Thanks to Samantha Tennant for writing a brilliant race report on the Lyme Park Night Run which took place on Saturday 23 January. It sounds like great fun!
It had already gone dark as Kirsty, Julie and I hijacked a pop-up gazebo next to the start line to get a little shelter from the rain as we waited for the challenge to begin. There were two run distances on the night, the Explorer at 3km and ours, the Adventurer, at just over 7km; 550 participants in total. It was my first trail race and I didn’t really know how I’d get on with the uneven, muddy terrain. I was starting to feel excitedly nervous and just wanted to get going. The run briefing was short and to the point but then the promise of a glow in the dark medal on completion elicited a loud “oooooh” from the crowd.
For those who know Lyme Park, we started just below the car park and the first half was pretty much all uphill. Then there was a bit more uphill. Trail shoes were a must as the steep grassy slopes were slippery and getting muddier by the minute. In a few places along the route the mud over-topped my trainers, it was great fun! Much as I tried to run the longest hill it was just too steep and I felt I was actually getting further faster by power walking. I had more traction and stood a better chance of making it without having to stop. Of course there were fitter, braver loonies busting their lungs as they grunted past me at speed but their efforts were about to be for little gain.
Towards the top of the moor we had to queue for five minutes or so on a narrow path to cross a stile. This not only allowed us to catch up with the more fleet of foot but gave us the opportunity to turn around and look back on a long line of hundreds of bobbing lights snaking back down the path. All kinds of people were having a go, from those tearing up the slopes wearing nothing but shorts, vests and serious headtorches to those covered in neon face paint who were more comfortable walking. In a hollow beyond the park were the sprawling lights of Manchester but up there on the hillside and in the woods it was very dark indeed.
There were plenty of cheery marshalls at critical points to make sure nobody got lost and stayed safe. I’d certainly rather be running than marshalling on such a wet and windy night and they were all thanked as we passed.
Finally the uphill ended; a little run through a wood (avoiding tree roots) then the route opened out onto a broad, steep, downward-sloping section. We were all pretty spread out by now which was just as well as its much harder to control speed and direction while galloping downhill trying to keep to the drier areas. The foot of the hill brought us out onto a gravelly track near an ex-hunting lodge called The Cage from which we had a fabulous view of the grand house as we ran past it towards the finishing line, crossing it together.
Finishers were treated to a goody bag, hot soup and of course the must-have glow in the dark medal.
There are still a few available events in the Night Run series, the closest being Speke Hall on 27th February: