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Barlow is in Derbyshire, a few miles north of Chesterfield.
This annual Friday evening 10K starts from one pub, and
finishes at another! It was VERY warm.
The safety announcements were made by a chap who, when
trying to get everyone's attention, shouted "CAN YOU 'EAR
ME, MOTHER?" in a broad northern accent. You wouldn't get
that in Oxfordshire!
The course is, as you'd expect from this area, very hilly.
Similar to Hornton, but parts of this were off road and in
parts really quite steep.
After some long climbs uphill, you are rewarded with amazing views down towards the Peak District and over to the crooked spire of Chesterfield Cathedral too. Very scenic.
A few sharp downhills, and a few more tough uphills before
heading back down into Barlow village, where the locals were out to cheer - the race is part of a carnival - towards the finish line which is on a tough uphill climb. With cameras pointed at you, and locals cheering you on, any hope of a nice easy finish is gone. You have to push all the way..
Thankfully, the finish line is literally 2 meters from the
pub door, and so many finishers went straight to the bar!
Even better - every runner got a free chip butty! Not bad for £5.
All in all, a nice friendly race in a great setting. Nice to get the HRR vest somewhere different for once. |
