Well, no more photos appeared so here are some words from Richard:
Sunday 12th October saw the Westgates at the Mendip Muddle – approximately 13 miles, mainly off-road, run under FRA rules. I keep saying that amidst all the rain this year we have had some exceptionally warm days to complement some of the finest races in the West Country. Sunday was no exception: after a slightly worrying amount of early fog we had brilliant blue skies, warm sun and no wind. (It was so warm I had to abandon my warm shorts and borrow a skimpy pair from Richard – LW). I was so happy ‘cos I love running in warm weather and the views were fantastic. 330 entries was a record entry although only 280 turned up and finished. Perhaps there is a breed of fell-runners who only turn out if the weather is foul!
I did this race in 2002 and the weather was so wet and miserable that the only views I can remember were hallucinations from hypothermia and exhaustion. It’s taken six years to put this behind me, but having had such a good experience this year it’s back on my fixture list as a must do.
The course is described as tough with 420m of climb. I found the boggy bits on the open moorland a bit energy sapping but overall a fair bit easier than the Stagger. With the clear bright skies we were rewarded with some really stunning views as we turned corners or crested hills. The start is slightly narrow and congested so by starting off quick I avoided some of the delays at stiles. Lesley reckons she waited about a minute at each of the first two stiles. The route soon opens up and the runners spread out. I found everything about this route enjoyable including the bit of competition with Rod Appleby as we leap-frogged. I must admit he gave me some encouragement as I walked/ran one of the last hills and I had enough energy left to keep ahead of him at the end. Was he really trying or just warming up for the Stagger?
The official description of the race includes the following: Roman lead mines, underground rivers, a nature reserve, potholes, an ancient rabbit warren, an Iron age fort, deciduous conifer forest, and prehistoric tumuli. Other landmarks are: Velvet Bottom, Rhino Rift, Beacon Batch, Black Down and Rains Batch. Glad we didn’t have to find them all! There were also 25 prize-winners in all, although sadly we weren’t among them.
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Good report! I've been a bit lazy with the blogging for quite a while now so I thought I'd do a little bit about the Stagger today.
Weather was not as bad as feared, but it was still the toughest ever Stagger for me. Lack of training, probably, but I was struggling as soon as we hit the first hill, and it got worse from there. The downhill bits were great, as usual, but I have never walked so much on the uphilll parts and still found it really hard work. After the long climb to the Beacon I still had enough to do a madcap descent to the bottom track, passing about a dozen more sensible souls as I careened from one fairly grippy bit of turf to the next. But it was all in vain, by the time I reached the infamous hill out of Wooton Courtney, my legs were so tired that I seriously doubted I would be able to make it up to the top without a substantial rest. All the people I had passed on the steep down hill caught me up and one, by one passed me back.
Anyway I finally made it to the top, and a bit of flattish road before the descent through the woods and into the outskirts of Minehead where a few more fitter people went past me, but I was past caring. Only the though of the finish line, and the piece of chocolate cake that I had stashed there before the race sustained me over the last mile.
You can see why they named this race the Exmoor Stagger, it is staggeringly hard! But no complaints, at least I didn't fall over this time, and no blisters either.
Looking forward to hearing how the Westgates got on...
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