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I nominate The Gilwern Grunt. Run over tricky moorland, rocky stream beds and fast cart trails, the last 2 miles include a section through old slag heaps where one incline is only possible by hauling yourself up a rope and the sprint to the finish line is punctuated by a crawl over an 100 foot old cinder cone. Part fell race, part trail race, part tough mudder!
Don't think I've ever done a fully 'daft' race... although the start of the Weasdale Horseshoe last year was quite entertaining... out of the showfield and straight into the car park/field... there were no markings at all, we just shot through a wall and were suddenly running between several hundred cars, every man for himself.
I navigated this well and came out the other side amongst the leaders (this wouldn't last), but recall hearing a number of large thuds as other people seemed to be less successful when it came to picking their way through the cars...
The start of the Mount Famine race from Hayfield was fairly daft, is it still the same?
Yes it's still the same, and it's pretty daft.
I nominate Burnsall. How can you not laugh all the way down that descent?
Creagh Dubh: various obstacles like fences, a river to cross where there's a footbridge nearby, route marked with 6 white horses, and it doesn't even go to the top of the hill it's named for, just a pimple on the shoulder of the hill. Oh, and the thigh-deep heather with rocks hidden underneath.
I still can't understand why I did it twice. Surely I should have learned my lesson after the first time? :rolleyes:
Portree Highland Games Hill race. 2.5 miles. A lap round the gamesfield with a pipe band then over a wall with a 10ft drop, through a graveyard, mudflats, river, random gardens and petrol station. Up to a random bump where a young boy gives you a raffle ticket. Back anyway you like. 20 minutes of fun and torture.
Devil’s Chair Dash, Boxing Day in Shropshire is a potential contender.... apart from being no more than about 2.5 miles which obviously makes it pretty hectic, it shares the route with a family/village walk up to the summit and back....
This means you have perhaps 75-100 Fellrunners sharing the route with a few hundred walkers/families/dog-walkers/etc....
This is all fine on the way out, but you hit the fastest, slippiest and narrowest part of the descent on the way back, just as the main peloton of walkers are trying to ascend it... coupled with it being quite a popular spectator point (with good reason) it can be quite an entertaining part of the race...
Tryfan Downhill Dash? Although maybe that's more insane rather than just plain daft...