The Looe 10 Miler. Probably the most brutal 10 miler on tarmac in this part of the world, taking in the steep hills around Looe and Talland. A fine drizzle did little to dampen the spirits on the start line, with the exciting prospect of the Looe hills ahead. The fast flat start doesn't last long, before runners start to climb out of Looe onto the hill to the west of the village, before crossing a little grassy field. A few undulations later straight into a ferocious headwind and you're descending down a convex slope, very steep at the base, back down to sea level at Talland Bay. The slightly depressing thought at this stage is the realisation that you will have to run back up that hill on t
This has to be the toughest Cornish half marathon I've done. I have to say I'm disappointed with today as my legs had nothing in them from very early on and this took some of the enjoyment out of it. The weather was mild, with a fine drizzle in the air, but the scenery was beautiful as always. The race starts at Bodmin College, initially on road, before turning sharply left up a short steep hill on a tarmacked path, before returning back to road along a country lane. A nice downhill section follows, before runners head into the forest on a gravelly path and draw level with the A30. A nice metal bridge, soft underfoot, leads runners high above the A30 and into the Lanhydrock Estate. A gently
After a few days of rough weather, the morning of the Newquay 10K dawned calm and chilly, with once again ideal running conditions. Not the most exciting race on the calendar, but the route does take runners away from a housing estate on the edge of Newquay into the surrounding hills and countryside, though never with a glimpse of the Atlantic. The start is fast and downhill, tempting runners to start off too fast, before a fairly straight flat section along the main road leads to the base of the main hill. The first and steepest ascent is made on a rough track, before a flatter muddy section, then the longer second part of the climb to the highest point on the route is made back on road. Th