Sunday the 13th May – the heavens opened.
[wpvideo KCxirT9j ]
A lovely scenic drive out to the Dunecht estate. I had never ran the course before, only on a recce with the Rebel Run Club so aimed to get there earlier to get a feel for the course.
Parked at the gate to save getting stuck int he field later on, so gave me ample time to warm up and find my bearings.
The course was lovely, the trees starting to turn and the farm life in the fields full of the sense of spring.
The rain was a consistent factor, between heavy down pours there was restbite albeit short. We found ourselves huddling in the warm up tent keeping out of the rain whilst the 2km crew headed off on their adventure.
The race came… starting in a field, it gave a great sense of a local run. We headed off for 100-150m then sharp right turn onto the road and off down hill before sharp left turn into the long driveway. The undulation was very favourable for a fast start with the elevation dropping with each stride.
Exiting the grounds you then circle the perimeter of the grounds for a 1-2km before turning back into the gardens over a cattle grid ( a large jump over – for safety at that speed ).
The last 2 km is a lovely run through the driveway to the house and passes through the 9 hole golf course that is present on the estate. It slowly starts to climb, bringing you back to where you started and finishing under the main gate of the house – a beautiful surrounding.
Well done to all the Metro and Rebel Runners taking part in the event.
Time – 20:28
Feels – Great start – faded near the end – trail running the day before probs didn’t help.
Shoes – Brooks Launch 5
Weather – Wet, Rain, Calm wind.
Route – 4.2/5 – due to cattle grids being left open
Did you run? What did you think of the route/run? Whats next?
Thanks for reading
Run Long and Prosper
James
