Clive Sentance reports.........
Fed up with chasing PBs, high entry fees and clean running shoes? Then read on, and maybe join me next year.......
Whilst clubmates were speeding round Bourton, I was slumped on the sofa recovering from this most stimulating and invigorating 15 miler the day before. This event is not really a race, more of a fund raising challenge that now attracts 1000 runners and walkers each year. Enlisting the help of my father as a chauffeur, we left Overbury at 6am to drive to the Vale of Belvoir, a very pleasant part of England whose only real disadvantage is its exposure to biting high winds that whistle in from the North Sea over the Fens. I decided to enter the full spirit of the event by warming up with a bacon sandwich and a couple of cups of tea before the start. Then we set off for 15 miles almost entirely off road (or "on mud"). There was the option of a 26 mile route, but sanity prevailed and I stuck to the original plan of 15. I have to say it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable events I've ever done. It would have been unsportsmanlike to try too hard, and so I kept a steady pace through the mud, partook of the excellent refreshments at 5 and 10 miles (2 flapjacks, 3 cakes and a cup of tea), and took my time on the hills. My overall time was 2:23, not that I took much notice, as there was soup, pasta, tea and crumble at the finish. I got all this for only £10 entry fee, and we were back by 3 pm for an afternoon of rugby watching.