The Really Muddy Weekend

The Really Muddy Weekend

Really lived up to it’s name! with a week of baking sun and more danger of a bush fire amongst the amazon like jungle that was growing around the farms than a mud slide we were beginning to get worried about the course!!! But fear not in the early hours of the event the sky’s opened and created a mud bath!!!!

This year saw us launch the Dirty Little Rascals a 3K Run around some of the muddies sections of the course and fair play 81 little kids turned up aged from 5 to 14 and all rearing to go (I’m not sure they knew what they were raring to go for but they seemed excited) Then just as we left the registration Barn the sky’s opened Whoever controls the weather must have a hell of a sense of humour as this was the worst downpour of the day luckily it was very short lived and the kids went off at a rate of knots on the gun (as they do) and from there it went swimmingly (literally) All you could hear was the screams of excitement, laughter and nervous anticipation. But really positive feedback and this is a definite for next May.

My favourite quote of the Dirty Little Rascals was as they were going through the last ditch one little boy (must of been all of 5 years old, came up to me and said in a very well spoken accent “Do you know I’ve never done this before and I’m not sure I’m doing it right but it seems like fun!”

The Teens, Adults and Big Kids!  

Were next up and with 188 running, walking and falling their way around the course it made for another spectacle. We had changed the course around a little bit to freshen it up for the regulars and to stay away from the cows, added a little bit of a slip slide down into the trenches which I was informed the ladies embraced more than the men!  And after binging absent from the course for the past 3 runs we managed to re open the mud pond over on Caerhys farm, which had been flooded for 2 years so it really was muddy and a hard slog.

But as usual there were all degrees of runners the first 25 or so in were flying with a young soldier from the 14th Signals in Brawdy being first to cross the line whilst the local twins Ollie and Ed were 2nd and 3rd not sure which is which to be honest. And then a father and son team Nathan and Jacob Miles were 4th and 5th with Dad Nathan probably slowing his son down

But as always for the vast majority the goal is to get around with a bit of jesting in between and our regular fancy dressers turned up as pirates being lead by Nina and Lyn who were promised by Sean Holley that he would join them as a pirate, but unfortunately or fortunately for a lot of West Wallians with the Scarlets reaching and winning the Pro12 Final he was committed in Dublin – But girls you’ll have to get onto him for Xmas!

We were also joined by the Caerphilly Tigers ladies Rugby Team who showed great stamina on the course some of them staying out there for four hours, but that was nothing compared to their stamina in the bar afterwards!!!!!

The Really Muddy Weekend also saw an additional 10 mile race being added for the Bold and Brave, Now only 8 people took on this challenge and they all finished inside the top 40 of the 5 miler!! with the winner Jonathan Phillips being inside the top 10!! and coming in as sweeper for these mad men was a not so young ex 14th Signals soldier Kevin Joyce who has done every one of our mud runs and has the T-shirts to prove it!!!

Thanks to all for joining us and for the those who stayed the weekend, drank the drink and danced to Gaza’s disco hope to see you all soon.

The final word goes to the land owners Ian of Celtic Camping, Gerald of Caerhys and Grahamand of course Trecenny and of course the marshals, it may of been great conditions to run a mud run but not so for the marshals so thank you big time!

The Finishing Order  

Date: 27-MAY-2017 Event: Really Muddy Weekend The Original 5m

The Bold and Brave 10 miler