This is my most local race. I live about 400 yards from the start, so it seemed silly not to give it a go!

Registration couldn’t have been easier. I filled in a form an hour before the start, paid my eight quid and got given my race number with timing chip and a nice mug as a memento. Yes, you read it right... £8 for a chip timed race that included a mug.

You don’t expect bustling crowds of supporters at a fell race, but as the start was at sea level on the Esplanade my home town didn’t disappoint. Lots of Ventnor folk and bemused holidaymakers cheering the lunatics on.

Then the course went up. And up. And up.

2000 feet or so of ascent in the 12 mile route. A great mixture of terrain too. Trails, fields, cycle path and a huge set of crumbling steps up a cliff! Yes, you read that right too... the steps were an absolute killer! There was over 500 feet of climbing between 8.5 and 9.5 miles!

Brutal is an often overused word to describe routes, but in this case it is entirely appropriate. 

The course was well-marked, well marshalled and a great test of stamina. I didn’t have a great race, but that was down to my preparation (or lack of!) rather than anything else.

It was an unseasonably scorching day, so my only “area for improvement” would have been the addition of further water points.

Would I run this one again? Absolutely!

Would I recommend it to friends? In a heartbeat!

Big thanks to Ryde Harriers for hosting an epic race in the most beautiful part of the Isle of Wight.