Yes, we do run in beautiful scenery such as this...
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| The Front Runners pause to admire the Heather on St Boniface Down with Sandown Bay in the Background. Yes, we do run in beautiful scenery such as this... |
"Look, will someone please help me lay this trail!" came a squeal from Cooperman, still hobbling after a painful visit to Wales in June. "Not us!" said the Hashers as they found their way to Tilly's for Saturday breakfast.
It was left to GBH, one of the less energetic of those on Snowman's Black Friday Pub Crawl. to offer assistance - as indeed he had done on the 700th the previous year. So, after toast and a tinny they were off on a 4-bagger.
The trail area was East and North of the town, with the GM taking the West end on the Sunday. "Cooperman's Big Run" it was advertised as - so none can complain - least of all the GM's pedometer. In fact the Hare had spent some hours on the Down the previous night, returning hot and blistered to join the other revellers at the Lansdowne in time for memorable karaoke from Phil.
It wasn't long before Fireball discovered the line-out outside their house enabling her spouse to avoid at least one of the many false trails and stair-climbs that awaited the 18-or-so participants.
Thus they progressed around town, pausing via the Bonchurch Pond, for beer-stop No 1, at which point Magoo and Snowman hitched a lift with the beer wagon to the second stop, diverting momentarily through a local hostelry. The pack, meanwhile progressed along the landslip path and then through the woods where most of the front-runners were caught running by the recently-reopened and well-hidden stone steps up the landslip chimney to the main road.
Check-backs abounded on the next bit of trail up Nansen Hill and through delightful areas of flowering heather on the top of the downs. Here the Hare (and his 2 assistants) had settled themselves under a tree, openers at the ready. Nearing home now, it was but a short diversion along the back of the down to yet another unplanned Beer Stop No3 - since the Hare had overdone the order a bit. Down through the woods and on to the campsite with the GM's multi-functional pornometer reading some 7.1 miles ("but you only took small steps!" said the Hare).
More beer, afternoon tea and additional supplements left most a bit uncertain as to the events that followed that evening. The ever-good Carnival Knowledge Quiz was to its normal standard, leaving none disappointed, dinner was readily available to those that wanted it and the Carnival itself was eminently forgettable.
One remembers an evening celebration in the Crab&Lobster, a cheese and wine party, somewhere, then sleep. All made the GM's Run, the Lunch was excellent value and we let a rather knackered GBH & Circuit Breaker win the Quiz
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