Sunday 24th May
Whilst there are many great trail and mountain races available throughout the country some of the smaller events often tend to attract less attention than they deserve – this a perfect example. Hosted as part of a hill walking weekend at Trefonen just outside Oswestry it exudes a charming character that makes it impossible to dislike.
The after-race presentation gave everyone the opportunity to further bolster the charities funds this race supports by replacing depleted carbohydrate with a varied selection of home made cakes. Indeed choosing just one from the selection was almost as taxing as the race!
Buckley again put in some spirited performances; Jez hared round the course to claim 3rd overall, Steve stamped his authority on the race with an age category win (V50) – as did the ever youthful Pete (V70). Hayley appears to be getting ever-stronger; shrugging off Moel Eilio and claiming 1st lady. Simon and Hazel just missed out on the prize front; yet as always just competing in such a race is reward itself (the cake certainly helped though).
As for the race – it offered the 93 competitors an opportunity to sample the smaller rolling hills in this area over an undulating mix of road, trail and field. Unable to compete with the majesty of Snowdonia for those that competed in Moel Eilio the previous day it didn’t need to. Instead a friendly atmosphere, supportive locals and a relaxed attitude that the race exuded made the trip down to Oswestry worthwhile.
We returned sated; just enough running and post-race chat to round off competitive events for the weekend. It didn’t pass my attention that whilst on a previous outing Hayley had managed to forget her purse in the clutter of my car both her and Jez certainly made sure not to forget the prize beverages!
For those thinking about an off road race but unsure about a full-on fell race this is one that Jez wisely endorsed to us. One for the calendars for next year!
Cymraeg 
English (UK)