The Grizzly - 12th March 2006
THE Grizzly: Twentyish muddy, hilly, boggy, beachy miles of the multiest-terrain edge-of-sanity running experience you will find this side of the end of time.
But that didn't put off Caroline Street and Kathy McKain who ventured to Devon for this Arctic challenge in March.
Organised by Axe Runners, The Grizzly is one of the most popular races in the calendar. As the organisers say in their pre-race blurb: "It's by no means the toughest race around; indeed, some say that it's getting too easy, but they're missing the point.
"It has changed over the years and nearly died on a couple of occasions, but hundreds keep coming back for more so we must still be getting it right!
"Whatever it isn't, it IS an experience."
It was certainly an experience for Caroline and Kathy, who were accompanied to the race by Caroline's husband, Glenn, and Di McEwen.
" We met the organiser in a pub the night before, he was getting the beers in for two runners who arrived at about 8pm, it was dark and they were 12 miles into the course checking the route, " Glenn writes.
"Scheduled to be 21.5 miles of shingle, cliffs and bogs, the organiser informed us that the race had to be shortened by about two miles because of the cliffs falling away at Weston Mouth, and they didn't want to lose anyone under the boulders.
Di and Glen Street were numbed by the ice cold head wind the runners had to face at the start. Luckily the snow that had fallen in the New Forest , had only got as far as Bridport.
After half a mile of battling along the shingle beach at Seaton, the runners were able to turn with the wind on their backs and look forward to hills, more shingle, and more hills, as they passed through Beer and Branscombe, heading for the dreaded bogs. Apparently Kathy spent most of the time in the bogs on her backside.
Three casualties, a dislocated shoulder, a hole in the leg, and a collapsed runner were treated at Exeter Hospital 's Accident & Emergency department.
The first man home was Adrian Mussett from Colchester Harriers in 2hr 12min 46sec and Heather Foundling-Hawker from Honiton Running Club, was an incredible 16 th overall in 2:25.36 for the first lady.
As for Caroline and Kathy, they ran together with Caroline completing the course in 4:38.11 and Kathy in 4:38.33.