Hamsterley Half Marathon
Report by Matthew Holt
The Hamsterley Half (?) Marathon took place on 5 Jan and provided an interesting route around the local forest. I’ve never run in this area before, but heard it was very scenic, mainly from friends who are mountain bikers, who use the area a lot.
The race started on a section of road but soon climbed up a forest track to end the first mile, and then the climbs kept on coming. The first 6 miles had 1200 foot of ascent, a tad hilly but very scenic. The best bits for me were the tracks through the woods where loads of tree roots gave you a chance to trip up if not careful.
The second half of the route was flatter but had a muddy ascent around 7 miles where most of the competitors walked this section.
I don’t usually read race details of elevation and course length when entering races, because when you finish so far down the field as I do, it doesn’t really matter how long you’re going to be out there. However, when the Garmin beeped at 13 miles, and I couldn’t see any car parks or finish lines or spectators, I was wishing I’d paid more attention to the race description.
Finally, after 14.3 miles (!!!!) the finish line appeared and I was relieved to finally be able to stop and enjoy a well deserved banana and then cup of soup (living the dream).
The route was fully marked and easy to follow, with 1791 foot of ascent packed into the 14.3 miles, it certainly made for a challenging course. Mostly run on forest tracks, it might not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. The organisation was great and the marshals very encouraging. The rain stayed away, and I bet the course could be a bit tougher had it rained more during the last couple weeks.
I think there was seven RR present, sorry if I missed anyone:
Matthew Holt 2 hours 8 minutes
Andrew Harker 2.10
Scott Brown 2.14
Elise Nicholson and Jill Holt (who won the FV50 prize) 2.30
Rich Taylor 2.33
Kim Holden 2.54