Bluebell Trail 10 mile 2008
Race report by Ed Rawlings

4 May 2008

In the wee small hours (no, not that sort of wee) of Sunday morning, a lone intrepid Pocklington Runner was going through the final phases of his finely tuned pre-race preparation.

Yes – it was time to dig through the laundry basket for pair of socks that didn’t have holes, scour the house for safety pins and contemplate eating a banana that looked like it had seen one too many days. The Bluebell Trail 10 was beckoning…………

Anyway, that sets the scene (sort of), so here are the facts of the case.

It only took about 40 minutes to get over to the start from York, which is not surprising given the time of day. The weather was warm with a light drizzle as just under 400 competitors lined up at the start.

The route took runners up and down the hills and trails surrounding Halifax – arduous climbs were rewarded with superb views over the surrounding countryside, descents were not easy because of the rain. The river crossing at the finish was thigh deep and cold, but well organised and safe.

Karl Gray of Stainland Lions, who obviously put his local knowledge to good use coming home in 1:01:36, posted the winning time. The author made it round the course in 1:17:48, coming home in 32nd place, and feeling quite satisfied with the result given the terrain.

The race lived up to its title with the final few miles wending their way through woodland carpeted with bluebells in all directions; a real treat for the senses to (maybe!) take the ache out of tired legs.

Thanks go to Stainland Lions running club for putting on such a well-organised and marshalled event over a challenging and rewarding course. Hopefully a few more runners from the Pocklington faithful will be interested in giving this top-notch race a try next year.