Cotswold Classic 10 Miles Report by Graham Bridges
The Cotswold Classic, aka Witney 10, has been a regular fixture in the Club Championship for as long as I can remember.
Although the course has varied a bit over the years, as it takes place in the villages north of Witney, it’s always going to be scenic, if a bit on the hilly side.
This year’s race attracted a slightly random selection of ERR folk, including Neil and Zoe, who were both making their debuts in a Club Champs event. From a personal perspective, it was a tentative affair initially, following some injury issues which I made sure everyone was aware of beforehand. As it turned out, the various niggles didn’t really materialise, or at least were hidden under the general pain of trying to climb the regular hills that the course provided. In the end, I was a few minutes slower than in previous runs here, but pleased to finish in better shape than I started.
Up ahead, Benedict continued his excellent recent comeback by leading us home in 67:44, while Katherine and Jane were both pleasantly surprised to win prizes in their respective categories and trouser eye-watering sums as a result (well, 20 or 30 quid isn’t a bad return for a morning run). Well done also to Mark Gascoigne for completing his first club run in many years, to Alison for incorporating these 10 miles into about 20 overall as part of her marathon training, and to Zoe for finishing her first 10-miler.
