Marshfield Mudlark 2019 review

By Georgia-May Bodily

Race 2 in the Wiltshire Off Road Race League.

Early in October the Marshfield Mudlark is a sunny introduction to the league. Despite being part of the Wiltshire league, this race actually takes place in Gloucestershire, 8 miles north of Bath in the South Cotswold Hills.

After an early start and a bit of trouble finding the car park, I queued for 15 minutes to register and get my colour coded bib. The event also has the Mudlite and Mudling fun runs for children, so account for them registering last minute. There wasn’t much warning at the start, a lot of people (myself included) were still making their way to the start line. However, I soon caught up at the first sharp left turn where the race rockets up a farm track. I recommend taking it slow at the start, a few individuals hurt their ankles tripping over the cracks in the road. The fast start soon dissipated as we entered the wood. This event definetely lives up to its multi-terrain label. After exiting the wood via a stile or vaulting the gate, the course proceeds over grass fields, ploughed fields, river paths and roads for 11km in total. The biggest challenge of the race was tackling the steep 0.5 mile hill, mid race. Most people walked faster up the hill than ran, silly me determined not to stop running shuffled my way up. The rest of the race, was amazing with great views mixed in with lots of technical challenges.

The finish was in the cricket pitch and the kind sponsors of the race provided a full water bottle, bananas, cake, ice cream and a medal. There was a very long wait post-race for the results, before a long drive back to Amesbury. It would be great if more Shrewton runners came next year, the race is well attended by many clubs in the region and it was lonely on my own…. Georgia 😀

Race date 6th October 2019 – Results