The Sped-Web

Triathlon, Running Coaching and Stuff

Here are some great running races to set your sites on if you fancy a challenge

January

Slaughterford 9.- Mud, water, hills, what more do you need in a race? Oh and don't mention the big hill to finish...I mean BIG.

The Tough Guy - run for 8 miles or so on a very tough multi terrain torturous route then you start the killing fields. prepare to be cold, very cold, but also be prepared to laugh, in a sick sort of way. truly stupid.

Riverbank Rollick -Run for the first time in 2005 this was a truly muddy race. For somewhere as apparently flat as Thornbury and the Severn Vale it seemed awfully tough and the slightest include always had mud to ensure the lungs were dragged through their death throws. Ouuccchhh.

February

Dursley Dozen - Hills, mud, more hills, big hills and more hills  Bloody hard and bloody great fun. if you are good enough there are plenty of prizes to be had none of this first three get a piece of plastic. Here we have chocolates and running gear. 2003 event is on 9th February check out http://www.g4cio.demon.co.uk/ddozen/ddozack.htm

Three Amphibians, Three Kingswoodians, Three Hogweeds and 400 muddy souls at Dursley in 2003

So we all line up at 10.30.....Hoooooootttttt and we're off. the start is on a 1 in 4 hill for the first hundred yards or so. So within 100 yards or so everyone is in oxygen debt, gasping and struggling to find a footing on the first flat bit that just happens to be mud and water. this is the Dursley Dozen. as Mandy spedding said afterwards "It's like the Grizzly but shorter". So if you've done the Grizzly just take the pebbles and 8 miles away. If you've not done the Grizzly do the Dursley Dozen and then guess the rest.

From the muddy wet stuff you just proceed through more mud and more wet stuff which is either up a hill or down a hill. You do get a rest form this terrain after about 2 miles when you run across the golf course. this is because there is nothing higher around. For a mile and a bit you settle into a bit of a rhythm before descending from the high point through the woods through more wet and mucky stuff. When you feel you can get any lower down the valley and you're eyes are streaming with water you are proved correct. It's half way and you face a mega-steep 1 in 3 hill up a field. walking is the name of the game here. I suppose somebody must run up it but not mortals. At the top it's .......back down again before running along a tedious soaking muddy slippery winding muddy muddy slippery trail that teases you along the bottom of the hillside that makes up Stinchcombe Hill staring down at you around 100m above you. The only way to climb the precipice is with the ropes provided. It was just before this climb that my lungs and legs decided they were going to stay in the valley. Not only were they speaking to me through lactate heavy quadriceps but a tree root or two leapt out in front of me and caused me to fall flat in the quagmire splatter the ground with blood, and roll over a couple of times. It was also at this point that a voice from behind me screamed "SPEDDDDIINNGGGG" Oh god who was behind me? As it happened it was young Niall U from Bath Amphibs, Niall had been following my Hogweed vest and yellow hat for last 10 miles. Luckily for me he was able to follow it for the last two miles too. Not so Bryan Stadden of Bitton who decided to catch up with me on the last downhill stretch towards the finish. Having found my lungs and nerve if not my legs I was able to lengthen my stride (Run like a crazy possessed devil) to keep Bryan at bay by 4 seconds Niall came in around 40 seconds behind me. SS 86'21", BS 86'25", and NU 87'05"

So where were the 3 wise Kings (woodians)? Well, Old man Rich James (106'59"), legend of the bowels of Kingswood and was leading home his two protégés James Lewis(107'37") and Lee Francis (109'41") proving yet again that age is no barrier. He was heard muttering under his breath in the showers that the downhills were sorter this year. Fatherhood is dawning upon The James household again in May. So have a great year daddy Rich.

Meanwhile where the two other Amphibians and Hogweeds? Charlie Wigmore was having a great race coming in well within the top hundred in 97'30" with Nadia Saba continuing her London Marathon training (18 miles last week) with a 125'45" run.

In the pack there was a dual between the two other Hogweeds Moya Blue led Mandy Spedding for much of the run but was caught in the last third and both finished within a minute of each other Mandy 117'05" and Moya 117'50". 

