The Last Horner Water 11?

Take some of the less demanding bits of Stagger, some of the best running tracks from the Seaview, some of the magical river sections of the Drogo and a bit of scenic moorland road and you have the Horner Water 11. Add a clear blue sky to a chilly spring day, attach marker tape to a few trees, provide a water station and lots of marshals,and you have all the ingredients for possibly the best race of its kind in the country.

Runners seem to drift almost by chance to an isolated Somerset beauty spot. Part of me didn't want to write about this race, to keep its secret safe among the lucky few who know. Summoned by Fred Hagan to an imaginary start line, we posed for a group photo. Fred then warned us of the highland cattle with huge horns that stood their ground menacingly as the course was laid. Lesley seriously considered a DNS as she remembered the terrors of the comparatively tame cows at Haselbury.

We set off along an enchanting track beside the burbling Horner Water with its ancient woodland. Birdsong filled the air and all was well with the world. This race sneaks up on you and it becomes more demanding - the first half climbs from 198ft to 1545ft, with a tiring section across the moor. We were then rewarded with a steep downhill 3/4 mile road section with good views, before returning to tracks, moorland and woods. I loved the seriously narrow, steep, slippery gully strewn with tree roots as described in the course notes and wondered how Lesley would fare on this section.

All too soon we were back on part of the outbound track and heading for the finish. By all accounts the distance is about 10 miles and I was very happy with my time of about 84 minutes. In true Seaview style Minehead RC had provided a stupendous array of sandwiches, rolls, cakes, pies, biscuits etc for the runners. As I settled down on the grassy bank to a huge slab of date and walnut cake it was obvious by all the blood and dirt that several runners had taken a tumble.

Lesley came home looking strong followed some minutes later by Graham Newton of AVR. He is an excellent runner in his own right but today ran with his daughter who was over from Ecuador.

Given the countryside, the distance, the challenge, the weather and the special dedication of Minehead RC, this was probably the most enjoyable event I have ever done.