The Route Print report
The day dawned with very autumnal weather. There was a thin veneer of ice on the lake which was followed by a howling wind and a steady downpour of rain!! Lovely.
We opted for two laps of a 3 ½ mile course which took us through the Hesley Woods and Hesley Pit sites (thanks to Yorkshire Forward for allowing us to use it!).
From the start the competitors were taken on a 400m hilly loop which then headed straight in to the woods. A short and twisting track through the trees soon led to the first of the obstacles - a 200m maze of trip wires, cargo nets, crawls and short climbs. This soon thinned the competitors out and it was then another short run until the first proper hill scramble. Ropes were in place up and down the steep (and muddy) slope but the incline was steep enough to raise the heart beat!
More beautiful wooded tracks led on to the next series of obstacles: a collection of 'up and over' beams and climbs. From the edge of the woods the competitors dropped down to the balance beam across the stream and then through a boggy area to the second 'roped' hill climb in Hesley Pit. This steep climb led up to the plateau where competitors quickly descended back down a very muddy track then up on another rope to the plateau.
It was head to wind right across the top of the plateau for ¾ km where the route then dropped down in to another bowl only to climb back up to the plateau. Tired legs then headed over to the 'stepping stones' which had been laid across the top of an extremely wet and boggy section. From here the competitors dropped back in to Hesley Woods to find themselves on the wrong side of a lake. Luckily boats were on hand to get people across and the competitors heaved themselves over to the opposite bank.
Once over it was a steady climb back to the quad bike course where the competitors manoeuvred tires around the track and picked up their orienteering punch sheets. A quick dash was all that was needed to get back to the start, ready for the second lap!
Of course the 'Whole Hog' wouldn't be that unless there was an ultimate challenge, and this was provided on the second lap back at the lakes. Instead of crossing the lakes we had managed to find what was to become known as the 'Hog Pit'. Competitors will know exactly what I mean but to the uninitiated it could be described as a mud bath with obstacles!! It started with a short cargo net scramble, then a barrel climb (through a river). Some people managed to stay relatively clean up until the next obstacle: a ramp that competitors were forced to climb up then jump back down in to the bog. After wallowing out of the bog, the competitors made their way over to a 30m long tunnel (half full of water!)
It was good to see that the majority of the competitors went the Whole Hog and completed all of the obstacles and challenges. Shame on you for those who didn't!!
The Race
We had 147 competitors ready to go the Whole Hog! It was an excellent mix of very able athletes and those out to challenge themselves! We were delighted to have around 90 charity competitors, so some great causes will benefit from the efforts of the racers.
The team race was keenly contested and, in the end, it was an outstanding performance from the Imperial College team who were raising money for Save the Children and took a combined time of 1 hour 1 minute and 32 seconds.
The individual races were also well competed. Ben Waller won the male category whilst Anita Blow won the female race. Well done everyone!
Thank You
Big thanks to Hesley Woods and Yorkshire Forward for allowing us to use their land. Huge thanks to all the charities that got involved - especially Neurocare who managed to have nearly 50 competitors running for them!
2008
The date is set for 23rd November next year. It will be a completely different course next year but expect the same format! Let's hope it rains again!!!