Also worth a mention was dark horse and as yet NOT A HOGWEED TROTTER Stuart MacDougal. How can you live in Yate, run 90'42" with Andy sexton and remain unaffiliated. Come on Stuart get the application form here.

Oh by the way the winner did 80'20". that's a silly time!

As for the day or so after...............let's all run like people with no joints in the legs, oochh owcch arrgh

March

Forest of Dean Trails Half Marathon a nice half marathon on trails through the forest. mostly uphill until half way and then back down for the second half

The Marshfield Mudlark  Only 5.5 miles (now 6 miles - as of 2005) but very tough if it aint hilly it's muddy and sometimes both. 

April

London Marathon......What else? read about marathons here

May

June

Cotswold relays see the races page

July

August

September

October

Over The Hills - 6 or 7 miles of great country running around Bradford on Avon some hills and a river to run through.

Badminton Horseless challenge read on..........for a picture click here

Trotters hog the horseless Limelight

October 5^th saw the 19^th running of the Badminton Horseless Team event, organised by the rotary Club of South Cotswolds and run with kind permission from the Duke of Beaufort.

Participants had a choice of a 5 mile or 9 mile event, the idea being to run a loop (or two) of that normally reserved for our four legged friends of the equine variety. With the barometer set to fine, the temperature set at cool and the sun shining, there was nothing to fear but the event itself. The aim of the event is to raise funds for the Rotary Club by entering as teams with the first four past the post counting towards the top prizes

This is not a difficult course but it does have enough minor undulations, long grass, a couple of major horse jumps to negotiate. These are interspersed with smaller horse jumps that make it far from simple. Twisted ankles, and soggy feet from the water jump would be the most you could complain about though.

The race has a mass start of runners who set off around the grass course a few minutes after another group of walkers had set off on their tour of the estate. For anyone who was witnessing this for the first time it might be a bit of a shock to the system to see a heard of runners, men in skirts, footballers, gnomes, fairies, people in mobile showers and well rugby players dressed as nuns stampeding their way across fields in the Cotswolds. This is reality though. 

It does not take long before the lactate would hit the runners as their initial enthusiasm is brought back to reality and a running pace that could be maintained for the race distance. There were also individual prizes on offer and this must have been in the minds of two local early pace makers from the Hogweed Trotters Running club. Steve Eastaugh-Waring and Alistair Want both set the early pace but after about three miles Steve drifted off the pace slightly and Alistair slowly built a small lead. His lead was extended with each minute and those behind him settled into a steady pace. Steve established himself within the top five and was being chased down by another Hogweed, Stuart McDougal.

Not only was it a battle of the Hogweeds it would be a battle for the team places with Steve’s team bragging to Stuart’s (McDougal’s Mad dogs) that they were going to be beaten. The Mad Dog’s team were looking good though with all four crammed into the top ten places. Where was Steve’s fourth man?

As the 9 mile event entered the second lap Alistair was extending his lead, Stuart had overhauled Steve and another Hogweed, Simon Spedding was working his way up the field with team mates Rob and Simon. By the finish Alistair had completed the course in a superb time just under 56 minutes. The team battle was settled with Rob Banim coming home 4^th, Mad Dog McDougal 5th and  Simon Spedding 6^th and Simon Vaughan coming in 9th. The 4th-7th places were within  5 seconds of each other in a round 57 and half minutes. Steve's team were defeated although Steve himself had the consolation of having the overall winner, and finishing 7th himself. . The McDougal Mad dogs won the team prize with , and were very please with their exploits.

There were many other Hogweeds racing but with official results not appearing on the day we must wait to see how the other Horseless Hogweed’s faired.

November

Brent Knoll Race. A truly scary event. Although only about 5.5 miles with 4 of it flat (if a little muddy), the real fun is running up Brent Knoll (that hill thing you see by the M5 near Burnham on sea) which in places must be around 1 in 3, running around the top, then running down again aaarrgghhh. If you are quick the real fun is meeting people still coming up the muddy slopes. this year's event 24th Nov 2002. Entries available from Hogweed Trotters on club runs

December