Having promised to run around this with Steph, and then subsequently seeing the ‘event full’ update on the website, I was more than relieved to obtain a cancellation place.
Covering the countryside near Melton Mowbray, the route is changed every year – which made my carefully laminated route map of 2011 instantly redundant! This didn’t really matter, as the cross-country route is incredibly well marked. There were a couple of points where either the red/white tat had disappeared or the next marker was well out of sight, so following progress on the map was advisable. Nearby runners bunched up and sorted out ambiguities fairly quickly – time to meet new people and make new friends. These distances are usually run at a pace which allows chatter!
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the route as much as I did. It was a joy to run – the initial 8 miles are shared with the runners doing the 16-17 mile course, and then it starts to thin out. The course was flattish ( about 1500′ ascent total) and testing enough after the 20 mile mark. Steph kept a fine and sustained pace to finish 4th Lady, and had we been pushing it in the first half, I think that she could even have made the top 3. The final descent to Harby was fun even on tired legs, but the final green lane, with its off-stride undulations made us work hard, right to the end. Several ‘false finishes’ later (time: 4 hours 11 mins), and we were tucking into soup, bread and some exquisite puddings (cakes at the 4 checkpoints around the course were consistently fab!).
Definitely be back next year. A fine, tasty (!) and friendly event.
