Week 14 – oh for the gentle hills of Warwickshire

Down to stay with my sister in South Devon and take part in the South Devon Coastal Trail Series Half Marathon.  As we assemble on the village green at Beesands, looking out over Start Bay the cheery race organiser makes fun of those of us who are in street-running shoes.  He says the trail-shoe-wearers can amuse themselves watching us sliding about.

We start off along a short stretch of beach and I am glad it is short as shingle not the most responsive surface. Then its up over the coastal path and down to Hallsands where the hotel and wooden beach shop where I worked as a teenager 36 years ago have been replaced by new housing. 

Then we hit the coastal trail in earnest for about 13k starting with a 120m climb.  If I ever complained about Warwickshire hills, I take it all back, if I ever complained about Warwickshire mud, I was being pathetic.  Now I have experienced hills and mud.  The going is very slow and it is difficult to stay upright.  In fact I do not.  I land flat on my back.  Perhaps the race organiser was right, but I am not sure that even the best trail shoes would make much difference in this mud.

The going is so slow that my family support team have almost given up waiting for me at Prawle, about two-thirds of the way, when I finally puff and pant my way into the village. 

The event is extremely well organised and while the remote location does not make for Great North Run-style crowds, it is made up for by the friendliness of fellow runners.  They say that people are brought together by adversity and I have never chatted so much to other runners.  It is made easier by the fact that we are walking a lot of the time.

The route finishes with two 100m hills one of which seems to consist entirely of mud.  The coastal path would have been muddy anyway after a week of rain, but 2-300 runners have gone in front of me to churn it up.  The final descent into Beesands is so muddy and twisty that I have to complete it in three-meter bursts, grabbing posts and tree branches for stability as I go. 

The race is officially a half but my Garmin says I have run 23k and I am not going to argue with it.  I feel like I have run 42: it is certainly at least as hard as the Toronto Marathon.   Being able to get my legs straight into the cold sea is certainly a bonus; better than any ice bath.

A time of just under 3 hours 15 minutes.  8:26 mins/k

Looking forward to getting back to the Coventry Way.