When you’ve won Gold for the Best Trail event, you’ve a reputation to uphold. That’s the prize The Major Series (TMS) scooped at last year’s Running Awards. Understandably, my expectations were high and in the end, they were proved right as the Northern leg of this British Military Fitness (BMF) organised event, held once again at Bramham Park in Leeds, left the competitors satisfied with a challenging and testing 10km course.
Light on man-made obstacles, Bramham Park’s terrain more than made up for the absence of any inverted walls and monkey bars; this was a runner’s dream with over 6 miles of tracks, hills, woodlands and streams to negotiate before the finish. In nearby fields, new born lambs were playing and the daffodils were starting to bloom; a fresh yet dry spring day was presented to the 2,500 participants. The event attracted teams from local businesses, running and sport’s clubs plus a large contingent from the trail and OCR scene and as a northerner, it was great to see another well supported race at my end of the country.
The race itself consisted of long stretches of running with many of the obstacles congregated into zones. Each one was achievable and well marshalled by very bossy and banter friendly BMF marshals barking instructions such as “get low” and “no cheating”. Cargo net and barbed wire crawls, log carries, hay bale jumps, ice filled tunnels plus electrified wire dodging to name a few. This allowed everyone to fully complete the course with no skipping and rightfully earn their finisher’s dog tags. However, it wasn’t the man-made obstacles that will be the lasting memory for me. It was the mud!!!
There was loads of mud; pits, swamps, puddles, streams, bogs and trenches, all of differing depths. This was a mud run! But it was a mud run where people laughed, smiled and helped their friends by pushing, dragging or pulling. I counted 4 abandoned trainers throughout the course. Every available wet area on the estate was seemingly utilised. It was also Mother’s Day, so whilst queuing for the fun water slide, I wished the many women with children that were spectating a Happy Mother’s Day. At the top of the slide, 2 young boys looked on enviously as adult after adult went down the tarpaulin that I could see in their eyes, was for children only to play on.
I must also congratulate all the participants as we all had to encounter two full body water submersions. It’s a daunting task when you’re instructed to duck under an obstacle twice into cold water and face the fear of not knowing how your body will react to the change in temperature.
So another successful event in the bag for The Major Series and they move on down south to Kent before another series of events in the Autumn. When I got home, I telephoned my own mum to wish her a Happy Mother’s day and relay the day’s events. After explaining to her, the state of my post-race kit, her parting words were “I’m so glad I don’t have to do your washing anymore Stephen”.
All images courtesy of My Bib Number.