Standish Woodlands Chase Report by Al Graham
Sat in my car waiting out the rain, and looking at all the other
runners in their cars doing the same, I have to say that it looked like
it might be an endurance rather than a fun race. But then, with 10
minutes to go before the start gun, the rain lessened to a drizzle, and
by the time we’d reached the top of the first hill the sun was trying to
make a break through. The race is organised by the Stroud and District
Athletic Club and is part of a memorial series for one of their former
runners, Roger Briers, and if you complete the series you can join the
medals together to form a plaque (which is a nice touch). The Standish
Woodlands Chase 10(ish) miler (https://www.stroudac.co.uk/StandishWoodlandChase)
is a runner’s race! From the start line you go straight up! For quite a
long time. Infact, ‘up’ (and steep ‘down’) is a common feature of the
race. However, the woods are stunning to run through and by the time you
are on the second loop then you know where you are going and can start
to enjoy yourself. The views of the Severn valley across to Wales and
into the Stroud valley really take your breath away as you come out of
the woods ready for the fast descent to the finish line. The race was
really well organised, and all the local runners I met were really
friendly. It was a small field with 153 finishers (in which I came 40th)
but I don’t think it should become much larger – sometimes a smaller
challenging race is really satisfying. I think I’ll be looking to do
this again some time!
