This event will rotate with Shillington shuffle (2011) and Steppingley Step (2010 and 2013), so the next time this route will be used is 2015.

This was a LDWA event, with options of 12, 18, 27 miles, by walking (start 08:00) or running (start 09:00). There were about 250 participants but only 47 on the 27 mile run. Instructions were provided, and a GPX file was on the website (which could be downloaded into www.sportdistancecalculator.com to turn it into a routemap). The terrain was fairly hilly, going over the Sharpenhoe Clappers, and into quarries. Some of it was on walking routes (Icknield Way, Greensand Ridge, Chiltern Way), some on road, lots of it was across fields. Part of the route went through the grounds of Woburn and while the deer didn’t come to see us, they were there in the distance. It was quite muddy underfoot, with a mixture of slippy mud and sticky mud (the sort that’s adds 1kg per foot). There were 4 checkpoints, which provided drinks and nourishment. (Wraps, rolls, cake, apple pie and custard, squash, tea etc). The food was well worth the £6 entry fee, when combined with the free parking and sausage and beans on toast at the end. The weather was sunshine from start to finish setting off the excellent scenery. This was a tough event, with the first runner coming in at 5:00, and even 6hrs was good enough for 16th place. I ran most of it with a guy who normally runs sub 4 and he did 6:51. Some good runners finished after dark, (so note to self: next time pack a torch) and remember it is better to spend an extra few minutes reading instructions than running additional miles. Oh, as well as the mud, instructions and hills, there were also 63 kissing gates to slow us down.

Overall: Fantastic value, great scenery, good company, hard workout. Highly recommended.

My time: 6:45. That’s 6hrs, 45 mins, not 6:45 min/miles!