Friday:
Its not many races that make me feel nervous a few day prior to the start. But the prospect of running a 20 mile obstacle course was pretty intimidating. I have actually trained for this too. I had built up my miles in training, but only got to the 13 mile mark in my weekend long runs before slacking off due to illness and then running a few 10 km races too. So when I set off on Friday night to the event I was feeling pretty unprepared. Me and JP arrived in the camper van and the first obstacle of the weekend was the camper slalom as we weaved through campers carried their tents and camping gear on the roads and camping site. Not sure why the organisers had chosen to force camper vans and caravans to drive through a narrow track between all the tents, and people milling about, but we soon reached our destination, plucked the un-witted and unfortunate pedestrians from the radiator grill and then set up our camp. We had a quick potter around the site village, stocked up on energy gels and checked out the obstacles near by, we then headed back to the van, for a brew and an early night.
Saturday:
we woke after a fairly reasonable nights sleep, waking to the sounds of our compares voice over the speakers calling wave one over for the race briefing and warm up. we had a couple of hours to wait until wave 8 for JP and wave 9 for myself. As JP got up to take a pee behind the van on the outer fence he was met by a quad bike leading out wave 1 right past out camping spot. We clapped and cheered the first wave past and then finished our morning duties. we then brewed up and had some breakfast bars and fruit. Chose out kit to wear and then pottered about clapped on a few more waves, before heading off to join the back of the toilet queue for a more seated morning duty. The queues were huge, and complaints from those 'lucky' enough to have used the 'facilities' complained of over flowing and block toilets. I headed back to the van in search of likely hiding spots picked up some loo roll and a plastic bag. I'm not proud, but certain needs, need to be met.
Once at the start area I watched JP warm up and and lead out wave 8, I then started my stretches and warm ups, I wasn't going to participate in the mass warm up and just go through my own routine and also use the first, obstacle free, mile as a warm up. It wasn't long after JP had left and it was my turn to make my way to the start line, I managed to get on the front row, just to avoid having to perform speed bursts to run past any slow runners in the first mile. I picked on a couple of guys in running club vest and stayed close to them. Club runners are usually great at maintaining a steady pace and that is exactly what I needed to stop me from bursting off with too much energy and enthusiasm in my fresh legs. This worked very well and the first mile was ran out in a comfortable speed, and the first obstacle zone [Zone 01 - The Car Park] was approached with efficiently in mind. I didn't show boat or try and gain places on the obstacles, just maintained my steady pace.
My pace keepers were slowly pulling away, but i wasn't going to push to catch them, I had my pace and it was comfortable. Next up were the inflatables [Zone 02 - School Daze], been through these a dozen or so times last year during the Men's Health series of races so I knew that sticking to the edge of the giant bouncy castle was easiest way to tackle this obstacle. As soon as I was out of the inflatables a few of the local rugby boys greeted the runners with tackle pads. I was goaded with a call of 'COME ON BEARDY' by one of the youths so he got my body weight thrown at him, we was well grounded and bounced me off to his mate who put his pad into me hard and bounced me to the third member of the front row. This was great fun, but really sucked my energy levels down, I thought about reaching for a gel, but instead just plodded on at steady pace, and slowly my breath and non-tunnel vision came back.
It was comforting to hit the 3 km mark and still feel pretty fresh, and turn into the wooded area [Zone 03 - Trail Blazer]. This was stunning, running through the woods on soft ground, with a very logs to leap and scaffolding bars to duck or vault. I could run like this all day every day with out getting board. The run then came out of the woods to a stunning view of the river crossing and the magnificent hall its self, I didn't have long to take in the views before hitting the next challenges [Zone 04 - The War Zone] of a lightweight sand bag carry a few vaults and a crawl under barbed wire in the mud. After a few more cargo net crawls I was pretty muddy but this wasn't going to last, as we approached the river.
The queue to get into the river [Zone 05 - River Rate Race] was pretty big and it took a good 5 to 10 minutes before my feet got wet, and then it was a very slow plod through the water as each obstacle could only be tackled 1 by 1 or 2 at a time, this was pretty poor planning by the course designers and made for a very slow, very cold bottle neck of 'runners' it must have been pretty poor for spectators, simply watching a slow precession of frustrated sportsmen and sportswomen plodding slowly and getting colder. once over the river we doubled back across the river, obstacle free, only to join the back of another queue for more bottle necks and standing about in cold water. Once out of the water I broke my steady pace, to try and warm up and get some feeling back in my feet.
After another half mile or so I hit the 5 km marker and the first feeding station where I took on water, and a hand full of jelly beans, and then plodded on, I was running with Matt quite well now and we soon reached a series of balance beams [Zone 06 - The Mud Run] and churned up mud. The mixed things up with added ramps and pits to navigate, the mud was quite dry and mainly consisted of clay so the going was heavy but not sticky. After a bit of field running we hit but ground which had been dug up [Zone 07 - Construction Site] to create ramps to run up and down, beams to vault and duck, all whilst being sprayed with water from a fireman's hose. After the final scaffolding tower it was back to running the farmers fields.
As we approached a large lake [Zone 08 - Water Wipe Out] another bottle neck had formed as we gingerly made out way into the chest deep water. As Matt and I looked out we saw a path of people slowly wading through the water. The line of ducks in a row must have stretched out for about half a kilometre. The atmosphere was great, no one could make any real progress, so everyone went at the same slow wading pace, we all chatted and had a laugh, and then the sun came out, and it was just like being on holiday. Once out of the water it was a short jog before climbing onto a platform to take a leap back into the water.
