Walking the Race

This is a committee meeting that I chair – leading from the back as it were.  Its purpose is to plan a race.

We were walking the course to decide where we needed marshals and signs. It was a lovely evening for a change – the first time Bill and I walked this was in a winter rainstorm and I’ve rarely been that cold in my life.



What I find remarkable about this area is that it used to be a colliery, that would have looked something like this. It’s now a ‘country park’ and nature reserve; admittedly with a scrap yard in the middle.   We’ll just tell the runners it’s modern art or something. They’ll be used to that sort of cheek by jowl existence of things, though. There are farm houses with stables along one edge and surburbia across the road. That’s Britain for you.




There is an evil hill in the far side of the loop that forms the course, but one is rewarded with vistas over North Tyneside for one’s effort and of course what goes up must come down…most of the time, anyhow. It is definitely multi-terrain, on tracks and paths, mud and scree, but only 2.5 miles long, for each of three runners on the relay team. One of the team must be a female and one must be a veteran (M over 40; F over 35).

The winning team members get all of about £10, but also the option of a hot shower and a place to buy hot drinks and snacks and a lovely run through woodlands and fields on a summer’s eve amongst friends.



What could be better?