On a gorgeous Wednesday evening the gang of 11 set out on the chosen route which was set by Jerome. It was decided that Selwyn’s route would be saved for another day.
And so it was that Brett, David, Lars, Jerome, Selwyn, Amanda, Chris, Steve, Neil, Kate and I (Jules) set out to test our stamina and breathe large gulps of fresh, warm Buckinghamshire air.
As always the route was superb and had been crafted to allow for a longer loop for the faster runners. It took us north towards Lane End and then west towards Hanger Farm where the route split. Those who took the longer route were able to see the others (spot them in the photo)
climbing the hill to Mousells Wood in the south as they came out of Hanger Wood and faced the narrow decent
into Fingest
before climbing up.
It then followed the edge of the wood before heading down a concrete track to the road and turning LEFT to the pub in Frieth.
Our stops seemed relatively short and no debates about route choice or hill-avoidance seemed to delay us as we covered the 5.2 miles in just under 1 hour.
ALERT – having finished a quick head count revealed that Amanda was not with us. Last seen by Jerome in Mousells wood (just half a mile from home) we quickly realised that she was lost. Neil said he would look out for her as he headed off to catch up with his Mum, Chris set off on foot to backtrack the route and Steve and I set off in the car to cut off some of the footpaths that come out of the woods to the road. Having dropped Neil off to scout I headed back to the pub to spot Amanda running down from the crossroads. She had turned right on the road after the concrete track and run an extra mile and a half! No harm done and we quickly gathered Chris and Neil back in for the post run refreshments. Tagging may be the only option if this continues to happen!!
We took the first round outside but as the sun faded the chill started to cool us down so we headed indoors where we took over about a quarter of the pub. Conversation was animated as usual and we all failed in the challenge to get the Patron to smile! Did she really want us? Judging by the reluctance to knock up a few chips I doubt it.....
See you all this Wednesday at The Ship in Cadmore End to celebrate our countries performance (good or bad).
Jules
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