Luke Against the Clock

The weekend brought some incredibly stormy weather conditions but not many races to report on.

While others may have been studying the weather forecast and looking for a window of opportunity to get out there, Luke Campbell was braving the elements at a very unusual event in Cornwall. The race, put on by Mad Hatter Events, is called The Hourglass.

The concept, participants complete consecutive 2 mile laps on a course around the Royal Cornwall Events Centre. They have 30 minutes to complete the first lap but the time available to complete subsequent laps reduces by a minute each time, so 29 minutes for the next lap and so on thereby forcing runners to pick up the pace as time moves on.

Luke really enjoyed trying something so completely different and commented that “Due to the reducing time to complete each lap you had to pace yourself well enough to have time to eat, rehydrate and use the toilet which made it tricky. The howling wind was some of the worst I’ve ever experienced which led to some necessary drafting tactics being used.”

By the time runners were 15 laps, 30 miles in, the pace required to keep up with the clock was 7:30 minute miles. Normally a breeze for Luke but a different story with all those miles already done and lots of stopping and starting. Cramp set in around that point and Luke called it a day in the 16th lap.

Well done Luke. Sounds like it was a lot of 'fun'?

20th February, The Hourglass

1 Oliver Jones 17 laps, 34 miles completed

11 Luke Campbell (Cirencester AC) 15 laps, 30 miles completed

45 finished

With a few local parkruns cancelled by the bad weather Rachel and Alan Mcadam ticked off another of their local ‘not yet done’ events at Stonehouse.

Neil Morrissey was much further afield in Whitby where he ran a new course PB.

19th February, parkrun, 5k, trail

Lydiard parkrun

1 Ben Cole (Unattached) 16.48

122 James Hunton (Cirencester AC) 27.06

279 finished

Leamington parkrun

1 Archie Lane (Unattached) 18.05

68 Tristan King (Cirencester AC) 25.31

277 finished

Stonehouse parkun

1 Lee Stopford (Unattached) 18.16

22 Alan Mcadam (Cirencester AC) 25.52

30 Rachel Mcadam 28.08

52 finished

The Cinder Track parkun, Whitby

1 Daniel Bennett (Unattached) 18.10

19 Neil Morrissey (Cirencester AC) 21.48

98 finished