Hellrunner 2007 - Hell down South

For those of you that have not heard of this one, it is the last in a series of three races this year which each explore the limits of multi terrain running. This race was staged at Longmoore Army Training Ground in Hampshire and I decided to do it along with a couple of work colleagues (Jon who runs with NRR and Mike who is an ex-army X Country Skiier). Our company has been involved in all three events managing some outdoor event equipment for SAAB and Salomon, and the stories back from crew on site at previous events made it sound too much of a challenge to miss (plus we got free places)! 

The course at Longmoore is a man-made training ground for the army and Trailplus have crafted the mother of all routes up and down sandy, stony, tree-rooted hills and through three bogs. The route includes the well publicised and much feared "bog of doom" as well as the "hills of hell" - you get the whole Hellrunner theme by now I guess. Apparently mile markers are for road running wimps as far as adventure running is concerned so all we knew was that it would be between 10 to 12 miles in total, but at no point would we know how much further to go.

The race was scheduled for an 11am start on Sunday so we travelled down in leisurely style on Saturday afternoon and stayed at Aldershot where we enjoyed an evening with our crew who were working on site. They had recced the course and were telling us tales of the bogs which get trawled for rogue shopping trolleys the day before! And also of the hills which they could barely walk up to position various banners etc. Myself, Jon and Mike were quietly worried whilst trying to avoid being fed large puddings and too much beer.

At breakfast on Sunday morning we met three other runners who were also competing, we exchanged stories and then were immediately humbled to find out that they were all experienced "adventure" runners who compete in events like the Chamonix to Mont Blanc half marathon. We ate our porridge contemplating the rest of the competition, all 2000 of them!

On arrival at the site we parked up and had to walk past the "bog of doom" on the way to the start line - it looked deep, very muddy and very cold.

Race started at just after 11am and a champion chip ensured an accurate time for the run. It was a perfect day for running, blue skies and a slight chill. Jon and I got quite near the front of the narrow start while Mike (knowing that he had not trained much) stayed further back. I was encouraged to see a full range of running abilities and ages, including many triathlon club tops in amongst the runners.

The route starts off as a gentle flat run through the woods and after about 1 mile you hit the first hill and the fun and pain begins. The ground surface is a mixture of mud, sand, stone and tree roots and is quite rutted even on the flat sections. The ups are fairly short but very steep and the downs gave me more of a problem than the ups. Some runners walk up the hills and run flat out down taking their lives and ankles in their own hands. I took a more conservative approach as I was running in a pair of road trainers with little grip - many had special off road shoes.

The first half of the course followed a pattern of severe ups and downs and the odd flat but undulating section for light relief. So far so good and then just after half way around (as I now know) we were welcomed by crowds of people and the "bog of doom". About 60m long, 3m wide, 5 ft deep and extremely cold! The bottom is extremely boggy and the best anyone could manage was a slow trudge through it. The worst thing is that you get out at the end and your legs have gone totally dead with the cold and feel like lead weights - just ready for the next hill! After a couple of miles the legs warm up again, just in time for the second bog which is entered via an almost vertical 15m muddy slope. This second bog is shorter and wider but deeper - up to my chest! You scramble out the other side and up another steep muddy slope on all fours.

Another sequence of hills follows and then a flat bit and you can see the finish area just as you are sent away back into the woods and towards the "hills from hell" - a series of three hills and descents, each about 30m long and through thick sand and rocks. I can see Jon just ahead as I go up the first hill so I push on which is tricky because a lot of people have reverted to walking the hills by now.

After the hills things flatten off again and you can sense the end, but first you go through yet another bog although this last one is less deep and fairly short so can be jogged through fairly easily. As I clear the bog I hear a marshall say to another runner that the end is just around the corner. In a final sprint to the end I almost manage to catch Jon, but not quite! 

Finish time for me 1h 23m 14s, position 124 overall and 15th in age group (40 plus) very pleased. Jon beat me by 4 seconds and Mike did it in just under 2 hours - excellent considering he has not done much training at all. Last competitor finished in around 3 hours and first man home in about 1h 7mins.

This is the hardest running challenge I have ever done, as shown by my average heart rate for the race which was 166bpm!

There will be three races again next year and I would recommend them to anyone who fancies a challenge or a laugh!