12K Ironman Run Obstacle Race
22nd August
2015

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Ian Sturdgess 3.30.00

 

On Saturday 22nd August, I took part in the Iron Run Cranford (nr Kettering), an Obstacle Course Race or OCR for short with a group of 15 runners from the Redwell Runners based in Wellingborough. We were distinctive with our PINK Northants Newbies t-shirts, although they did not say pink for long. I had never taken part in an OCR, swearing blind that I would never do one, but having been press-ganged by one of the organisers of the Redwell Runners I relented and said "yes".  This was a good course for newbies like me and some of the rst of the group is that there were some good stretches of trail running and the obstacles were mostly created using the landscape. This was the same event as Mark Taggart completed (timed) earlier on in the year.

Having watched the timed wave of runners go off, it was our turn. We entered the pen, reluctantly took part in the group warm up and as soon as the warm up was over we were off. We ran round as a group to support each other round. We had about a kilometre of fields and forest running and then came out of a tricky technical forest section and then about half a kilometre of muddy track. After about 3k in we had to wade through a swamp about 2 feet deep which went on for quite some time and we worked as a group to get everyone through it. Once through the swamp and after a short fast walk/jog along a track we had to climb a steep 20 foot bank that required you to haul up a rope. Obstacles came thick and fast in between the trail sections. Some we had to clamber over - teamwork was very evident with the bigger obstacles, and then had to jump some fun fire pits and clamber in-and-out of multiple bogs. After a few more obstacles we came to a 30 feet waterslide into a bog - not good if you are wearing contact lens!! The next section was a choice - a long run round a lake, or swim right across. I chose like most of my team to swim across and the cool water was really refreshing after the heat of the day. Just when you though you were clean you then had to pull yourself up another hill by rope only go back down the other side into more muddy pits. This was about half way round the course and the rest of the course was more of the same loads of bogs, streams, inclines and the odd wooden obstacle to navigate. including one section that involved going up and down the sides of a gully about 6 times, so steep it needed ropes. The final kilometre involved a lot of time in a stream as we came back into the Cranford Hall grounds. and the final obstacle, a 6 foot wall at the finish line. As a group we were not going to be the fastest, but we started together, we finished together and we all crossed the finish line. We were caked in grey mud and smelt like ....................... but we all enjoyed it and would do it again.

 
Ian Sturdgess