Grantham Cup 10k Trail Race – Canicross (Sunday 2nd April)
Canicross?? What’s that then? That’s what most people ask… Basically its strapping your dog into a harness with a bungee lead attached to your waist and hey presto you’re a canicrosser!
I’d spotted that the Grantham Cup 10k Trail race was Canicross friendly and so decided 10k would be a good distance for Dexter. Yep diving in at the deep end!
We arrived at Belton House bright and early to be greeted by a queue into the event which was also at the same time as the Horse Trials, so we got a real bargain for £12 entry!
Race HQ was very efficient and we had our number sorted and spotted a few other Leicester Runners there too and said a quick hello and good luck.
The Race start was split into Canicross on the left and Humans on the right with both groups merging after 100ft.
We got into position behind all the other canicrossers and the noise was truly exhilarating with wildly excited Canines barking and wanting to get going. Judging by the size and breeds of the other dogs we were completely outclassed by a clear margin! The race started with a massive lurch forwards and we were off! Trying to keep us at a decent pace in a pack of people was tedious but I managed it. The trail heads out and away from Belton house and into the countryside. Trail paths leading through fields and up some steep inclines and descents made it a very interesting course much akin to the Derby Runners.
The lead dogs were miles in front of us and dragging their owners up the hills with ease. For the first 3 miles Dexter was a little unsure and we had some comments from non-dog runners that I was cheating as he was pulling me along! Anyway, the race started to get interesting as we gradually caught up and started over taking other canicrossers. We started the return journey back towards the start area and Dexter decided he was going to kick in and pull me with him. Over styles he leapt and pulled me along the trail and then it was the final 100mtrs that we put the final push in and crossed the line.
The post-race goodies were fab and dogs had a bowl of water and dog treats as rewards. Although we didn’t win he was the 12th Dog back over the line out of 56 other Canicross entrants in a respectable time of 52 minutes. Not too shabby for his first attempt at racing and so proud of him. He makes me smile when I look at the photos as he’s having so much fun doing what he enjoys the most – Running!
I thoroughly recommend this race as you get two for one for only £12 and a great day out too. It’s very dog friendly too, so give it a try you might like it?
Gareth Tomlinson
