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Thread: Surrey Hills in June

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    Surrey Hills in June

    Is anyone familiar with this one, on 2 June this year? I am not a fell runner but love off-road races at half marathon distance and above, and as a CL race this one caught my eye. I am wondering if it requires much navigation (in case I'm so far behind everyone else that there is no-one to follow)?

    I would be grateful for any thoughts.
    Lizzie

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    I did this several times in its early days (the last time was about 30 years ago!). You do need to be able to navigate and, just as importantly, choose an optimum route beforehand. But I believe they now organise recce runs around the course a week or two in advance of the race.
    In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
    Jorge Luis Borges

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    Thank you. I was thinking I might be able to womble round beforehand... It feels odd to have a fell race this far south.

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    There are quite a few fell races these days in the Southern half of England. I think the first was Box Hill - first run in 1982, and (I believe) the brainchild of Anthony Kay. Don't think about doing it though - it sold out in 7.5 hours back on 1st Nov. Box Hill and Surrey Hills are organised by the same club - South London Orienteers. Surrey Hills Races involve navigation although the route is always the same. You can see the route here https://www.slow.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#25&course=1 Entries should open soon on Fabian4, but it won't sell out like Box Hill - southerners seem to find a navigational element quite off-putting!

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    Quote Originally Posted by AndyLoofa View Post
    There are quite a few fell races these days in the Southern half of England. I think the first was Box Hill - first run in 1982, and (I believe) the brainchild of Anthony Kay. Don't think about doing it though - it sold out in 7.5 hours back on 1st Nov. Box Hill and Surrey Hills are organised by the same club - South London Orienteers. Surrey Hills Races involve navigation although the route is always the same. You can see the route here https://www.slow.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#25&course=1 Entries should open soon on Fabian4, but it won't sell out like Box Hill - southerners seem to find a navigational element quite off-putting!
    You are right about the Box Hill race being my idea, but the Surrey Hills races are actually older: I ran the first one, in 1979. For the first two years, they started from a point near the top of the road from Dorking to Coldharbour, so the Long race was only 15 miles; the present start and finish on the edge of Dorking was adopted in 1981.
    In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
    Jorge Luis Borges

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by anthonykay View Post
    You are right about the Box Hill race being my idea, but the Surrey Hills races are actually older: I ran the first one, in 1979. For the first two years, they started from a point near the top of the road from Dorking to Coldharbour, so the Long race was only 15 miles; the present start and finish on the edge of Dorking was adopted in 1981.
    Anthony

    As you may have noticed I am methodically re-reading every Fellrunner and so encountering your name and your status, in my eyes, as a Grand Old Man of fell running rises with each decade (which you may or may not regard as a compliment).

    Graham
    "...as dry as the Atacama desert".

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    Quote Originally Posted by anthonykay View Post
    You are right about the Box Hill race being my idea, but the Surrey Hills races are actually older: I ran the first one, in 1979. For the first two years, they started from a point near the top of the road from Dorking to Coldharbour, so the Long race was only 15 miles; the present start and finish on the edge of Dorking was adopted in 1981.
    My first "official" FRA Fixtures Calendar was for 1984 (my 1983 calendar was 3x A4 photo-copied sheets from a work colleague).
    I'm pretty certain (but do stand to be corrected) that the organising club for the Box Hill Race was then CUFR (Cambridge University Fell Runners) ..... I'm assuming that Anthony Kay would have been a member of that august body? As indeed I do believe the Cranes (cousins to Nick Crane) were ..... they "ran the Himalayas" in that era.
    I was a bit of an oddball until I was abducted by aliens; but I'm perfectly OK now!

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by wheezing donkey View Post
    My first "official" FRA Fixtures Calendar was for 1984 (my 1983 calendar was 3x A4 photo-copied sheets from a work colleague).
    I'm pretty certain (but do stand to be corrected) that the organising club for the Box Hill Race was then CUFR (Cambridge University Fell Runners) ..... I'm assuming that Anthony Kay would have been a member of that august body? As indeed I do believe the Cranes (cousins to Nick Crane) were ..... they "ran the Himalayas" in that era.
    The SLOW website (South London Orienteers and Wayfarers) shows the past winners of the Box Hill Race from 1982, many of whom are "fell-household names".
    Last edited by Graham Breeze; 30-12-2018 at 05:16 PM.
    "...as dry as the Atacama desert".

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    Quote Originally Posted by wheezing donkey View Post
    I'm pretty certain (but do stand to be corrected) that the organising club for the Box Hill Race was then CUFR (Cambridge University Fell Runners) ..... I'm assuming that Anthony Kay would have been a member of that august body? As indeed I do believe the Cranes (cousins to Nick Crane) were ..... they "ran the Himalayas" in that era.
    Yes, Box Hill Race was originally organised by Cambridge University Fell Running Club, of which I was a member. Richard Askwith (he with his feet in the clouds) has written an article about the history of fell running at Cambridge University on page 30 here: https://www.alumni.cam.ac.uk/sites/w..._72_ONLINE.pdf
    The Cranes weren't in CUFRC when I was there; maybe a bit later.

    Quote Originally Posted by Graham Breeze View Post
    Anthony

    As you may have noticed I am methodically re-reading every Fellrunner and so encountering your name and your status, in my eyes, as a Grand Old Man of fell running rises with each decade (which you may or may not regard as a compliment).

    Graham
    Yes, I do take "Grand Old Man" as a compliment, but I'm not sure that I deserve it. I am not very Grand; e.g. my only experience of long Lakeland races is one completion of Duddon, and my lifetime's total of fell races is about what Tindersticks seems to get through in about a year. As for Old, I can't match you in that category, Graham.
    In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
    Jorge Luis Borges

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    I went for a little womble round part of this today and had a good time - this area is a new discovery for me and very lovely it is.

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