Sphinx Coombe Abbey 8 – 26.11.17.

Race report by Dave Phillips.

Well done Coventry’s 2nd best club for putting on a great event for the 346 finishers. To run around the historic grounds of such a super place and get your T shirt before you start is the reason why this is always a sell-out. Just a pity the coffee shop is never open before the start as with over 500 people milling around there it would be very profitable for the Coombe coffers and a good place to meet and chat.  The start is across open country but after a while we cross the river and spend a few miles in beautiful woods, trails, paths of sorts and we even cross a river-not too deep. Mitch Timms of Sphinx told me afterwards that one runner crossed this twice. Maybe he is still out there?

So after a long slog in the wooded areas we came back to the Abbey and set off up that somewhat boring field for about 3 miles, up down, across and back, through 4 bomb craters from World War 2 (dropped by the Germans as they sped back home with surplus bombs after the Coventry bombing). Lighter bomb free planes flew faster so they could get home safer and quicker so the story goes. Made the somewhat boring field more interesting so thanks Jerry!

Finally mile 7 then what must be the longest mile anywhere to the road then a massive hike to the finish line-pretty empty when I got there.

Great soup in the now open café made it all worth-while and a good Massey crowd were assembled there drinking it down.  For some reason my name didn’t have Massey as my club next to it but I did finish it honestly.

4 more multi terrain events in the next 4 weeks so a good start today.

Massey time: Dave Phillips 1.45.