I first heard about the Wincle Trout Run in February from a member of
Congleton Harriers and the thought of it made me smile – I just liked the idea
of getting a trout at the end of it.
On the way to the race my car struggled to get up some of the hills and
it crossed my
mind how I was going to get on!
The run itself forms part of the Wincle Summer Fete, which I recommend
if you feel like turning back time. The
fete was made up of Maypole dancing; a sheepdog and duck demonstration and a
Fun Dog Show with included categories of ‘Waggiest tail’ and ‘Best sausage
catcher’! There was also a range of stalls including a coconut shy, tombola and
plate smashing and this was all taking place whilst a jazz band played – I told
you it was old school!
The race started at 2.45pm so luckily for me the day was quite cool and
cloudy – I struggle to run if it’s too hot.
The race is described by the organisers as being ‘a quite demanding 9km
fell run with 1,000ft of climb’ and I’d say this was pretty accurate.
Not long after the start there is a steep downhill, which I found quite
unnerving - I was convinced I was going to slip on the tarmac and have an
expensive trip to the dentist but, thankfully, I didn’t. The race then takes you through Danebridge
Fishery and beyond into cross-country territory. The river crossing was good fun and had the
added bonus of cleaning my cross-country trainers, which I’d been meaning to sort
out for ages – ever the multi-tasker!
There was a mixture of terrain throughout the race from grass to rocks
to paths covered in tree roots and, just as there were steep up-hills, there
were down-hills to match but I got away with only slipping once.
The steep hill not long before the finish was tough but as it wasn’t
very long, it was over quickly.
It took my just under an hour to complete the course, which I’m pleased
with, as there was quite a lot of queuing to go over some of the stiles
(particularly towards the start of the race) and to cross the river. With this in mind, I would only recommend
this race to runners who are patient and enjoy fell running for its own sake or
those who simply like trout! If you get
annoyed at the thought of having to wait in line to get over a wall or being unable
to overtake on a narrow path this race would probably cause you more anguish
than pleasure.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself and felt great once I’d finished – fresh
air and hills can have that effect on me.
And yes, I know I could have gone to a supermarket and bought a trout
but where’s the fun in that?
More information on Wincle and the trout run can be found here.
Jo
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