Race Date: Saturday 14th June 2025

Having previously run this Killamarsh Kestrels hosted race fourteen times the route should be well ingrained by now with the last iteration, run in 2022, being a lap of Rother Valley, across Woodhouse Washlands, along the western bank of Treeton Dyke followed by a lap of Waverley Lakes and then back along a similar route. Flat would be an understatement. On a scorching hot day the strategy was to stop at each of the four feed stations to make sure that the water actually went down the neck. Being 90% off road the standard daily use trainers were the footwear of choice; perfect on hard baked trail and certainly not a course for your carbon fibres.

The first mile is beguiling and after that each subsequent mile got slower and slower as the sun beat down being finally reduced to a plod. Nevertheless it was possible to overtake a few although rather than speeding up, they were slowing down even more. As we entered Rother Valley, instead of trundling along to the finish with tea and cake as usual, the marshals turned the field left up a hill. Do they enjoy their job? This was unexpected inducing panic and despair in equal amounts. Further up the hill two more marshals gleefully instructed us to carry on “right to the top“. Read the small print next time for Killamarsh Kestrels had added a sadistic 200ft climb to the top of the ski slope and back down. The temptation to walk was almost overwhelming. Trying to draw strength from Daniel Abbott who was attempting the Bob Graham that day I frankly didn’t care any more. And then, like a mirage, there was a vest about 150m away to chase. She was walking but didn’t seem to be getting closer! The only thing that kept me going was the hope that I would die. Even then the descent was just as bad with sore quads and another personal worst on this course. Compatriots Annie and Sarah-Jane were laughing at me as I crossed the line a broken man. The cake tasted good though.

Mandy Taylor, not having run further than ten miles since September 2024, managed to keep it on the island for a little bit longer finding it difficult from about half way but still managed to hang on to finish as first F60. A similar story for first woman, Annie Chambers who had similar issues stating that “...my splits tell the story more fully than a caption ever could” but this didn’t stop her from bringing home the bling as first woman.