In the run up to Easter I was as excited as my son - but my excitement had nothing to do with chocolate eggs! I had a fantastic time at Judgement Day’s Bordon event last November, but had missed their inaugural Copehill Down race last April as I was running a Brutal 10.
Setting up a race in an active military training area is never easy logistically and 2015 is rumoured to be the last year Mark and Dean can use Copehill Down and the FIBUA confidence course (negotiations ongoing - watch this space) so there was no way I was going to miss this.
Coming down with some kind of bug the day before only strengthened my resolve - If I could walk, I was coming to this race!
The joining instructions helpfully took into account the fact that most Sat Navs didn’t recognise the postcode - this was true of mine, although my iPhone did - but I was grateful for the event signage as I lost 3G reception about a mile from the venue and the iPhone started guessing!
Parking and registration were slick with a buzzing event village and Young Henry MC-ing; James Llewellyn warmed us up with an innovative dance-based routine (this definitely warmed up the core as we were all laughing, how much of the rest of us was warmed up is debatable).
The race briefing consisted basically of “keep the red flags on your left” - which was all that was needed as they course marking was excellent. We were off!
From the event village (within the FIBUA village area) we loped off along a track for the first km or so and I began to overheat - judging from the other beetroots around me, I wasn’t the only one who had opted for a warm base layer under a technical top as the wind on Salisbury Plain can be biting.
There is nothing like hearing heavy breathing behind you when your ankles are tied together to motivate you!
As the Skylarks swooped and sang in the sunshine alongside us we had begun to regret these choices - luckily we soon came to a barbed wire crawl through a puddle and wallowed in the cooling mud!
I was feeling smug as I bear-crawled through this while everyone else seemed to be floundering - then reached the deeper section and face-planted. I love Karma.
Covered in remarkably-tenacious mud we ran down a slight hill to the bucket carry - on-the-head technique utilised again here - along wet rutted tracks with knee-deep mud which demonstrated the excellent grip of the Inov-8 200s.
With helpful marshals directing us (and race directors on motorbikes rubbing it in) we crossed to the rope climb - which I was gutted to fail. Normally climbing obstacles are my forte, but even in the second wave the ropes were so sodden with mud that I couldn’t get enough traction to get beyond halfway up.
Tried with gloves, without gloves, teeth… bring back the sand of Bordon! Actually no, don’t. The only consolation was that I didn’t see anyone else make it up the rope either.
After some more track running we came up to a wooded section at the top of a hill and the tyre carry, again the course was well-marked with tape and the marshals help.
Next up was the monkey bars, gloves came off and Russell Crowe-style I prepped my hands with some dried mud from the side of the track then zipped across these, this time prepared for the multi-level bars which are a JD staple.
The run took us downhill again and through another tank trench under barbed wire, then to the parallel bars through another trench. Trotting up the other side of the hill again I began to overtake the outliers of the first wave, some of whom found this a bit demoralising.
We had a great OCR family moment as we reminded each other that no matter how slowly we were going, we were still lapping everyone scoffing their Easter Eggs on the sofa!
We then ran for another km along the flat before coming to a JD hurdle, then up the hill to the tyre stations. Tyre flips out and back, then drag a tyre towards you using a rope before carrying it back to the start position.
After a quick swig at the water station we were off downhill - and a light rain started with the promised wind - kit choices vindicated!
When we next reached a wooded section we had the Penguin Walk. There was some debate as to whether those who were able to run this section had a loose tie or just had more powerful lower limbs: Ref!?
Either way, there is nothing like hearing heavy breathing behind you when your ankles are tied together to motivate you!
At the top of a long hill we came to a Hercules Hoist - hoisting a sandbag! Surely this couldn’t be the only use of a sandbag, could it?
The next section was more technical, under a wall, over a wall, over an inverted wall - as always, technique proved invaluable! I was flattered to be hailed “a machine” as I popped up over the last wall, although by this stage I felt like a very rusty one if that was true!
Out of the woods and along a track we came to: The Sandbag Carry! After helping a couple of others get their sandbags settled I hefted mine up and set off, reciting the Sandbag Creed (see my review of JD Bordon).
I was jolted out of a walking reverie by another racer who had noticed that we were starting off downhill, so we duly jogged down to the next wall, cynical ? experienced ?
I now suspected we would be going back up that hill, and after throwing first the sandbag then myself over the wall I was not disappointed. Up we went. In my case, no longer running!
Somewhere around here was a platinum rig - this one a combination of monkey bars, chains and gymnastic rings. Mud-dried hands saw me through this too and I set off on another lope along field tracks which brought us closer to the FIBUA village.
We all wish a speedy and full recovery to the racer who needed hospital treatment after falling awkwardly from the infinity jump
We were not out of the mud yet - last was a cinder block drag (along a rutted track) before jogging back to the village.
I was perplexed to see a timing chip mat and thought “this can’t be the finish?!” before realising that this was ingenious on the part of the RDs - the timed part of the race was now finished, the FIBUA section was playtime!
The only problem from here was the queuing - after a penalty trip over several walls for failing a co-ordination/manual dexterity task I joined the queue, which when wet and in the wind is never great.
The FIBUA confidence course was still massive fun - over pitched roofs, through windows, up ladders, down scaffolding and pipes, across balance beams, through pitch-black concrete tunnels, up into rafters - then out to the infamous infinity jump.
This I managed without much difficulty - in my vast experience of doing it once, the trick seems to be to follow the middle way (not too timid, but not too gung-ho either so you don’t overshoot).
We all wish a speedy and full recovery to the racer who needed hospital treatment after falling awkwardly from here.
Once down from the infinity jump we were channeled into a narrow First World War-style trench lined with corrugated iron and topped with barbed wire, then with the last 2 tunnels an out-and-back we were to the finish and the awesome JD medal!
This was another great course and race from the Judgement Day team, the 10-mile course played to the strengths of the runners but the technical obstacle sections were fantastic too.
I made it through alive! Here’s my first Judgement Day Copehill medal!
Don’t forget that the same RDs also put on the Eliminator series so if you can’t wait until Bordon in October there’s Pippingford in June and September!
Keep an eye on the Muddy Race event pages.
Images credit to MyBibNumber
Tags: judgement day