Several months ago I got an email from Lisa which suggested we enter a couple of races which would serve as great training for our marathons, one being the Trimpell 20 and the other being the Muddy Bottoms 17 mile road race (also coupled with a 9 mile off-road race) at Bamber Bridge, Preston. Fantastic I replied and we duly entered both races.
Four months down the line and we receive an email (which I think might give something away!) from the organiser which read:
When you pick up your number you will be given a Map and a List of Directions you to follow to the LETTER
(I told by Linda Chapman that you cannot go wrong!)
There are 3 checkpoints on the course all have bottled water Please do not chuck bottles away please carry to next point or find a Bin, When going in or out of fields PLEASE CLOSE GATES!
If 1 member of your team takes a mobile phon incase you get lost there will be a phone number for help to get back on course
If you need any more details please e-mail shoestring360@hotmail.com
Map, Phone, Lost? What? I stared in disbelief, 'I thought it was a road race', I whaled!
However, after much pleading from my husband not to do it and even in the knowledge that taking part in this race may result in our never being seen again we decided to go ahead and do it. Things went from bad to worse as we realised that we had a running club get together the previous evening, coupled with this the clocks went forward one hour and the nail in the coffin? 9 am start in PRESTON!!!
Lisa very kindly offered to drive us there and messaged me to say she would pick me up at 7 am, 6 am real time! Blurry eyed we set off. Arriving in a timely manner just over an hour later we picked up our numbers and 3 (yes 3) pages of race directions (map included). We were walked over a bridge to the start and told we must close any gates behind us, not walk on crops and as it was lambing season not to disturb the sheep!
Despite my misgivings it was an absolutely beautiful and at times picturesque course to run (and walk). I have to smile to myself as I picture myself, Sharon & Lisa scaling a five foot fence to cross a potholed, boggy field to encounter the same height fence at the other side and that was only the start. Ahead lay a multitude of stiles (I wish I'd counted how many from the start), rolling hills and just complete wilderness at times. We would have fared much better if the directions had been anything like accurate, several times we found ourselves totally lost and having to retrace our steps to check we had followed them correctly and by some miracle we would find ourselves back on the right track!
Getting to the finish was just the best feeling ever and I'm afraid this is one of only a handful of races which is well and truly on the 'not to do again' list!
We have now learned that our results for the race are missing and the last person to finish did so in 7 hours and 7 minutes, and we thought our map reading skills were not too good!! Organisation? What organisation?!!
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