When: April 18th 2021
Where: Loseley Park, Guildford, GU3 1HS
Course: Hilly trail route around the Loseley Park estate with a short section along the Hog’s Back
Other routes touched (walk): North Downs Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 22
Finish time: 58:00
When: April 2nd 2021
Where: Highfield Park, St Albans, AL4 0DY
Course: P-shaped route starting in Highfield Park, following the Alban Way and a loop out to the North Circular/A1 around Sleapshyde
Other routes touched: Alban Way / NCN 61
Finish time: 53:12
This was the first organized 10k event of 2021 and my first since Newbury Racecourse in February 2020. It was great to be back with other people and in a well organized Covid-secure event.
When: February 9th 2020
Where: Newbury Racecourse, Racecourse Road, Newbury, RG14 7NZ
Course: 2 laps of the racecourse and a wiggle round the back of the stands. 5k and Half Marathon options also ran on multiples of the same course
Other routes touched: N/A
Finish time: 57 minutes
When: January 26th 2020
Where: Morden Hall Park, Morden Hall Rd, London, SM4 5JD
Course: 3 laps of a figure of 8 (ish) course in Morden Hall Park. Flat / mix of grass and paths.
Other routes touched (walk): Wandle Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 20
Finish time: 53 minutes
When: December 22nd 2019
Where: Polesden Lacey National Trust, Great Bookham, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6BB
Course: Muddy, hilly, twisty, turny trail route out and back from Polesden Lacey NT Car Park.
Other routes touched (walk): Prospects of Polesden (SCC), Ranmore (SCC)
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
Finish time: 64 minutes
When: December 17th 2019
Where: Merchant Taylors’ Senior School, Sandy Lodge, Northwood, Middlesex, HA6 2HT
Course: Twisty turny, MUDDY, route around the grounds of Merchant Taylor’s School with a lap of the lake and following a section of the River Colne.
Other routes touched: course of the River Colne
Finish time: 57 minutes
When: November 17th 2019
Where: Fulham, London, UK
Course: Twisty turny on-road route around Waltham Green, Fulham and Parson’s Green including a loop of Stamford Bridge stadium. Start and end at Eel Brook Common.
Other routes touched: None
Finish time: 54 minutes
When: October 27th 2019
Where: Saltram National Trust, Plymouth, Devon, UK
Course: Figure of 8 around the grounds of the National Trust property including a stretch of the River Plym embankment.
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 2,27
Finish time: 65 minutes (due to being massively hung over)
When: October 13th 2019
Where: Dorney Lake, Berkshire, UK
Course: Flat 2 laps of the main rowing lake. Also a Half Marathon option for 4 laps.
Other routes touched: None
Finish time: 53 minutes
When: June 30th 2019
Where: Eton Riverside, Berkshire, UK
Course: Out and back from The Brocas park at Eton with a large loop at Eton Wick and a small loop at the start and end.
Other routes touched: Thames Path, NCN 4
Finish time: 52 minutes
This was a fun 10k with a difference. The route was mainly along the Thames Path between Eton and Dorney chasing 1 of 5 pacer boats down the river. I was aiming for the 55 boat but I got overexcited when I overtook the 50 boat with 1 mile to go. I thought I'd smashed it but didn't realise that the final half km was a lap of the big field at the finish, so the 50 boat caught up. I still beat the 55 boat with 3 minutes to spare.
When: June 2nd 2019
Where: West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
Course: Very hilly trail route on the West Wycombe Park Estate
Other routes touched: River Wye, Wycombe Half Marathon Route
Finish time: 65 minutes
When: May 27th 2019
Where: London, UK
Course: Flat, on-road out and back (ish) from The Mall taking in Trafalgar Square, The Strand, Chancery Lane, St Pauls, Bank of England, Whitehall, Westminster Square and Birdcage Walk
Other routes touched (walk): Jubilee Walkway
Finish time: 52.5 minutes
When: May 4th 2019
Where: Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
Course: Road and cobbles meandering route. Start in the Old Town in front of the Convent of San Francisco, heading out North for a loop around the University, loop in the Parque Alameda and a final 3k in the Old Town to finish in front of the Cathedral.
Other routes touched: End points of all of the Caminos de Santiago
Finish time: 58 minutes
When: February 17th 2019
Where: Chessington, Surrey, UK
Course: Single circuit on-road route from Chessington School & local roads.
Other routes touched (walk): Chessington Countryside Walk, Thames Down Link, Hogsmill Valley Walk,
Finish time: 53:41
When: October 21st 2018
Where: Epping Forest, London
Course: Single lap hilly trail race starting on Chingford Plain and snaking through the hills of Epping Forest.
Other Trails touched (walk): London Loop, Greenwich Meridian Trail
Other Trails touched (cycle):
Finish time: 1 hour 2 minutes
They weren’t joking when they called it Tough 10! This was never going to be a PB and a week of 3 long haul flights and epic jet lag didn’t help either. Great course though and I even managed to bag a new Trig Point at Pole Hill, 7k in.
When: July 22nd 2018
Where: Burford, Marlow Bottom, Buckinghamshire UK
Course: Single loop hilly trail run from/Burford School
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Way
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Finish time: 1h 00 mins
When: March 25th 2018
Where: Black Park Country Park, Buckinghamshire, UK
Course: 2 laps of the parkrun course
Other routes touched (walk): Beeches Way
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Finish time: 55 mins
Good to be back in action after a winter of cancelled events.
When: April 23rd 2017
Where: Stockley Park, Uxbridge
Course: Loops of Stockley Park Golf Course & Country Park with start and end in Stockley Park Business Park
Other routes touched: None
Finish time: 56m
When: March 11th 2017
Where: Black Park, Buckinghamshire
Course: 2 laps of Black Park, home of the Black Park parkrun. Done at night with headtorches
Other routes touched (walk): Beeches Way
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Finish time: 54m
When: January 4th 2015
Where: Cliveden National Trust, Cliveden Road, Taplow, Maidenhead, SL1 8NS
Course: One small and one big loop of the National Trust estate.
Other routes touched (walk): Cliveden Green Walking Route
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Finish time: 58m
The Cliveden Cross Country 10k was a chilly and hilly start to the new year. The race, at the National Trust estate near Maidenhead, is an annual fixture yet I've always manged to miss it up to now. This year was particularly cold and foggy, something I only realised half way into the cycle ride there from home. I arrived with frosted-over gloves and numb hands. I soon warmed up on the course though as the climbs and mud got the pulse going pretty quickly.
The course is 2 roughly similar laps of the estate with a longer 2nd half including a nice run by the Thames. Both laps had a very steep climb up the steps back to the main house which no-one I saw managed to tackle faster than a walk.
First race of the year done and a warm-up for the 45-mile Ultra in mid-Jan.