After the dunking we ran on towards another wooded area [Zone 09 - Parkour North Shore] with balance beams to run along, stepping stones made from logs, and huddles to vault, it was pretty fluid and great fun, and led nicely to the half way point and my most anticipated area [Zone 10 - Ewok Village] with more balance beams and vaults and a large structure to climb up and descend by rope on the other side. Again this obstacle was a major bottle neck with probably a hundred people queuing for the 2 descent ropes. I decided to climb and jump off the end rather than wait for the rope, after a few more balance beams I was clear of the wooded area.
I still feeling pretty good. Another energy gel keeps me alert and happy to run through another field or 2 before being greeted to a series of skips to jump through [Zone 11 - Farmer Giles] huge tractors to run round and a few hail bale hurdles, it was fairly straight forward and over pretty quick, before back to the field running. The running was fairly short lived before [Zone 12 - The Mighty Deerstalker ] a series of high, felled tree, horse hurdles to clamber over. Not sure how 3 or 4 clambers counts as a zone, but I plod on regardless. Once again greeted by views of the river, the canoe pontoon was out of actions so it was a wade back across the river and onto the the real show stopper section
[Zone 13 - Biggest Baddest Boldest] I had seen the 110 meter monkey bar challenge online and at other points where the course passed near this zone. after a cargo net crawl I started my monkey bar action. It didn't last long before i was in a heap on the floor, i was about 90 meters short of the goal. Those that couldn't make the distance had to swap to the fence vaulting section instead. this was knackering work but tiring on the shoulders and arms, which was better than more abuse to my legs. I started quite sprightly with enthusiastic vaults but eventually slowed to a clumsy and laboured 'just get over it'. This zone ended with a huge hay bale climb, this was hard, but great fun, and standing atop of that hay bay building was an amazing feeling.
I almost felt at home in the next zone [Zone 14 - Men's Health - Survival of the Fittest] seeing as I ran all 6 of the series last year and have tackled all these obstacles before. The usual a frames made from scaffolding bars, rope swings, crawling through a spiders web of bungy cords. As always the final obstacle for Survival was the 'wall of fame' an 8 foot brute. I have about a 60% unassisted success rate with the wall and wanted to beat it today. I leapt and reached the top with my hands and managed to get my forearms up too. but just couldn't drag the rest of my body over. A quick push from a fellow runner and I was on top ready to assist a few other stragglers before jumping off the other side.
At this point it was mile 13 and you had the choice to finish early at complete the 13 mile course or man up and run the full 20 mile course. I had paid for 20 miles and was going to complete 20 miles! The course took an uphill change now and a couple of horse jumps to clear. As I bounced up the first hurdle both my calfs tightened up, and cramped badly. I rolled off the box, painfully and used the obstacle to base my calf stretches until the pain subsided. It took a while for the cramps to settle down but the next obstacles [Zone 15 - Burghley Horseplay] were pretty simple and only a few horse jumps. Another feeding section, where I took on water and took another energy gel.
Another area [Zone 16 - Yorkshire Terrier] of balance beams and a small wade through a pond, was quickly disposed of before entering another beautiful wooded area [Zone 17 - The Legends of Sherwood]. The obstacles here got bigger again, with large wooden a-frames, but the problem with big obstacles is big queues. slow progress through here was very frustrating. I had another energy hit here, but this time went for 'bloks', as my stomach needed feeding too. After the wooded area, it was a 3 mile slow slog, they must have run out of obstacles, and my ITB friction was starting to kick in, but I was still moving faster than most people, and picking up extra places as I went.
It was a painful slog to the next obstacle [Zone 18 - Burghley Bedsit] luckily this 'zone' was a car to crawl through and a ply wood structure to go through with a slightly stooped head. not sure this qualifies as an 'obstacle' but it wasn't as pityful as the next zone. [Zone 19 - Chariots of Fire] a splash through shallow stream 2 hurdles, a paddling pool and a single hay bale. These weak 'zones' were made up for my the final obstacle which was made up of a cargo climb, skate ramps to run up. pits to jump into and vault out of, and finally ladders made from telegraph poles. To finish, un-injured and in a fairly decent state was great. I picked up my goody bag and medal and headed straight back to the van to get changed, clean up and get warm.
JP was waiting and it wasn't long before Matt appeared too. It wasn't long before we were cleaned up, changed and ready for a wee dram of whiskey to celebrate.
After a cheesey photo of me and Matt to help raise more money for
www.performerswithoutborders.org.uk all three of us then headed for the beer tent, to celebrate and congratulate ourselves with a nice chilled beer and a pizza. The pizza was amazing, but the beer was hard work. I think i'm getting too old to be able to do an epic run and then have a skin full of beer. Matt went off for a massage and JP and I just chilled in the campervan drinking tea, and watching the world go by.
We did make the effort and wondered back over to the event village to watch Ocean Colour Scene. They were good, but I've never been a big fan of them, so we went off in search of more food, and happily ate some very tasty noodles. We watched a few more songs before the cold ground started to work through our boots and into out feet. we where all happy to call it a night and head back to our campervans.
Once the bad had finished and bar had closed and the late night revellers had quietened down to a dull roar I finally managed to fall asleep, and dream of running through the woods around Burghley Estate.
Sunday:
Pack up and go. we did this as quick and as early as possible to avoid any car park carnage, and found a local diner to have our full English in.
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/pwbrats
In summary: A long run, with only a handful of the 200 obstacles being a challenge or note worthy, I wont return next year, but may seen how it looks for 2015.
Scores (out of 10)
Course: 4
Terrain: 5
Difficulty: 8.5 (due to the length)
Return factor: 4
Overall: 5
