Round 5 in the Cornish Grand Prix Series, or technically Round 4 following cancellation of last week's Falmouth Half Marathon, An Res remained on the calendar for 2018 thanks to the support of Carn Runners. Despite its position in a road running series, An Res is actually a multi-terrain race comprising some dirt track and sandy beach for good measure over its 10 mile course. For me, it is one of the highlights of the Cornish Grand Prix Series. Following leaden grey skies and a cold persistent rain the day before, race day couldn't have dawned with a greater contrast, as runners woke to bright blue skies, a strong sunshine and a real hint of Spring. The race starts on the road next to the bo
After the stunning Spring weather of the 2017 KVK and all of the photos which popped up on social media and used to advertise the race so brilliantly, the weather on race day in 2018 couldn't have been more different. A cold damp wind whipped in a stinging rain, which gradually became more persistent as the afternoon went on. There was no doubt that the course this year was going to be slower than 2017, making an already challenging race just that bit harder. The KVK represents Cornwall's only vertical kilometre race, with the cumulative ascent of 1000m attained by two laps comprising a 15 mile figure of 8 around St. Agnes on Cornwall's north coast. To open the race to the wider running comm
An old favourite, but a new course, the Great Flat Lode returned for 2018 as a fairly fast multi-terrain 10K. The route circles the iconic granite mass of Carn Brea, starting and finishing at the King Edward Mine, near Troon. Despite the milder weather of recent days, a gusty south-easterly wind blowing off a cold sea made it feel really nippy on the start line. It was a case of keeping warm and wrapped up until the last minute, then stripping off into the racing vest and jogging to the start. The first couple of miles are predominantly uphill, never steep, but it is quite a long drag and the easterly headwind also made the going a little tougher than it could have been. A horse rider added