Fountains 10k

Does anyone else look for races to do when they go away somewhere? I've been in Middlesbrough for the weekend to see my parents and go to the Sunderland-Middlesbrough match (booo! - but we did appear on Match of the Day for 3 seconds). So I looked on the Runners World listings site and found the Fountains 10k, based in a village near Ripon in North Yorkshire. If I'd read it more carefully I'd have discovered that it was approximately 10k, and over mixed terrain. Not that that would have changed my mind about entering.

Anyway, I entered at the last minute, which is why I was quite surprised to be given the number 3. That's probably the lowest race number I've ever had. And although it would be nice to play the game of 'beat your race number', I've only been able to be 3rd or better on three occasions that I can remember. Having said that, the entry limit for this race was only 350, so not very many of us there.

The event was part of a village fun day, which was billed to include "numerous stalls, activities bouncy castle and most important of all, ice-cream!" - unfortunately the weather meant it included numerous puddles, umbrellas, and most important of all, dry socks. But I guess if your fun day is in April in North Yorkshire, you've got to know there's a chance of that.

There was a fun run at this event that took place, unusually, an hour before the main race. I'd recommend races stick to the more normal technique of setting off the kids just after the adults get going - for one thing, you don't run the risk of people arriving in their cars on the same roads that are being used for a race. There was a slight problem with this event that there was so much rain that the car park had to be changed from its first choice field to one futher up a hill, but I didn't see anyone get their vehicles stuck in the mud, so it all worked out OK.

So the race: it was fun! It was about 4 miles on undulating (sometimes hilly) roads, about half a mile on firm bridleway, and the rest across moorland or on a grass track. It was the moorland that was given all the press before the race: we were warned that it was very wet, and it was - not least because it was pouring down all day. Quite boggy in places, but the way forward seemed to be to go in the puddles where you thought the path was, and hope that it was only ankle deep and not knee deep. The hardest part was actually the grassy track, because that was muddy and very slippery, and that's the only part I felt I lost much time (and was overtaken by anybody).

Each mile of the course was marked, which seems a bit strange for a 10k race, but I guess that's another indication that it was only an approximate distance. Also there didn't seem to be an actual start line, just a general area. And I suppose they had no idea which route anyone took to cross the moor! I finished in 5th in 37:40, happy that I managed to be stronger than the only other person I found myself running with for any length of time, leaving him behind after the last couple of hills (apparently I love hills, they've made me strong).

My parents were waiting for me at the finish (and apparently I didn't look too happy at the end), having stood in the rain for all that time - it's a bit rubbish for spectators when the weather is that bad. Everything was all right once we got back to the car and had some sandwiches, of course...