Triumphs and Disaster
Don’t worry, this isn’t all about Kev. But Couriers suffered a serious helping of bad luck in the race when after 3 or 4 miles, Eliot had to pull out with a nastily twisted ankle following a high-speed collision with a tree root [actually that bit is reminiscent of Kev!]. He was unable to walk without assistance back at HQ and the pity of it all, apart from the pain, was that he might well have been in contention for the win as his old rival, Tim Iveson took a good second place behind the victor, Jones of Oswestry. Get better soon Eliot..and don’t go near the ‘orrible Skirrid.
Eliot’s teammates, going at a more sedate pace befitting their advanced years, managed to negotiate their way across the tree roots, along stream-beds and up and down the slippery roller coaster and achieved some decent results. Russell, currently being honed by Bill Berry’s Tuesday grindstone, took 20th spot [out of 283 finishers] in 1.09.44 with Tim, former course winner, breathing down his neck in 22nd in 1.10.14,1st V55 and beating the redoubtable Ed Davies. Next of the Courier old guard was Herington, 62nd in 1.17.45 and 1st V65. Opting for this race rather than a speedy 10K in Telford, Kev completed his earth-moving manoeuvres in 138th in 1.28.41.
Looking back over my extensive Courier database, I note that 10 years ago [pretty much to the day] a certain Tim Taylor finished 7th and 1st V45 in the same race in a time 20 seconds slower than this year, while the only partially smoked Kipper was 32nd and 1st V55 and a whole 2.26 mins slower then. Amazing how these boys have improved with age! What will they do in 2024? But it is always possible that it might have something to do with the fact that the course was almost two miles longer back in 2004 and the hills higher and the mud deeper and the weather far worse. I see too that a runner called Max Stuff also ran that day. Whatever happened to him?