If you are looking for a fairly low key canicross event set in scenic countryside with a friendly atmosphere and a local club feel, then the Gibbet Hill 10km (Haslemere, Surrey) is a must for anyone within a reasonable driving distance.
Oh yes, and you need to quite like a bit of climbing! Gibbet Hill is 272 metres above sea level and is Surrey’s second highest hill.
Hannah & Chris clearly in denial over the imminent hill climb 😉
This race also took place on a week day evening, which made a welcome change from the usual races and was a plus given the warmer temperatures for this time of year.
For this race, I loaned out Super Sid to my husband and I ran with a friend’s gorgeous Foxhound called Medyg!
The handsome Medyg 🙂
Everything about this event was easy (apart from the running itself!); from parking and registration (you can enter on the day and it’s really quick and straightforward) through to negotiating the route, thanks to the brilliant marshalling throughout.
One ‘slightly’ excited Sidney just before the start of the race!
The official start of the main race was at 7:30pm but Canicrossers were asked to set off 15 minutes beforehand. I think this is generally a good idea as it’s less of an inconvenience for us and the dogless runners than if we started at the same time (and definitely better than us starting after the main race and then trying to overtake people) but the only downside was that the canicrossers quickly spread out so we were running on our own for large parts of the race.
The gorgeous Baloo ran a fantastic race with his Dad Dario
Before the start we were asked to congregate in a taped off area like a crime scene 😉 and then after a short briefing (let’s be honest, when you have loud, excitable dogs there’s no point drawing it out) we were led to the start which was on the road immediately adjacent to where we were waiting.
Quick photo op with Medyg before the start!
The first 1km was on road and then we hit track and forest trails for what was essentially a steady climb up to the top of Gibbet Hill for the next 4km.
You are rewarded with fantastic views (though when your lungs are screaming out you are only thinking one thing at this point – “great! we get to go back down now!”).
Hoorah, made it to the top!
The run back down to the finish wasn’t as severe as I thought it was going to be. There was an undulating section for approx 1.5k as you run along the top of the scarp surrounding the Devil’s Punch Bowl (more gorgeous views if you have the energy to turn your head to look!) so you can settle into a decent rhythm.
Then you start to head down (just be careful of small loose rocks as you hit this section) with the last 3k back on road.
This race was set in beautiful scenery – well worth the climb!
The race then finishes on a small green so you can have a little sprint finish if your legs are still talking to you at this point!
The surface for the entire race was very hard and compact given the terrain and time of year so I would recommend low tread trail shoes. You could even get away with cushioned road shoes to be honest.
It was a warm, humid evening so we were thankful to be running in mostly shaded areas but it did mean we didn’t benefit from the breeze. That said, this was still a better option for us and the dogs.
Mark and Dexter were on fire and ran a superb race!
There were a couple of water stops on the route and at the finish, including water for the dogs. But be warned, the water was really foul tasting as the organisers had sterilised the water because it was being held in containers. I appreciate they were being cautious but I would rather they came up with a better way of transporting the water and be able to drink the stuff.
The organisers more than made up for the nasty tasting water with a huge selection of homemade cakes!
Cake, Cake, Cake 🙂
Overall, this was a lovely event (very Canicross friendly) and it was nice to come out and support a local running club. Thank you to Haslemere Border Athletic Club!
Richard with Jumble and Medyg 🙂
