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Round Sheffield Trail Race
Last June I took on a slightly different event – The Round Sheffield Trail Race, and I must admit I loved it, and I’m going back for more this year and already there are 5 other Harriers doing it.
So what’s so special about it…..Well its a “Multi-stage” event following the round Sheffield route, taking in parks and trails. Its 11 stages totalling 20km of a total route of 24.5km.
The unique format breaks the route down into stages. Each stage being raced, and competitors receiving both results for each stage as well as a combined overall result. You can then relax, regroup with friends and refocus before the next stage begins. Competitors are allowed to walk or jog inbetween stages and you have set times to make it to the start of the next stage. No mass start, 2 at a time off the start, and you pick your quarter of an hour start window.
I must admit it was good to push on in the stages and then catch up with people around you when recovering. This event appealed to me as it reminded me of my past hobby as a rally codriver. Here we would do similar, road sections to get to the stages.
The stages themselves were tough, quite a mix, some decent hills in there both up hill and one stage is just downhill!! The longest stage was only 2.8km long so you could work hard in them. You get given a card which tells you what stage is next and the distance, plus how long you have for the recovery sections. At the beginning and end of each stage you need to swipe your dibber which is easy enough to do.
All in all I really enjoyed it, my legs were battered at the end, nearly 15 miles in total. I was on route for nearly 3 hours for a time of around 1 hour 50. Would recommend to anyone who fancies something a little different.
