A week on from Thorpe Park came a new challenge, one I'd been salivating over since I'd booked it due to just how ridiculous the whole thing sounded. A 10km run, at night, wearing a head torch, over a cross country horse racing course with bonus points awarded for dressing as a jockey or a horse. £40 has never left my account so easily!
The 'HorsePlay' Notorious Night Run was the final of 4 equally baffling events spread out over the UK from the 'Mighty Deerstalker' in Peeblesshire over the Scottish Border down to Hambleden Estate in Henley where I was. Although just down the road, Henley feels a world away from Reading. All the blokes were tweed, all the woman seem to have pony tails and are called Harriet and the only other language spoken would be latin.
Rat Race, the company behind the event, are quickly becoming my best friends in giving me plenty of Purple ideas including one this August which i'm getting very excited about... The Horseplay event was split in two, a 5km jaunt for those who wanted a mini challenge and the full 10km for those after a double challenge. Not only would the double distance be an issue, the race is purposely started just before sun down so poor visibility was guaranteed.
At the start the announcer and wonderfully enthusiastic organiser of the event eventually got us lined up at the start just after 6:00pm. A final check that the timing chip was tied on your shoes, head torches were all switched on and that you weren't standing in front of anyone potentially quicker than you were at the start. Off we went, the athletes darted off ahead to avoid the log jam at the first obstacle, a whacking great log designed for a thoroughbred to jump over, instead bearing the brunt of 500 fun runners. This was quickly followed by the first water jump and then into the woods. Over another jump, across the field again and over more jumps, the terrain started getting trickier and steeper and everything started getting darker, the head torches were about to become essential.
The rest of the course was no doubt designed by a sadist. Forgetting the 10km distance, the course planner is, i'm sure, a hill loving midget as most of the run from then on in was up, down or traversing a whacking great hill which could rival Coopers Hill in Leicestershire for it's steepness. The woods offered many obstacles including low branches, hidden roots and the odd log thrown in for good measure, everyone present must have had a close shave or near injury on route. The course managed to bring the best out of all present as everyone seemed to be watching each others back. Whoever was running point could warn the others of what was coming and the light from whoever was behind you helped to avoid all the potential ankle breakers.
Close to the end the obstacles came thick and fast. The mud section won't go down as most people's favourites, nor the huge log jumps which even I had a problem getting over. After getting thoroughly soaked ducking under an obstacle in a pond we were on the final stretch for home. We could hear the MC, see the lights and here the crowds which really spurred you on. After a final water jump there was a cargo net to crawl under (not easy in the dark with a head torch on) and a final big jump onto a raised platform before a sprint finish over the line. Coming round the final bend I actually felt slightly disappointed it was coming to an end. Far from feeling knackered and fed up and counting the steps to the finish I couldn't help feeling I was starting to catch the bug for this sort of thing. A few years ago jogging was my idea of hell. It still is in a way, but throw in some mud, a few people dressed in tweed and the idea of doing it all at night, and you'll have trouble stopping me wanting to do it. In the finishing tent I got my bottle of water, big Mars bar and another beautiful looking medal. At this rate my trophy cabinet is going to be bigger than the old man's ;)
The evening was far from over. Once the last people had staggered over the line it was time for the prize giving and the entertainment. I was slightly taken aback by a woman who told me she wasn't over the moon about her performance who a few minutes later ended up winning the award for 3rd fastest female (or filly) on the day. The overall winner was a chappie with a very Henley-esque sounding name who nailed the course in 47 minutes, making my 1 hour 31 minutes look pedestrian. Out of 500 runners I was 242nd, a more competitive mind like the woman I spoke to in 3rd place would have seen me higher up the ranks but, as always, mine is a mind of Purple whose unadulterated joy came from simply being there and feeling the way I always do when experiencing something new.
The prize giving was followed by the excellent live band, Black Dog, a spandex, mascara and tweed wearing group who did an excellent couple of sets ranging from Hendrix to Phil Collins to the theme tune from Dirty Dancing. Any thoughts of sleep after that went out the window. I'd already decided to camp overnight before hand and had already pitched the tent before the race. Couldn't help finding it funny being the tallest bloke there yet having the smallest tent, even without a blow-up mattress there's no room to swing a locust once I'm in it, whoever called it a '2 person tent' must have meant 2 jockeys. The next 5 hours were spent dressed in 4 layers in plus the sleeping bag trying to get warm and get any kind of sleep with some drunken X Factor hopefuls on my left and some cockney blokes to the right of me who spent the whole evening telling most people exactly what they thought of them, including (weirdly enough) the 'boring old c*** asleep next to us'. Asleep? Chance would be a fine thing. Any less of the old you cheeky git! It was the one time I welcomed the clocks going forward. This had obviously not been the highlight of the day but in the end just added to the whole thing. Another fantastically memorable entry in the book, roll on the next one :)
