High Elms 10k (Orpington)

Race report by Phil Stevens:

The latest Club Champ race took us to Orpington and the lovely High Elms Park.

A group of 8 TRACies (and Leo the club mascot dog) turned up to almost perfect running conditions, sunny intervals , no wind and 12 ish degrees. 

I’ve never run this course before and the description was all trail, very hilly and whatever your 10k race time is add 5 minutes!!

It was the same old story… We recently had rain, it was trails, but was still really firm, road or trail shoes?

The pre race brief was the race director telling you about 20 times not to fall over the various trip hazards. 

9.30 came and we were off, a young Brighton & Hove AC runner (Joshua Hobbs) who wins it every year was soon off in the distance and ended up winning it by over 2 minutes in a time of 34:19mins! Incredible. His mum was telling my wife the secret was to walk up the hills. Well I don’t think Josh was taking his mums advice!

Together with Chris and Mark, we’d already run the beginning of the course in our warm up and knew the first half mile was all up, so I tried not to go off too quickly.

It was then up and down through woods, weaving from left to right and trying to avoid all the tree routes. I’d decided to go for road shoes and although a bit unstable, I managed to stay upright and I think it was the right call.

About 2 miles in we came across a guy playing live music on his electric guitar. He sounded good and Chris told me later he was playing Swords of a thousand men (Tenpole Tudor Vikings) and Jeepster (T-Rex). Well he was when Chris ran past.

After the guitar man it was a long straight through a meadow but in the distance I could see a sharp left then runners going up the mother of all hills. A fair few runners were walking this!

It was a big loop around meadows before coming back to the guitar man. 

There were 2 drink stations and at the first I must apologise for mucking up my cup grab and soaking a poor Cub Scout.

With about a mile to go, a Marshall said just one more hill and my heart sank. I’d had enough of hills by this point.
At the top of this hill it was a case of a downhill flat finish running along the familiar start route. 
A final 200m ‘Give it all you’ve got’ to the finish line and it was over.
Chris, Matt and Mark had already finished and we started to exchange war stories while cheering in the rest of the team. 
Some superb runs today from Chris Brenchley and Claire Greenaway who both bagged maximum points.

The act of kindness award has to go to Mark Croucher who gave his only gel away to a fellow runner who was really struggling. 

Thanks to Andrea Stevens and Sarah Manser and family for the support, photos and company.

Well done to Orpington Road Runners who had 50 marshalls out on the course and did a fantastic job of sending us all the right way through the woods.

To summarise, not a course for quick times but a superb training run in a beautiful location and a great tester for the next race (The North Downs 30K).

Will definitely return. 

Results

Pos	Gen Pos	Chip Time	Name
23	23	41:03:00	Christopher Brenchley
24	24	41:17:00	Matt McCarthy
27	27	42:01:00	Mark Croucher
37	36	44:12:00	Phil Stevens
76	67	49:42:00	Steve D Suttle
82	11	50:11:00	Claire Greenaway
92	13	51:18:00	Joanne Kemp
250	180	01:03:38	Mark Hadden

Click below for latest Club Champ standings:

Some great performances again today to help team TRAC in the Kent Grand Prix series. As thing stands the mens and female teams are both currently on the podium. Please come along to the next one so we can keep going with this superb season.

Next Club Champ Race – North Downs 30k (link below) – 29th June – (picnic afterwards).

https://englandathletics.sport80.com/public/wizard/e/28800/home?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3eg6xIoYz0faki5ylt-cIWOVcNy8_ZygV6gi58bwWv9rekS5zicUgJ778_aem_mYuKb8QStSnfdH53ThA1Mg