Mud, Mayhem and Water Fights.

Saturday 8th November 2008

Above: Sie suhlte sich im sumpf!

Above: Jimmy experiments with keeping on his feet.

On Saturday morning five B&R athletes took part in race one of the 'Mud & Mayhem' race series near Warwick.
Those brave (or mad) enough to attempt this race after the previous nights downpour were Calvin, James King, Jimmy Atkins, Melanie 'Schlammkoenigin' Hepke and myself.
The venue was Wegdnock rifle range and it soon became apparent that this was a 'big boys toys' play area with many off-road vehicles scattered around, including several tanks and other ex-military stuff. It reminded Jimmy of his days in the catering corps and he was visibly excited!
A bit unnerving was the close proximity of gunfire as things were obviously being blasted out of the sky!
It was a fine, sunny morning, not at all what we were expecting after the previous night.
As usual, it was a sprint to begin with as the course narrowed with Calvin, James and myself in amongst the leaders with no idea of what to expect.
The noise of the gunfire was so loud at one point I thought we were actually going through the shooting range and had visions of spending the afternoon on all fours whilst the good lady practiced her skills with the tweezers, unlike Jimmy who instinctively dropped to the ground and began crawling under barbed wire!
As it was a three lap course I decided not to go too mad for the first lap, but Calvin who threw caution to the wind opted to run with the leaders, giving me the impression that I was going to get well and truly 'Scoltocked'!The conditions underfoot through the woods were incredibly difficult, featuring steep downhills followed by ninety degree turns which made it almost impossible to keep on your feet no matter what shoes you were wearing.
On the first lap I heard several screams behind me and naturally assumed that some people had actually been daft enough to get in Mel's way!

There were several extremely steep banks to negotiate and one even gave you the option of using ropes to haul yourself up. Jimmy found his buttocks made for a very efficient braking system!
At the end of each lap we were given an elastic band to wear which meant hiding in the woods and missing out a lap was out of the question.

Above: Nothing like cold, wet grass after a schlammschlact!

It was a very difficult but enjoyable race and we were all glad to see the finish line.
The race was won convincingly by Matt Giles of Stourbridge in a time of 40.07 with the B&R runners finishing as follows:
 5 Ian Keyte 43.50 (First Vet)
7 Calvin Scoltock 44.33
9 James King 46.33
24 Jimmy Atkins 52.24
51 Melanie Hepke 60.00
84 Finishers

Click for full results

Above: Calvin smiling as he finishes - obviously didn't run hard enough as confirmed when he ran another 7.5 miles that evening.

Above: James does his 'Usain Bolt' Impression.

Above: Jimmy wins the Gurning Trophy

Above: Ian receives his prize as first veteran.

Above: The team minus James (DIY duties!)

Above: The cleaning station/ fight arena.

No tent, no flapjacks, just buckets of cold water. Large buckets of cold water and a hose were at the finish to clean legs and shoes. Mel decided to show off her skills with a water cannon - unfortunately!!

(Report by Ian Keyte)