This weekend saw the Human Race Off-Road trail running and duathlon series come to a close with the TrailMan event at Eridge Park, near Tunbridge Wells.
The picturesque Eridge Park near Royal Tunbridge Wells played host to the third annual TrailMan event, the last in Human Race’s Off-Road Trail Running and Duathlon Series, on Saturday 15 March.
If the last event, IceMan, was cold enough for an ice cream to complete the course without melting, TrailMan could not have been more different. With the monsoon-like conditions wreaking havoc across the UK and forcing the original February date to be moved to March, competitors will no doubt have enjoyed the new TrailMan date and the delightful spring weather it brought.
Traffic through Tunbridge Wells slowed down many competitors on the way to the park causing a bit of a rush up to the 10:00 GMT start time, but luckily around 400 competitors (plus a few eager dogs) joined friends, family and official series charity Rainbow Trust at the stunning Eridge Park.
The several hundred brave souls took on the event’s challenging 6K or 13K runs or off-road duathlon, which consisted of a 6K run, 20K bike and finished with another 6K run. With the bike and run courses taking in completely different areas of the park, duathletes bore witness to a wide variety of stunning scenery.
It was also the final chance in the series for furry friends to team up with their owners for the canicross challenge. The excitement in the dogs’ eyes didn’t always match the trepidation in their owners on the start line, and there were certainly a few tired – but happy – looking dogs and owners in the event village at the end!
First off the line were the 6K runners, then those tackling the 13K course, with those with dogs set off just after to hunt down the pack. Finally the duathletes set off on their first 6K lap, knowing that a great deal of work lay ahead.
Conditions on the duathlon course proved particularly tough for competitors, as the bike course still wore the scars of the intensely wet weather throughout the winter. Nevertheless a strong field tackled the route with admirable intensity and perseverance.
PowerBar was again on-hand to offer competitors some much needed energy fuel for their race, and no doubt assisted a few up the steep climbs! Vita Coco helped the weary at the finish line by providing natural hydration, hugely important as the mercury rose, and popchips supplied tasty snacks for those in the event village post-race.
