2024 at the evening 10ks
Our evening 10ks continue to be a great addition to our 6 hour events. As much as they bring a slightly different crowd there is also a really good crossover of runners from the 6 hour events. Enough that the friendly and supportive atmosphere you get running around for 4 or 5 hours together feeds into a faster/shorter event. As much as they are a bit more “basic” when it comes to aid stations (no one really needs a cheese sandwich in a 10k!) the relaxed “enjoy-yourself” mentality shines through. We’ll continue to do a few of these each year.
Holding a mid-week 10k in the summer in Warwickshire/Midlands is a tricky business! With 2 different evening 10k club leagues within about 45 minutes drive competition is fierce! Pick the wrong night and 75% of the potential entrants are out. Needless to say “competing” with a club event is very difficult cost-wise too. I obviously support clubs and all events are built on the back of club events. However, generally they’re looking to cover costs, not make a living from it so it’s a very different set up. I think I’ve now found a spot in the calendar that shouldn’t clash though! Of course our Summer 10k doesn’t have any “pressure” that sometimes goes with club events when there are points and league tables involved. We can all co-exist (but not on the same night!!). Coombe Abbey is a great venue for it too, the park is beautiful and the pathways are wide.
The Petzl Night Trails 10k events are brilliant. I really love putting these on and this year was no different. Having Petzl as a headline sponsor is a bit of a coup for me as well. They’re effectively the best and biggest head torch brand out there. To have their support is great and they’ve been a brilliant team to work with.
I wanted to have them there with their high-powered head torches because I’ve had so many people over the few years of doing these events realise once they get to a pitch-black wood they’re woefully underprepared!! The vast majority of people don’t go out in complete darkness running about so they don’t realise until they get out the car what they’ve got isn’t good enough! It’s only when you do it you see what seems bright in Sainsburys petrol station when you shine it in your face really isn’t up to scratch in an unlit forest!! To have Petzl on hand to let people try kit out with no hard sell (they don’t actually sell them!) is great. It makes the events even more accessible.
The 10ks at Salcey Forest are always very popular, I’m very lucky to have such a loyal and committed following from around there. It makes getting volunteers easier too, one slightly frantic request a week out and then I had loads of people offering to help! It’s a bit trickier at Cannock Chase as it’s a bit out of my core area so I have less built up goodwill. That is one of the reasons for a little pause for the midweek events at Cannock Chase in 2025. Running through one of the “most haunted places in the UK” at night is cool though - I don’t tell people that before though as I think it might put them off a bit!!!
Piggy-backing the 10ks on to days we have he 6 hour events has worked a treat and will be the format for the foreseeable. I’m already there with a course and HQ set up - it makes for a long day but doing all the prep for a 90 minute event would feel crazy now…!