Where Milton Lilbourne, Wiltshire
When January 15, 2006
First Man Vito Graffagnino 1:07:35
First Woman Sarah Rollins 1:16:51
Last Finisher 2:57:29
No. of finishers 399
A graph showing the ups and downs of the route of the 10-mile Rough 'n' Tumble was pinned to the wall of the village hall before the start of this race. Even from across the room it looked like a mountain stage of the Tour de France, but the steep hills failed to put off more than 400 runners who lined up at the start in the pretty village of Milton Lilbourne.
After less than a mile on a quiet country road the route climbed on to a network of tracks and trails. The short, sharp hills were over quickly but the mud was relentless.
Some of the narrow downhill sections were more like trying to run down a luge track than a footpath, and judging by the liberal coating of mud that many of the runners were sporting at the finish, the race lived up to its name.
Well-placed marshals meant there was no chance to lose your way despite the slightly disorientating, twisty route, and some even offered words of encouragement at the tops of hills.
The quickest back to the finish at the village hall were first to sample the impressive selection of home-made cakes, and even the mud couldn't disguise the smiles on the finishers' faces.
