I should have known when Darren said there was a 1,000 foot climb that this was going to be a tough one. This race is part of a series of 10 races.
The weather was great , ideal for running, but the mozzies were out in force. We started on a bit of a hill and at 8 minutes were still climbing then it levelled off.
I was warned to take it steady for the first 1.6 miles as it was a gradual climb. What I didn’t know, was that the gradual actually meant “very steep”. There were steps and flagstones and boulders to tackle, then some loose stone paths. After 13 minutes of running I looked ahead and saw people climbing up a “mountain” as other runners were coming towards me on their way back to the finish. After climbing a style we were all going round the “mountain” then it was the steep climb over boulders to the top. The next 2 miles was all downhill. I managed to pass one person as I approached the finish line. Darren was fast and came romping home in the first 20. I am sure I was in the last 20.
Nice different but extremely tough race. Not for the faint hearted. It does tax you but you feel fantastic when you finished, knowing you survived that mountain.
Liz