This was my final taper event before the big 100-mile challenge: the Zig Zag 6-hour challenge at Barrow near Bury St Edmunds held on Good Friday.
Laps were double the usual distance for these events – at just over 10km. My goal was a marathon distance, so ‘just’ 4 laps needed. I hadn’t realised that you could add on a 5km loop-back to push it into an ultra – a learning for future events.
The course started at Suffolk Running Centre and initially followed roads, before going through woods to Burthorpe then the 5km turnaround point. Those going beyond 5km turned towards fields and a wood section that would take you to the 3-mile point. This was also the last of the flat and trail section.
The last 3-miles were mostly on road, bar one short track section, but it also became more undulating and the wind more noticeable particularly after running through Symonds Farm. Storm Dave was at its best at this point and there was a long section of a down then uphill where the wind was blowing right in your face and so you needed to dig in to make any progress. There was a short reprieve heading along a track but then we turned headlong into the wind again, back up the biggest hill of the course before popping out onto the road running alongside the Suffolk Running Centre and the start of the lap.
I completed the 4 laps in 4:45:37 and was 11th in the same group of runners. Charlotte Begg secured a course record for a 5 lap ultra marathon in 5:35:45s. The longest run was 6 laps completed by 3 runners. The great part of running at a Zig Zag event is the coffee and cake at the end which is always welcome after running for several hours. It was particularly helpful at this event, as I had to wait for The AA (other breakdown firms are available) to help sort me out before I could set off for home.