Charlbury 10k Results
Another good turnout and some fine performances on what was not an easy course. Hopefully I’ve got everyone’s jokers, but let me know if I missed you.
Hugh won the wine and his report follows the results.
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There were a number of warnings that this was an informal event. As I drove into Charlbury I saw road closed signs and wondered if the tales were out of date. But no they were not they were for a street fair the day before; I parked within 50 metres of the start wandered over and got my number. This race was entries on day only, Graham had emailed a list of entries to aid them but that was nowhere to be seen.
I then turned and surveyed The Green. I could see a finish area in the middle, a course map which showed the start and finish in the same area, the positioning of the finish didn’t tie in with any safe or clear way in and we worked out that that you had to swerve around a bollard in the small gap in the corner. By the time I had worked that out a throng of blue had arrived; Ben strode in purposefully (obviously there to do the business) we had taken over the patch of grass above the finish funnel, some 24 of us, around 90 lined up for 5k (6)and 10k (85) combined start and we were quickly off.
The start was in the road and not as indicated on the map. Downhill for the first 1k then up a slope past the gates and into Cornbury Park. Never been there before as far as I can remember and most of my time there failed to take in the sights, a “herd” of deer I was told later studied the field deciding whether to see us off. What I do remember is Denise passing me at about 6k saying where are the downhill bits. I agreed, all I could remember from 2k to 8 k was going up and along, then a slight downhill before another rise. Eventually we left Cornbury Park and hit the road and then turned onto the Oxfordshire way for a quick down and up on a rural track. The turn left passed the station and the cricket club before the final assault uphill to the finish and to squeeze around the bollard and trot over the finish. There were some notable performances, Ben coming 5th in sub 40, for a hilly partly grass course was a good time, Mark T 8th and Graham B 12th and a commendable 49.43 for John Bishop and the winner’s time of 36.51 was, we all thought, miraculous.
Definitely a low key event, the low numbers and off road course make it good for someone who wants to race in an event with little pressure, the course certainly took you around a nice area of parkland, I just spent too much time looking at where my feet where going to be able to appreciate it. It was good that it was dry as I heard tales of slippy, puddly, uneven trails in previous years which would have been a right pain!!
