Report by Huw
I often feel there are runs you need to tackle with your head and others for the heart. A head run is all about focus; head down, keep an eye on your pace, check the splits, count off the miles or kilometres. Get the result you were aiming for.
A heart run is totally different. Keep your head up, look around, stop and enjoy the view, chat to whoever you’re running with, take some photos. Just enjoy the simple pleasure of being out in glorious countryside and the simple fact you can do this.
The Grizzly is undoubtedly a heart run. The close to 20 mile course throws everything at you but this is an event to celebrate the fact that, if you’re able to run this, you’re very fortunate and should embrace life. Poignantly there’s a memorial on the beach at around 17 miles where you can stop and tie a ribbon to remember someone you’ve lost or who simply isn’t able to enjoy what you’re doing today.
Although The Grizzly is hard it’s also a lot of fun. Soon after the start you’re onto the beach to try and make progress across the pebbles. After that you’re climbing steeply out of Seaton. The following hours (an average finish time is around four and a half hours) is filled with river crossings, deep mud, steep climbs and descents back to the sea. The weather has also been a challenge previously. Thankfully this year we were blessed with perfect conditions.
This was the 34th Grizzly and aptly titled ‘Paws for Thought’. Other names in the puntastic list have included ‘Beauty and The Beast’, ‘Grin And Bear It’ and ‘Valley of The Bogs’. They might be cringeworthy, but it makes the T-Shirts worth collecting.
The run is very well supported locally. It brings visitors to Seaton and Beer out of season and has donated nearly half a million pounds to local charities. This helps explain the unbridled jolliness and enthusiasm of the many marshals around the course. This is a run that’s an important event on the local calendar, and for good reason.
I honestly didn’t look at my watch until I was less than a mile from the finish. The last 400 metres is along the seafront and every runner is welcomed home by name through the PA system.
After finishing runners can choose between a dunk in the sea to get the mud off or to be sprayed down but one of the local firemen. Both are very popular!
About 2,000 runners take part, 1500 in The Grizzly and 500 in the shorter 10 mile ‘Cub Run’. Those that don’t feel up to the Grizzly distance can change to the Cub right up to the day of the race.
Getting a place to run The Grizzly has become notoriously difficult. Axe Valley runners, who organise the race, have used both a ‘ballot’ system and ‘first come first served’ with online entries. I’m not sure what they will do for next year’s run. It would make a great club trip. I’ll keep an eye out for when entries will open. If you can run it, you really should.
Well summed up Huw!