Ropsley Raid Sunday 16th January 2011

Ropsley Road Runners are a low key bunch of friends who put on some excellent low key races centered around the quaint village of Ropsley, near Grantham in Lincolnshire. The entry form for this post Christmas sessions reads:

"OK, IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR – YOU HAVE INDULGED AND THEN INDULGED AGAIN BUT FEAR NOT AS WE ARE HERE TO HELP.

   WE HAVE ORDERED THE MUD AND THE CHEESE ROLLS SO COME ALONG, YOU KNOW YOU      WANT  TO !"

The race involves 13 miles of trail, a little road and lots of muddy fields, the type of mud that gathers to your shoe making the going heavy, added to that was a savage wind making the going slow. I was particularly concerned about wild horses this year as the previous year I had been chased out of a field near Pickworth. Kindly the horse folk had tied up their mares and we passed through the same fields untroubled. The race passes, Ropsley-Sapperton-Pickworth-Great Humby-Nr Ingoldsby-Before heading north past Kirton Wood and Ropsley Wood back to Ropsley. 

I was glad to get the hard miles under my belt as the going was tough. It was nice to chat to a fellow participamt at the finish, we had met two years ago at the Six Dales Circuit. I felt a little guilty as I "gazumped" him shortly before the finish by taking a path near the church graveyard as he continued along the road.

 I finished under two hours to receive a goody bag including hat and gloves, a welcome cheese "barm" or "bap" in this parts, a cereal bar and a banana. In the summer the Ropsley Runners organise a six mile road race in the evening with a post event barbeque in the pub car park - not to be missed!