2006 – Brighton Jog Shop Jog – 20 Miles
Places: 194
Position: 34
Time: 2hr:49:29
My first trail race. I joined the Jog shop jog race because at the time I was working in Brighton and having only just completed Stockholm and the St Albans Half marathon and felt fit to try something different.
Like many smaller races this is becoming increasing popular, beginning in 1992. With features of the race like Death Valley, The Snake and The Big W, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Jog Shop Jog takes place in the Wild West rather than the gentle green hills of the South Downs in Sussex. Yet, the hills are not easy as they look. Of course at this point I had not considered that one day I would run amongst the Eiger, Jungfrau, Chamonix and the Himalaya, however the effects on the muscles running up hill is drastically different to flat.
The race covers just over twenty miles, roughly 90% of the course is off-road, with several gates and stiles both starting and finishing at the Brighton marina.
Finishing in 3:47 at the Dublin marathon really pleased me that I could run a good time, this race was the first where I really felt fit still at the end, had run a fast time and got to see far nicer sights than during city races.