THE BEAST

First DW and Pizza Man I looked for you both but couldn't see either of you. I even got my friend checking out all the yellow and green vests! I was at the end until the end and still didn't see either of you. Did you run, if so how did you get on?

Well I'm really chuffed as I got a PB. With it being so hot I didn't for one minute think I was on for this. I felt relaxed and in control the whole of the race.
My 2 club mates and I also took the first ladies team prize of a big cup and a bottle of red wine each! I think I was about 11th lady but not sure until the results come out.

For those of you who don't know the race. It's a tough 14 mile off road race that takes in much of the coastal paths and cliffs around Corfe in Dorset.

It started with a gentle downhill on a private road,which was quickly replaced with an uphill section that lead us off road. Once off road the first half had parts of the race that ran through wooded tracks, these were bliss as they were cool and a reprieve from the intense heat of the sun. The first part was mostly uphill and I found myself walking once or twice (only on really steep bits!)as I needed to let my breathing settle.

On the downhill sections I was flying! One of the guys who was running at about the same pace commented if we combined his uphill running with my downhill we would be pretty good! I think this was a compliment rather than a suggestion that my running wasn't good.

Anyway I continued to feel strong and in control even when we got to the first set of cliff steps. In the past I can remember feeling like crying for my mother at this stage-but not today. Forward and up I went and decided there was no point in trying to run the steps, they were just too steep. A Fell runners dream I think!

There was a second set of cliff steps and at this stage I was hoping they had oxygen at the top, no such luck. So again off I went for the final 3 miles, praying that I would stay strong and not fatigue in the last few miles. Luck was with me and my best bit of the race followed, which was a long section of downhill running, my strength. I came into the finish, a field, with a final burst of sprinting and knocked over a minute off my time for this course-1hr 50mins!

The free t-shirts were really cool looking and of good quality-purple with a rather tired looking runner and THE BEAST on the top.

Hilly - that is inspirational - Well Done!!!

It sounds an absolutely tortuous route - soemthing for you to be really proud of - I'm in awe of you right now!

Bravo, yippee! Just exactly what I like to read about just now. Inspiring bed-time stories, while, for a time I must be a reader and not a doer. Thanks, Marj

Thanks Shattered Shins and Stickless. It is a tough course but the views at the top of the cliffs are magnificent. Mind I don't like heights so I was pretty aware of how close to the edge we were!

Stickless you'll be a doer again soon I'm sure just stay positive. Inspiration is people like you who carry on even when not at their best!

great race report, hilly, it was a terrific read, and well done on the PB on what sounds like a pretty awesome course in more ways than one. I know what you mean about cliffs, I always feel I'm going to lose concentration for a fraction of a second and go hurtling off the edge - vertigo sucks!

Hilly, great run and report. Good to see you fit again.

Well done, Hilly. Thats a real achievement. I know what that guy means about downhill. I cannot run downhill properly, thats when loads go past me. What's your secret? I blame mine on vertigo!

Well done Hilly.
I presume you're also a Grizzly person so may see you there. Also fancy the other over the hill run down your way but can't remember its name., late January time. There are some great hillys down there.

Great run Hilly, but the organizer tells me that they're renaming it 'the Pussycat' next year - as it was originally designed so that everyone got a PW - you've just ruined its reputation.

Doing the Grt Sth Rn next Sunday?

S.D. ;-)

Achilles when I got to the top of the cliffs I can tell you apart from the odd peak through the corner of my eye, they stayed pretty fixed ahead!

Drew it feels good to feel fit again. This is my first positive race since London. Mind I love off road running.

Keswick1uk I think I'm good at downhills as I seem to have good balance and I just don't think about it. When running down the cliff steps I actually ran down the grass verge sometimes going sideways. Or it could be that because I don't like heights I just want to get to the bottom as quickly as possible!

Head Gone, I would love to do the Grizzly, but unfortunately it falls in March which has always for me been too close to the FLM. I agree there are some very good hilly races in this area. I'm not sure what the one in late January is. There's The Montacute House in December-btilliant! Another excellent one is The Stickler, the three peaks race in North Dorset in October.

Well done Hilly. Great to sense your enthusiasm and joy!!

Well done with the pb sounds like a great event.After my off road debut a few weeks back I love hearing about these sort of events and good to see RW have added a x-country schedule in the latest issue.

I think DW was running too, he mentioned it at Burnham .......

V impressive Hilly.
I had some 35-minute runs along the coastal path in Cornwall when on holiday, so got something of a taste of what it must have been like - including the vertiginous cliffs! I'm not too keen on heights either!
14 miles of that in heat - were there no refreshment stations?

WOW,
What a run, I've never run anything like it.
Thanks to Hillys' course description earlier in the other thread I took it fairly easy untill the just after the 2nd set of steps when I pushed myself for the last 3 miles miles passing quite a few runners & finnishing in about 75th just in front of the 3rd lady in a time of 1'40.
It's a fantastic event with views 2nd to none, but not for the faint hearted.
Sorry I missed Hilly & DW.
Can't wait for net years. To top it all I actually got a decent t-shirt that fits.
All the best,
PM

Congratulations Hilly, really pleased for you ,I know you've had some disappointing races recently and entered this at the last minute so it must feel like you exceeded your own expectations. Sounds like a fantastic run and achievement I enjoyed reading the race description. Hope you make the most of the red wine too!
The course sounds amazing, I don't blame you for not looking over the edge though.

Well done Pizzaman as well, your time sounds awesome; shame you missed each other as you can't have been that far away from each other?

Hilly & Pizza man - well done you two. It's reading reports like yours that keep me motivated when I can't run. And I laughed out loud at the 'crying for my mother' line....so funny!

So caught up in what I great event it was I forgot to say well done Hilly. I'll bet that wine tasted good last nite.
I don't think there is any one in the world that could run up those steps, mind you I had trouble going down that fist set, how steep?
I noticed it wasn't in RW so thanks for posting it or I'd never have run it.

I was one of that seemingly endless stream of runners along the cliff paths! It was a fantastic event and I recommend it. I am good up hill, so didn't mind the steps at all - but I am not good downhill, so a few people I'd got past on the ups came past me on the downs! As Hilly says, the views are amazing if you've got time to look up from the track. I couldn't finish it last year because my knee packed up. So I was particularly keen to finish it this year. I took it steady and just enjoyed being out there. I've been smiling ever since I crossed the line - in fact I was smiling all the way round too! I did it in 2 hours and I'm sure I can knock some time off that. All being well, I'll be there next year to have another go!

Hilly, Pizzaman, Katie, well done all of you. Marvellous race report, Hilly. Your account made me NOT want to do this race, ever, so probably see you there next year...

Nice one hilly and the rest.

Sounds like an awesome run. Not sure I'd fancy it but you never know....