The Equinox24 is a multi-terrain 24 hour race, that can be done solo, as a pair or part of a team of up to 8, club member Anthony Burford took part earlier this month, this is his race report:
The race itself is a 10k loop around the picturesque Belvoir Castle estate against the clock. The challenge is to see how many loops can be completed within the 24 hours. It took place Saturday 17th September 2016.
The event for me started on the Friday as I camped over, with others in my team. We cracked open a few beers and began to relax sitting around a garden incinerator to keep warm, talking about the weekend ahead.
Later that evening there was a beer run, which consists of necking a pint of beer, before running 1km around the camping field. I’m pleased to say I finished the run, without stopping and without throwing up. My Friday night’s rest was not the best, my airbed had a slow puncture and I had to pump it up several times during the night.
On Saturday, the event starts with a 1km fun run for the kids. It was great to see so many kids take part in the run, and running with a smile. At midday the main event started, we put our quickest runner up first, to get us a good start. We lined up along the track outside our campsite and watched the hundreds of competitors start.
I was down as runner 7 of our team of 8, the waiting was unbearable I just wanted to get on the course and give it a go. At about 5.30pm my time to run came and off I ran up past our campsite, where I was greeted with applause from my team and supporters and out of the campsite into the unknown.
I was running at a pace I felt would give me a good 10k time. I was overtaken a few times by some fast runners at the start, but many participants were walking and talking, or jogging along at a slow pace. It was all a little surreal. The first section is around a field then onto a tarmac road, across a bridge that splits a lake and up a long hill, “not that hill”, before turning off-road again, at the drink station, then a downhill with a steep grassy camber, before meeting the infamous “that hill”, a very steep hill, once on top it is 4km all the way downhill to the campsite. I really enjoyed the downhill bit.
My next lap was done at 11.30pm, pitch black, with a head torch, which was really fun. I could not see the terrain ahead of me but that did not slow me down and I still ran quickly. The marshals on the course had LED flashing sticks to help guide the runners and the course was staked out in sections with glow sticks on stakes.
I had a little sleep before being awoken at 4am for my third lap at 5.30am, the sun was beginning to rise, the cockerels were crowing, and the evening fog had lifted. The campsite was silent and the course was quiet. The fresh early morning air woke me up. I knew the course now, and I ran another quick time. The walkers and joggers on the course gave me encouragement as I ran by.
I got back to the campsite and was ask if I wanted to do a fourth lap. Hell yeah!! So I grabbed a hot shower and chilled for a few hours. This time my legs felt tired and heavy. I still did a pretty quick lap but not as fast as my previous three. I had finished and I was done, no more laps.
My team completed 27 laps over the 24 hours and finished 19th from over 140 teams. We were all delighted with that. The sun was shining, we got our medals, grabbed a cold beer, and took in the great atmosphere as we watched people finishing.
I would highly recommend Equinox24, free camping, a bus as a bar, plenty of toilets, hot showers, hot food outlets, bouncy castle for the kids, and great support from campers, marshals and fellow competitors.