This was to be the 8th running of the Stort30! I honestly thought it was the 7th and even told a few people that at the race but after checking its clear it really is the 8th!
When I set this race up I just thought it would be a great little local race on one of my prettier training routes, but how its grown to 250-300 entries and the UK Championships status it has today is beyond me. Mostly hard work by the great team of volunteers I am lucky to have help out year on year.
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| An example of the type of volunteers I have to suffer each year! |
Considering we have never had it rain properly during any of the previous 7 years and the horrible wet weather we had leading up to the race, I thought we would have some rain on this one but the weather gods decided to be kind to us once again.
I arrived at the clubhouse at around 5:20am to start setting up along with my partner and sidekick Maxine. We met the Markers/Sweepers at just before 6am and they went off to check and mark the course as we set up the hall and got all the checkpoint kit out ready for the CP teams to collect at 6:30-7am. Each CP had 100ltrs of water and tables/chairs and food along with the paperwork needed to monitor the runners and set up the checkpoints. Then I wandered around setting stuff up and chatting to runners.
We had the lovely Stuart March from http://www.stuartmarchphotography.co.uk/ doing the race photos including all the ones used on this page, if you want to see and buy the race photos they are HERE
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| Race Briefing |
Pretty soon we had runners turning up and milling around in the emerging sunshine, It had all the signs it was going to be a beautiful crisp day with only a little mud left on the course from the several days hard rain previously.
For those that don’t know the course it’s a simple out and back 30 miler starting in Bishop’s Stortford, 15 miles out and 15 back along the River Stort Navigation with the last mile on the way out along the river Lea. The course is mostly graded gravelled towpath with 5 or 6 miles each way on grass/muddy riverside trail. The whole course is stunning and a pleasure to run on.
Over the years the race has become quite competitive with some very fast men and women running, for the last 3 years it has also been the TRA UK Trail Running Championships “Middle” Distance event. This includes separate trophies and age group prizes in addition to our own great trophies and medals. Barry Taylor the TRA Permits secretary was there to hand out the TRA trophies and medals.
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| Rob Barnes the overall winner on his 1st lap of the field |
The course is two laps of the cricket field on the way out to thin out the crowd and help spread the runners out as they hit the towpath 800m down the road. Once the runners were off it was back to work setting up the finish funnel and line, medals and shirts all laid out and TRA medals ready and DNS runners updated and passed up the line to checkpoints so they can accurately check on runners at turnaround.
With the finish all set up and ready to go, we just had to wait for the 1st placed runner to turn up. We make them run a counterclockwise loop of the field on the way back to ensure the distance is exactly 30 miles and give the runners a victory lap where they can be supported and we can be ready for them finishing.
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| The calm before the storm |
We did not have too long to wait, clear favourite from the start Rob Jones from Stopsley Striders came in and finished 1st overall in a cracking time of 3:27:56. He received a massive trophy from us as well as a trophy from the TRA and cracking prizes from our sponsors.
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| 1st Male Rob Barnes |
Next in was Alastair Bridgeman from Baisingstoke & Mid Hants AC not far behind in 3:29:26 and he again gets two trophies and sponsorship prizes.
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| 2nd Male Alastair Bridgman |
3rd overall was Martin Hill a TRA runner 3:39:32 and again he gets two trophies and some prizes.
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| 3rd male Martin Hill |
1st Woman was Kathryn Chapman a local runner for Bishop’s Stortford RC who has won the race before and a previous record holder at the race. A cracking time of 3:52:03 just outside her previous best on this course and 6th overall.
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| 1st Female Kathryn Chapman |
2nd Woman was Susanna Hill in 4:18:13 and 14th overall.
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| Susanna Hill 2nd Female |
3rd woman was another local runner Karen Pickering from Grange Farm and Dunmow Runners who finished in 17th overall, not bad for a first Ultra that I have been trying for years to get her to do. Much better than she thinks and who has really worked hard this year.
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| 3rd Female Karen Pickering |
There were amazing stories and finish times all the way through the field and it would take forever to list the finishers and all the age group winners on her but to see all the results go to our results page here https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=201206 please note the age groups listed here are for the whole race including entry on the day runners and the official TRA filtered championships results are listed here and sorted properly to account for overall winners being in other categories also.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fjyf7fnjs4wxnev/Stort30%20TRA%20Champs%20Public%20Results.xlsx?dl=0
The TRA will in due course contact the 1st Male and Female TRA members in the race and offer them a grant for a future race.
A massive thanks to our sponsors for the following prizes
2 x Ultimate Direction Halo vests to the 1st male and female winners from our main Sponsor www.ultramarathonrunningstore.com
2 x Fenix Headtorches from Fenix Lighting for the 1st male and female winners.
www.myfenix.co.uk
6 x Vouchers for T8run’s Commando underwear given to the 1st 3 in each sex.
www.t8.run
A massive thanks to Alice Hector for the amazing trophies for the winners, look up AliceArt on social media. Some amazing stuff there.
Thanks to the TRA for supporting the Championships and sending Baz to present the medals and trophies. www.tra-uk.org
A final thanks to all my team of amazing volunteers who made the event and without whom I would be lost in my own beard.
HQ staff responsible for everything that happened at the venue.
Maxine
Phillip
Mark
Sally
Tim
Katie
Baz
Emily
CP 1
Flyers Ladies Jane and co (see pic 1 above)
CP2
Nathan
Neil
Jackie
CP3
Jon with help from the course markers/sweepers
Markers/Sweepers
Naomi
Davo
They all earn volunteer points to use to enter future races.
Thanks to Lea Valley Regional Park and the Canal and Rivers Trust for permission on the waterway.
A few photos below of the course showing why I think its one of the prettiest trail runs in the UK.
Entries are open already for next year with discounts for early entry and the option to purchase a hoodie and have a Neck Tube instead of a T-Shirt again.
www.challenge-running.co.uk/races/stort30
Till next year…….
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