In plenty of time to get those entry forms in, here is a selection of local and not quite so local races for February. There are some really excellent events on, and I hope you'll all feel inspired to shake the dust off your shoes and enjoy some of them!
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4th February 2007
Blackmore Vale Half marathon – this event is run “through beautiful undulating country lanes”. In my experience when the organisers use the word “undulating” they’re taking poetic license - what they actually mean is stonking great hills! This one starts at 11am at Bishops Caundle Playing Fields.
http://www.bvlions.co.uk/marathon2007.html
Blackmore Vale Half marathon – this event is run “through beautiful undulating country lanes”. In my experience when the organisers use the word “undulating” they’re taking poetic license - what they actually mean is stonking great hills! This one starts at 11am at Bishops Caundle Playing Fields.
http://www.bvlions.co.uk/marathon2007.html
Puma Longleat 10k – and this is what the organisers say “An undulating road run with one difficult hill tackled twice on this figure '8' course on the private estate of the Marques of Bath. Starting in front of the famous Longleat House and finishing running down the dramatic Lodge Drive. The course would be considered undulating for most of the route, except for one fairly long and difficult hill which is tackled in the first 2km and again at 7km - there is also a short but sharp rise just after 5km. Not a PB course, but an extremely picturesque landscape and spectacular start and finish.” Not a cheap one - £15 for a 10k and an early 10am start!
http://www.209events.com/event.php?event=25
11th February 2007
Tough Ten Challenge - Martin and I have both done this one in the past – don’t be fooled by the name, it’s really not as tough as it would have you believe. If you’re planning to do it don’t delay entering because it sells out early.
http://www.toughten.co.uk/
14th February 2007
Street 5k series Race 5 - What else would we be doing on the most romantic evening of the year but a bit a speed work up at Street? However, the age of romance isn’t dead…..our route home happens to pass by our favourite Italian restaurant. Well it would be rude not to stop wouldn’t it?!
Valentines Day 5km Road Race,
18th February 2007
This is a new race and possibly a one-off - Ilchester's very own Inca Trail. “Course consists of 7 Llama miles along the droveways and footpaths of King's Sedge Moor, taking in the points of interest of the original Inca Trail. Multi-Terrain, flat (apart from Macchu Picchu) and possibly very wet! Traffic and llama free.”
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/viewevent.asp?sp=&v=2&EN=35108
Lytchett 10 – This is a one lap, 10 mile road race and once again it’s described as “undulating”. It starts at 10.30 in Lytchett Minster and if you can handle the undulations you get presented with a coaster for finishing!
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/viewevent.asp?sp=&v=2&EN=34786
Four Trigs – this is definitely on our list of events for 2007! It’s “a low-key, off-road running event covering a distance of approximately 25km with an obscene amount of climb involved! Fell Runners’ Association Cat B. Aim: To visit each of the four Triangulation Pillars around the Sid Valley. Although runners will be able to choose their own routes, they must visit each Trig Point in order. Excessive road running will be frowned upon! Some knowledge of navigation or local knowledge of the area might help with route choice.” So this is one event we can happily get lost doing and no-one will even know (probably not even us!!!). We plan to run this together (or never see each other again!) as a long training run and we will be going down to do some recce runs beforehand, so if anyone is foolish enough to want to join us…………………
24th February 2007
Endurance Life Marathon and Half Marathon – Now you’re talking! This is the one I want to do if I can just convince Martin that it will be a great long training run for London. The winners of both events last year were well outside their respective PBs for the distance – so it really is a challenging off road event. It starts in the fishing village of Beesands in South Devon and follows the coast line out, looping back across country. Martin, did I mention it starts and finishes at a pub? I’ll drive home. (That should clinch our entries …….)
http://marathon.endurancelife.com/
25th February 2007
Babcary Road Race – the first race in the 2007 Somerset Series event will find Richard and Lesley hoping to make a good start to their challenge for places in the overall series. It’s a 7.5 mile road race with a nice uphill start (which doubles up as a much nicer downhill finish). It’s well known as a race which people run two loops of to make a long training run for London (yes, we’re amongst the loonies who have done this!). Equally well known for the staggering array and outstanding quality of the cakes awaiting you at the finish. You’d be surprised how fast you can run a second loop when you’re worried that all the chocolate cake will be gone before you get back!
Babcary Road Race
Dalwood 3 Hills Challenge – We haven’t done this one before, and it’s definitely on our “to do” list. The organisers say “Ten miles, largely off-road with only three hills ... but each one is 500' high!” If I can’t talk ‘im indoors into the coastal marathon then we’ll be at Dalwood instead (Hey we could do them both!!!)
http://www.axevalleyrunners.org.uk/races/index.htm
So there you have it, it’s going to be a busy month, but it’s going to be fun!
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