Woodstock 8 Report by Laura Leach
This was nearly my first Woodstock 12. Instead, with the race shortened due to the extreme heat, it became everyone’s first Woodstock 8.
It’s a fairly small race which lends itself well to catching up and pre-race chats. Some brief discussion about should we warm up – of course not, hot enough already. It’s the first time I’ve tipped a bottle of water over my head before we’ve even started.
Gathering at the start the race organisers explained finishers would get water and a banana. And a beer*. No prizes for guessing which got the cheer from the crowd. And then we were off.
It was a beautiful route, taking in parts of the grounds I didn’t know. Undulating, on paths, and traffic-free. The frequent water stations were oases in the heat of the morning, and kids fired supersoakers at runners at the halfway point. Mine was a run of two halves: my legs tired after 4miles and the race felt pretty hard work. But I had enough for a burst in the last 50metres and turned out that won me my age-group 🙂 Phil, Ros and Katherine were also placed in theirs and the Eynsham ladies team was 3rd.
Thank you to Woodstock and the organisers who adapted the race to the conditions at such short notice. I’ll be back next year, for my first Woodstock 12.
*the beer was excellent.
