The marshalling for cars was really non-existent, but we found a space very close to the start on a rather bleak military housing estate, and on jogging around the place found that was a chillier and windier day than I'd expected, and put on a base layer and a hat. We had a hopeless briefing with inadequate equipment and a pair of barking dogs which meant that we didn't hear any of it.
We eventually set off on a quick start. After a short way we were climbing hills on to the downs ad several runners fell back. Then on to some slippery soft ground for about 3k, in which I was cursing my choice of road shoes and trying to stay upright on some fierce hills.
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| Togged up for the start |
At the top of the hill we were onto a hard track which signalled the end of the cross-country element but which heralded the start of an hour or so of bleak, windswept and almost entirely lonely running. The landscape was remarkably featureless, which meant that whole minutes would pass by with the landscape looking almost exactly the same. Three guys whom I'd overtaken in the early stages cruised past me, which also precluded any real joy or exhilaration.
The really tough stretch was between 14 and 17k, which was a remorseless drag up a barren hillside into a stiff breeze - I was glad of my layers and my hat. I knew there was someone behind me but I didn't dare look round. I chugged away and pushed hard down the final hill into Warminster. The signage at the finish wasn't great and I had a couple of sinking moments of feeling lost. I hauled myself over the line in 12th place and 1st M50 in 1:25:05. Here are my stats.
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| Final heave |
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| The results were sent as a PDF |
I came away with a sense of anticlimax. I really had no notion of how well or badly I'd done on a rather barren and lonely run where I knew nobody else. It's always good to explore a new bit of geography, but this was not the heartiest of outings.
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| A tough outing |
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