steps
and a bridge to run up and down. All in all it looked like a bloody good
challenge. There was 4 different types of event on the day, firstly the dog
race, then the 5k, 10k, and the race I entered for 20k.
I had just bought new running shoes,
which at the moment are still shiny and glowing majestically in reflective
orange and blue, I still have my old Mizuno’s but on inspection of the course
and what it entailed thought it best to dig deep into the carrier bags of the porch
in search for my mud laden runners, still caked in half of Winchesters
countryside from Tough Mudder in March. A few bangs on the front wall and my
mud hardened, holey, split, knackered, smelly Mizuno inspire 8’s were ready to
traipse around 12.4 miles of grueling terrain.
The event was in Minley, which is
just near Camberley, I had a look online and the entry price was reasonable at
£21 (or pay on the day £25). Considering the write up this sounded good value
for money and another endurance race to tick off of the list.
Upon arrival we were directed to
park in a field just next to the start/finish line. Everything was very well marshaled and set out, there was a viewing point not too far away where family
and friends could see you at least twice during the race, and all of the
expected amenities to fuel any appetites.
Kitted up and race number adorned we
set off for the warm up, high knee’s, running on the spot and chasing imaginary
piglets meant we were all set for the off. The dog race went first, about 20 or
so dogs bounded into the distance as there owners got pulled behind like a tin
can on a wedding car, I’m not sure if the dogs would be a help or a hindrance
on the course, I kinda fancy having one help me up the hills, it’s the
downhill’s I would worry about, I am captain clumsy at the best of times, it
takes all my effort to stay on my feet as it is running downhill, let alone
behind pulled forward by a hyperactive hound, I would be arse over elbow and in
the drink just in time for the photographer to capture the front page photo for
next years website.
So speaking of going in the drink, I
ask the organiser what the water is like on the course, ‘there are drink stops
around, plus some at the start and finish’, ahh not quite what I meant, I mean
as an obstacle, I saw on the website chest high water ‘no there are no water
obstacles on this course’ .. Great !! (Sarcastic) .. I look down at my
weathered runners, my toes give me a friendly wave through the holes, little do
they know of the relative comfort they could have been in having new cushioned
pillows snugged tight around them, caressing them, as they take me over 12.4
miles of wooded forest and hills, instead they are now about to get battered on
a trail run of hard ground surrounded in rock hard, worn material and ferocious
air conditioning.
So on to the race, there are a lot
of people running for charity and the mood is light and cheery, the 10k and 20k
race start at the same time and with an obligatory 5,4,3,2,1 we are off !! The race is two
laps of 10k and starts off in a field then runs into woods, the scenery is
amazing, zig zagging through the trees, the course is well laid out and there
are marshals at every point where you could go wrong, yellow arrows tell you
which way to go and are frequent. The ground underfoot is awesome, 99% trail
and through the woods it is bouncy due to the pine needles and mulch.
I run much of the first half on my
own, the hills are short and sharp but there are no obstacles to speak of, in
fact there are no real hills to speak of, nothing that would make you stop and
walk a while anyway. The sun is out and it has turned out to be a really hot
day. The shade of the woods is lovely and cool and mixes perfectly with the
heat of the sun as you break out into openings, the whole event is very
picturesque but as yet has offered little challenge.
Around about 8k there is a bridge, a
steep hill ensures that you look suitably red and sweaty for the spectators to
cheer you on and take photos of you at the top. Running down a hill the other
side you run back under the bridge and round, here there are some steps to
power up and then towards the spectators again, down the steps and disappear
into the tree’s. This was enough to suck the wind out of your sails but the
legs were still plenty full of running.
More uphill zig zag’s and just the last mile
left, this consisted of much the same, a few mildly undulating hills and a turn
to the finish. This is where I spot my first Fartleker victim, running past the
start line with cheers of ‘come on Andy’ and ‘go on Daddy’ in my ears I spot
Tough Mudder shirt up ahead. The first 10k was about 51 minutes, not bad for
this type of course and on track for a sub 1.45 total. I put my best leg
forward and aim for the black and orange shirt about 300 yards ahead. Obviously
being a two lap race the second is exactly the same as the first, the only
difference is now I have targets to aim for. I chew down on a shot blok and
stride on. As I have said the scenery is absolutely beautiful, this is why I
run these types of events, being a bit of a nature geek I love running through
woods and fields, this is why 90% of my runs are cross country, if this event
had been advertised as a trail run I would have been waxing lyrical about it,
anyway more of that later.
I catch up with Mr Tough Mudder
shirt after about a mile or so, it’s nice because we are running at about the
same pace and can have a chat for a bit, I am feeling pretty good so stretch on
after another couple of miles or so. I gradually overtake a few more runners
and a couple of the dog racers, I bound up the bridge again and spot the
photographer who doesn’t quite catch the trademark heel click but gets close
enough. I look behind and there is no one catching me up, I look ahead and
can’t see anyone either, I am running on my own again but I don’t mind as the
finish is nearly here, rounding the corner Jessica comes running towards me to
hold my hand for the home straight. Now I DO have a quick look over my shoulder,
I am not massively competitive (contrary to popular belief) ‘but’, if there was
anyone there behind me Jessica would have just got a high five as I powered
past for a sprint finish, luckily there wasn't so I grabbed her little paw and
we ran over the finish line together in a time of 1.43.59 and 17th
place out of 80 runners.
Rounding the funnel I was expecting
to see someone smiling with a medal and goody bag, no one was there, I turned
around to see if I had missed them, but nope nothing!!
Now this is why I waited a week to
write this, I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just being a bling chaser or a
t-shirt hunter, I love running, it is definitely my passion, but if I enter a
race I would like at least something to show that I have done it. Most of the
small/low priced races have some kind of momentum given out, and to be fair the
price of admission for this race really did warrant something other than just
being a well marshalled trail race. I could have brought a t shirt at the end
of the race but I feel this is an unnecessary additional expense. I would
understand if the race was as advertised but unfortunately it fell way short of
making me ‘wish you had never taken up exercise’ and the hills were not traumatic ‘hills, steep hills and flat hills’ and there was no water obstacles or mud
to be seen (ok the mud wasn’t there due to the good weather).
So all in all a pretty disappointing
blog, perhaps Minley just wasn't the right location to warrant a race to be called ‘Brutal’, it was a cracking trail run but considering the price and the fact there was no medal/shirt/goody bag, I would suggest just finding your own run in a woods near your house.
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