Where Nottingham
When October 11, 2008
First Man Simon Griffin 54:57
First Woman Claire Minshull 1:12:12
Last Finisher 2:24:03
No. of Finishers 883
"Running is so boring." The next time you hear someone trot out that hackneyed old excuse for not running, point them in the direction of this new event. It’s a mix
of trail running, assault course and tomfoolery, and about as much fun as you can have in 90 minutes in your running shoes.
At heart it is a 12K running race – the organiser claims 10K, but such subterfuge is supposed to be part of the test; the race is an out-and-back along the banks of the River Trent, but that only tells part of the story.
The running is broken up by a series of challenges, which range from traditional obstacles like the eight-foot wall just in front of the finish line to the silliness of jumping in and out of abandoned cars in the Parkour section, trying to kick a drop goal through a set of rugby posts and crossing the Trent by walking along (or swimming past) a pair of steel cables.
Although nearly a thousand – predominantly male – runners took part in this inaugural event, they set off in waves of 200 to ease congestion around the more complicated obstacles. Judging by the
post-race banter, the whole concept was
a big hit, and you can expect variations of
it to roll out to more venues in 2009.
