Wow!!
Our team from Tuesday Scouts on their first go at the Cotswold Marathon came 6th out of 51 teams on the Bronze 10 mile Route!!
Outstanding teamwork taking over an hour off their full practise hike on the route.
The night started at the Beaver lodge where we met up and then drove to Murray Hall in Gloucester for registration and the start. Registration involved each team member being signed in, given wrist bands with our walker numbers on, a race tracker for the team and a strict kit check of the emergency items and kit list.
Then after waiting in the tents each team jostled forward to get their cards marked with their start time and then set off. Over Robinswood Hill, thankfully at that point not too wet so not a complete mudfest as it was on their first practise walk. CP1 at the top of the hill, down past the ski centre to CP2, then the climb up to Painswick Beacon CP3, half way, they stormed up this climb! Great view of the lights of Gloucester and beyond, but by then the weather was starting to close in and a constant drizzle accompanied the wind.
Onwards to Cranham Scout Centre for CP4 then another sharp climb out of Cranham to CP5 at the top of the hill, nearly there. Race across the top when they realized they may get under 4 hours to CP6 and Bronze finish at Birdlip dead on 4 hours, medals all round from the County Commissioner Mark Spiller.
Hot chocolate and short wait for the bus back to the start and our transport home again with some very damp, tired, sleepy but happy young people.
A great event, well organized and run, thanks to all that take the time to volunteer to run it and man the checkpoints etc.
Onwards to the Silver 20 mile route hopefully for this team next year, and looking forward to putting in some more teams from the group hopefully.
Visual memory to take away? Looking back from Painswick Beacon at Robinswood Hill and seeing the chain of torches in the distance as teams further back were making their way down.
