The Terminator, 26th February 2006
"RUNNERS, prepare to be tested by this tough Multi Terrain course. Experience mud, hills, water, mud, blood, sweet and tears, oh and more mud". And that's just the warning on the entry form!
Two Stubbington runners put their bodies on the line at the weekend for a race whose name strikes fear in the weakest-willed runners: The Terminator!
Some 769 runners took part in the 11.5-mile event at Pewsey in Wiltshire. The tiny village has been in the spotlight recently as home to Britain's only Winter Olympics medallist, Shelley Rudman. Special commemorative t-shirts featuring the skeleton silver medallist were available to all the competitors who made it through the mud.
Among them were husband and wife, Graham and Caroline Watts. The Stubbington Green duo took on the Terminator, which is a mostly off road course that follows footpaths, lanes and bridleways around this picturesque part of Wiltshire.
After leaving Pewsey, the route hits the tranquil towpaths of the Kennet & Avon canal, followed by a gentle skip across wet farmland where runners reached a sign to indicate their warm-up was over!
What followed on a bitterly cold day was a test of stamina and determination as they pitted their running wits against the likes of The Gully, The Coomb, Dodge Sh**ty, Terminator Hill, The Sting in the Tail and The Shoe Wash.
"Our t-shirts are earned not given," warns organisers, Pewsey Vale Running Club, and both Graham and Caroline earned theirs. They slogged their way through the mud with Graham finishing 597th in a time of 2hrs 6min and 42sec, with Caroline not too far behind in 691st place with a time of 2:17.41.
The race was run by unattached runner, Vito Graffagnino in a time of 1:13.44. Another unattached runner, Tania Reay, was the fastest woman with a time of 1:30.30 which gave her 73rd place overall.