Where Rubery, Worcestershire
When June 17, 2007
First Man Henry Hammond 1:09:34
First Woman Alison Hamlett 1:20:55
Last Finisher 2:26:03
No. of Finishers 52
The West Midlands conurbation is home to two million people, so it comes as a bit of a surprise to discover a rural multi-terrain race just minutes off the M5 in what is a predominantly built-up part of the country.
For the first running of this event the organisers used the impressive variety of terrain on offer in Waseley Hills Country Park to create the perfect cross-country race.
They included every imaginable obstacle to throw runners off their rhythm: there were stiles to climb over – as well as a few to sneak under – plenty of kissing gates, streams to leap, a playful herd of cattle to negotiate and cow pats to either avoid or relish. And that was before the hills started.
Despite the twisting route, marshalling was perfect, and the easy-to-follow sawdust track reminded some runners of the trail of crumbs in Hansel and Gretel.
The views from the hilltop were the stuff of fairy tales too. Runners could choose to tackle either one lap – the ‘Crumble’ – or two laps in the ‘Rumble’ with both races culminating in a lap of a playing field where supporters cheered every runner across the line.
With plenty of character and bags of room to grow, this race won’t be a hidden gem for long.
