stunning but brutal race through mortimer forest. recent weather made the ground conditions more like a cross country race on steroids. the route is a mix of fire track/forest trail and grass. climbs which have names. Poison Bank and the Big Dippers. at the beginning with everyone bunched up you are caught a bit with limited passing places but it opens out. Poison Bank climb was hard work for some who had the wrong shoes and there were points I thought someones going to go down and take us all down with them! it was definitely a mudclaw kind of day. And lots of slipping and sliding. The route was stacked with friendly marshalls cheering us on, and it was reassuring to see the 4x4 emergency vehicles dotted about the course on standby. Route was also well marked. Briefing at the start was good, with the safety instructions and also minor last minute course change - needed to avoid a fallen tree but it didnt detract from the event at all. Front end finished in 60 mins and last finishers were about 3hrs I believe. just under 15KM and total elevation gain 476m.

Finish team were awesome when I needed a little extra help with my breathing. Water and medal at the finish line. Race HQ has showers and changing rooms and loos etc. Very friendly and enjoyable race. Couldnt score higher on crowd support because its not that kind of event. .