11 Harriers tame the muddy beast!

Honiton Running club’s Blackdown Beast run is not a race; there are no positions or even times issued, and there are no marshalls. What it is though is an opportunity to get some healthy exercise, in the fresh air, in good company and over a course that offers some stunning views in and around the Blackdown Hills north of Honiton. The lack of a competitive element does of course allow you to relax and fully enjoy all this. For most of the 11 participating Harriers, this 16 mile, self-navigational route offered the first opportunity for them to test their off-road legs over this distance before the 4 Trigs and Grizzly races that many of them are tackling in the following couple of months. There is an entry fee, but this year’s event, held on Saturday 25th January, was in support of MacMillan Cancer Relief who will receive a worthwhile donation. The entry fee is also reimbursed in part by the sheer wealth of refreshments on offer throughout the run: basically, the bigger your appetite, the better the value for money you gain!

Runners are issued with detailed instructions to help them navigate their way around the full 16 mile route, or a shorter 10 mile option. Both routes are multi-terrain, in every sense of the word, and were very very muddy in many places. The thought of the warm pasty and mulled cider awaiting them at the finish spurred them all on to cover the 16 miles in a time of 3 hours and 40 minutes. The participating Harriers were all of different abilities, but, in the true spirit of this type of event, they all pulled together with the faster runners going on ahead to open gates, check the route and then double back to assist the slower members over styles and through muddy sections. All eleven, and one Harrier guest for the day, enjoyed their muddy day out and the training will have stood them all in good stead for their own personal challenges and running plans that await them later in the season. 

2 Trigs (a.k.a. Scott Jordan) chivalrously assists Nicki Kelly through a muddy gateway!... Thankfully the navigation side was safely in the hands of other members of the group though!! ;-)

Group photo at the start: will they all look as fresh at the end?!

 L - R: Jane MacDonald, Susan Hill, Lorraine Kirby, Tony Hatchard, Scott Jordan, Terry Oldham, Bob Keast, Dawn Teed, Guest, Amanda McCann, Nicola Kelly, Lorraine Gilson.