I had run the Plain Crazy a few years back and knew it was quite a unique race. It takes place on Ministry of Defence land in aid of the British Legion Poppy Appeal. So, when Matt and I were choosing the 2019 set of championship races I thought that it would make a great finale to the year. In fact, it turned out to be quite exciting as it was the deciding race of the women’s club championship with both Emily and Pam capable of taking the title. 

This year I travelled to the race with two friends, one from Bitton and one from Westbury Harriers. When we arrived, I saw lots of familiar EGRC faces and some from my old club, Southville. There were even some runners with their dogs. So, straight away I felt a very convivial, festive atmosphere. What lay ahead for all these intrepid runners was a 12.5ish mile run around Salisbury Plain. The website made it sound irresistible, ‘desolate, hilly, cold, scenic, windy and can even be snowy’. All in all, a great way to blow away those Christmas cobwebs! Unfortunately, for me pre-Christmas I had fallen prey to flu. I was still feeling it on the day having retained a delightful cough which had the effect of incapacitating me every time I ran about 2 metres. I decided I would run ‘sensibly’ in this race as I wasn’t sure that I would be able to get through it!

When we started, I quickly realised that this would be a slightly different route from the one I had done previously. However, I wasn’t too worried, as I remembered it being a bit undulating and a bit bleak (as advertised!), but not that hilly. What I recalled most distinctly was that the course takes you very close to live firing ranges. The previous time I had run it, the race had been diverted due to unexploded munitions. We ended up running just 11 miles finishing on a lovely downhill. Secretly, part of me was quite hoping that would happen again!

This year though, there was no such drama. However, I hadn’t realised that the course I remembered as being ‘a bit undulating’ now contained a mountain or two. The first one coming at about 3 miles in, a huge grassy monolith, which almost required the use of both my hands on the ground as well as my feet. Tissue in hand due to my runny nose, the photographer caught us at this point, knowing this was where we would be looking our best! The mountain was followed by some lovely but rugged downhills. Those of us not in trail shoes did struggle a bit at this point as the ground was very uneven. 

 Soon though, we were off the mud. Hurrah! I was then glad I had chosen my road shoes as the rest of the course, looping across Salisbury Plain was gravel track and country roads. You also take in a rank of deserted buildings used for army training and, still there about 7 years after I last did the race, a lonely tank stationed on the top of a long, exposed (and bleak), hilltop. Luckily it was not snowing, or too windy. This would have been a tough section had it been, whereas it was actually one of my favourite bits. I quite like bleak landscapes.

As a constant reminder of where we were, there were several signs reminding us not to stray from the path and inadvertently end up on a firing range.  Sensibly, everyone followed these instructions! Around about this point, I was coughing quite a lot and a kind chap asked me if I was o.k. Luckily I wasn’t feeling too bad, but the cough was really persistent.

At about 11 miles, there was a nice descent back towards the finish at Pepper Place. I was feeling quite good at this point, so sped up. Silly me. I knew the race was a 12.5ish miles, but 12.5 came and went, as did 12.6 and 12.7, until I could see the finish line at 12.8 miles! I ploughed on to the finish, crossed the line and then my cough really caught up with me – time to double up by a tree for a few minutes to compose myself. Fortunately, I managed to recover well enough to bravely devour one of the mince pies the organisers had laid out for the runners and to admire my lovely poppy medal.

All in all, I really enjoyed the race. In late December, as you might expect, conditions on the Plain can be tough, but we were lucky with the weather even though it was chilly. Although there was mud at the start, it wasn’t snowy or too rainy. It was just enjoyably bleak! It’s a very distinctive race as you get to run across sections of the Plain that wouldn’t normally be accessible. Being in that strange period between Christmas and New Year, it’s a great way to finish off the old year and see in the new. It was also fitting as this marked my last race as 2018 women’s champion and was the one which confirmed Emily as the 2019 champion.