Race report by Tony:
They call it the Giant’s Head Marathon weekend (there’s a 10k, half and full marathon over the two days), but if you’ve seen the giant etched into the chalk hillside above Cerne Abbas in Dorset you’ll have noticed that his head isn’t exactly his most eye-catching feature. The 10k’s not a 10k either, but I don’t suppose calling it the Giant’s C**k 10.9k has the same ring to it.
You’re probably thinking that’s a long way to go for a 10k. Well yes it is, but this year we brought forward our annual visit to see friends who live in the area to coincide with race weekend. The races start and finish on the green in the pretty village of Sydling St. Nicholas. There’s quite a party atmosphere thanks to the villagers who turn out in force to support the event with marshalling and catering, including providing a bar and a chilli supper and barn dance on the Saturday evening.
The majority of the anticlockwise route is on a mixture of rough chalk paths and rutted farm tracks. It’s a challenging course with several steepish climbs, with most people (Sheila and me included) walking them to avoid sapping too much energy in the heat and humidity, and these at least provided the opportunity to take in the views of the rolling Dorset countryside. The village nestling in the valley was a welcome sight after the final short climb, with a steep downhill run to the finish.
Sheila and I were both pretty happy with our times. I managed 1:08 giving me 46th place out of a field of 341 and Sheila was 153rd with 1:24. We were each third in our 10-year wrinkly age categories, me out of 14 and Sheila out of a whopping 24. Do it again next year? – yes, we’re hoping to.
