Lesley Pymm tackles this Cornish trail race:
The last time I did this run the weather was absolutely awful and I remember I could hardly stand upright by the end as I was pushing against the wind – infact I could not run for some sections as it was so bad.
The weather on the couple of days leading up to the event had been poor and so I was not looking forward to it to much. I woke on the Sunday morning to sunshine! Driving onto the moor I could see for miles and knew it was going to be a good day for it. The run starts at a small hamlet called Minions on Bodmin and we went off, following the granite railway from the old mines for a while. They are not built for running on and are just not quite far enough apart, so steps are short along here. We then crossed a road and could see the first climb ahead. This was Sharp Tor.
It was a long way up Sharp Tor and I was 25 minutes into the run before I reached the summit. The views were great and it was not too bad underfoot. There was a lot of water as it had rained the previous day, but it had not soaked in so the route was not slippery. On from Sharp Tor to Beavah Tor and then out to Kilmar Tor – this was the furthest away. The marshals were really helpful and friendly – not much fun for them being stuck on a tor for ages! Down to Stowe Hill where there are a lot of more recent mining artefacts and also the Cheesewring and some hut circles – I must go back there again when I have time to really take everything in. Down from Stowe Tor with it’s old mine building to Tregarick Tor – the last of the 5. This does not mean it is easy from now on though. From the tor we dropped down to Siblyback Lake and, after a short road section, turned uphill again to the finish – just another 1.25 miles said a cheery marshal, but then a few minutes later the next marshal said the same thing! The route back to the finish is not steep, but it is relentlessly uphill and does not level out until just before the finish.
As I turned into the finish I got a clear view of a double stone circle – The Hurlers – befoe running in to the finish and being presented with a framed photo of the stones on a clear day like this was.
The Cornish Search and Rescue were out and about, but I don’t think they were needed too much and I did not need my whistle that was in my pocket in case of getting lost. On a misty day as it had been the day before it could have been a different story! A great run and everyone seemed to enjoy it.