On a damp, cold evening in January, 12 intrepid ladies from the club met at Lyme Park near Stockport to take part in a National Trust Night Run. It would be fair to say that most of us didn't really have a clue about exactly what to expect, or just how important our headtorches were going to be. We painted our faces with neon paint, snapped glow sticks round our wrists and laughed at head torch hair, whilst eating cake and drinking tea! At 5.45pm, we left the coziness of the cafe and headed out into the drizzle with about 400 more intrepid participants. We split into two groups of 6 and agreed that the groups would stick together all the way round - no one left on their own. After a bit of shuffling about in the rain, a hooter sounded and we were off. The sight of runners snaking up the first hill looked really impressive, like a torchlight procession heading "up" into the darkness. It wasn't long before we faced our first challenge - a muddy climb followed by an equally muddy descent. We shuffled, slid down on bottoms or crawled on hands and knees, but everyone made it, amidst lots of laughter and the occasional squeal. Ruth: Much more challenging than I expected but loved it! Janet: One fantastic night! A great team building, trust building, friendship making night. You felt alive! That difficult uphill followed by a squelchy downhill set the tone for the rest of the run (with lots of walk breaks). We took turns to lead the way, shouting out puddle warnings, looking for the steadiest ground and making sure everyone was ok. Michelle the mountain goat led us up one steep track, resulting in a burst of song (Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo). The singing was repeated a few times as a distraction from the wind, rain, sleet and mud! We climbed over stiles (or crawled under them), we crossed over streams, we slipped and skidded and took a few tumbles, we nearly lost our shoes. But we never stopped laughing, chatting and encouraging one another. Justine: Well ladies wot can I say about that truly surreal experience lol xxx really enjoyed it and what a laugh lol xxx Sarah: I've never laughed so much - what an experience- it was brill Our route through the woods was well sign-posted - glow in the dark arrows looked quite spooky through the trees - and their were loads of marshals out on the course, offering encouragement and giving us a few hints on the driest routes and how much further we had to go. As we tired, there was a lovely marshal to assure us there were no more uphills. There was one last steep descent with even more mud and puddles on the way down and then suddenly, we were back on proper paths - resulting in a little dance of delight from a couple of our runners. We followed the path back towards the start and the magnificent sight of Lyme Park House all lit up - wow. We knew we were nearly back now and managed a bit of a "sprint" for the finish. Each of the two groups of 6 had stuck together and got round together. We warmed up with hearty soup and admired our medals, before all heading home for hot baths and mud removal. Linda: I think we should have done a before n after photo, some of team looked quite glam when we first arrived, oh did that change Lol X Michelle: Such good fun We followed the path back towards the start and the magnificent sight of Lyme Park House all lit up - wow. We knew we were nearly back now and managed a bit of a "sprint" for the finish. Each of the two groups of 6 had stuck together and got round together. We warmed up with hearty soup and admired our medals, before all heading home for hot baths and mud removal. Charlotte: Thank you for the laughs ladies!! Loved it 🌠🌙 xxxx Jen: I don't think I would have even done that without you all being there xxx What was amazing about the experience on Saturday was seeing everyone work together, all taking a collective step outside their comfort zones and doing something out of the ordinary, if a little bit daft. The last word goes to Ali, who was one of the interpid 12 at Lyme Park, completing her first "proper race" and being inspired to do so much more: Ali: I started the Potters Trotters beginners group in September 2015 having never run before. I was never a sporty one at school and had plenty of gym memberships that I'd set up and then not used, so I was apprehensive to say the least. All the ladies are inspirational. They are all ages, all levels of fitness and ability; what they do all have in common is determination, a sense of humour and the ability to support each other to do their best. I am proud to be a Trotter and am in the process of training for my first half-marathon; something that six months ago I'd have never thought possible. Thank you Potters Trotters! |
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