Grizzly 2009 - Seaton, Devon

This year’s event was entitled “Trails and Tribulations”, and, as usual, reflected its name. The Grizzly is an amazing event, with about 2000 entering for the extreme 20miler, with others doing the Cub event over about 9 miles. Each year it is well oversubscribed, so there must be some severely crazy people out there. The sensible go home early.

The course changes every year, so you can’t really claim a Personal Best, but what the heck! Starting off with a mile of cruel shingle, a small amount of hilly road gets you to Beer, where the sharp up-hills and coastal paths start. Plunging down the fields eventually gets you to the beach at Branscombe, where there is (whoopee!) more shingle, this time supplemented by a run up the river.

More hills, coast paths, roads, tracks, muddy fields and you arrive at the best bit – The Bog. Possibly the longest, wettest, muddiest this writer/runner has seen in 5 such events. See the picture on this site http://www.axevalleyrunners.org.uk/ !

Two lone pipers, dozens of mottos on placards, people handing out biscuits and jelly babies, folk groups, Japanese-style drummers and hundreds of locals cheering us on – oh, and 400 marshals. More of the same terrain gets you back through Branscombe, more shingle, Beer, more hills, more shingle and then arrive utterly exhausted back at Seaton. You can then, as the blurb says, either get hosed off by the local fire brigade, or use the “large, solar heated Jacuzzi, with optional wave power” a.k.a The English Channel.

What an event. Do it again? Always say “no”, keep coming back. See the route here http://www.runreplay.com/replay.aspx?e=58 courtesy of Martin Berkeley and Garmin, and a few satellites.

Bob Powell

WCH Results (may be some missing, either because of problems with time keeping or they are still out there somewhere)

Grizzly – 1446 finishers

Fergus Pate; 202^nd, 3.14.54

John Reynolds; 421, 3.33.38

Bob Powell; 476, 3.37.16 (sadly 36secs slower than last time, 2007)

Andrew Pate; 756, 3.57.32

Nick Edwards; 846, 4.05.00 (lost, but now found)

Cub – 277 finishers

Alasdair Bell; 39^th, 1.29.22

Simon Jones; 96, 1.41.37