Race report by Jane Huws

This race was very well organised by Outfit Fitness and Events which is based in Prestatyn in North Wales.

The Event Centre is a sports centre so good parking and toilets. Once registered, a pre-booked bus took you about 25 minutes inland to the village of Bodfari. I’d entered with my grown up kids. My daughter who was staying with a friend got the bus. We met her at the village.

Then as a loose group of just over 100, we walked up the not-insignificant hill of Moel y Parc (that was about 350m of climbing). This was the highest point of the race.

There was a quick briefing at the blustery summit before the race started and we all ran down the way we came up. That was the last time I saw the kids for quite a while.

The Offa’s Dyke route north from here isn’t flat, although there was a net downhill to the finish on the beach in Prestatyn.

It was a lovely route – very varied. There was some road, farm tracks, some field edges and grazing land. Mostly the sun was shining. There was a gentle tail wind.

We all had the route on our phones and I had to check a couple of times, but as it was a way marked national trail, navigation was pretty straightforward. There was a lot of stiles which broke up the running a bit.

The last hill, although fairly short was very steep and it was as much as I could do to just keep my feet moving. At the top you could see the Sports Centre (Nova Centre) in the distance about 2 miles away. It felt that we were very high up, skirting round a hill that my knees didn’t want to go down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My knees complained all the way down the long, rocky path but I passed a couple of people at this stage. Then there was the last run-in along the main street of Prestatyn.  At this point, I didn’t see anyone else and felt a bit out of place amongst the shoppers.

Straight on down the street.  Checked the map.

The finish was low key. No big blow up arch. Just a bloke with a zapper to record the time and give you a wooden medal from a pile on the sand.

I finished in 94th place (out of 108) in a time of 3:47:53.

I was very pleased with that. It had been really tough but completing it felt great.

The kids both enjoyed it too and finished a lot higher in the results.

I would definitely recommend this race and might do it again next year.

Communication before the race was great.

Video update on weather and kit, a couple of days before.

It was really well organised including transport and marshals at key points.

There were 2 water/gel stations where your progress was zapped in.

The cut off at the first water station was generous.

At the finish, the sports centre had a cafe where we had a meal before going home.

Striders Results: