IBRD - Brighton [UK] Barefoot 2012

First off I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped out with Brighton Barefoot 2012. Big or small the event would not happen without you.

So, thank you to – Lucy Macklin and Mr Band for marshalling. Thanks to The Naked Ape and Vivobarefoot for their contributions to the goodie bags.

To Ethan and Natalia for supplying first and second prizes in the 5km event and for taking the warm up session. Joe and Anthony for general help and chatting to runners about how to do a barefoot marathon or ultra run. Brighton and Hove City Council, Argus, Brighton Active (Ash), Timewise for supplying the race clock. Lastly to my wife Lizzy for putting up with me over the last four months whilst I have over run the house with 5k flags, posters, arrows etc etc .
We arrived at Stanmer Park at 0600 and started to mark out the course. For your information, from now on when I say “wet” read as “cold, wet, muddy and cold”.

It took two and a bit hours in the “wet” to lay out the 5km race and 1km fun run. It was about 9am when Joe and Anthony turned up to help (and eat my breakfast). 9.30am the first of the runners started to arrive. Everything went according to plan and the 1km fun run got under way at 1030am. A lot of those that had entered the 5km decided to do the fun run as well, just to keep warm.

Ethan and Natalia from Vivobarefoot got everyone involved in keeping warm with a series of exercises and stretches. Joe and Anthony chatted with barefooters about marathons and assisted those that were not quite barefoot yet.

Did I mention it was wet?

The course – - – 1100am The 5km main event got under way. From the pavilion, up the field and back, repeating the 1km route and then off round the park. Runners followed the fence line of the park to the church, turned right and climbed the first of the hills. On meeting the fence line it was another right turn along the outside of the woods to the first gate. Through the gate and follow the obvious trail to the man-made pond at the far end of the wood. A U-turn round the pond and through the first really muddy bit. Along the back of the woods to another gate, it was like a swamp at this point. Diagonal left from here and in to the second wood. Emerging from the wood gave the runners a good view across the parkland, a right turn to circle around another wood and time to have a go at tackling a steep, “wet”, grassy downhill. A left at the bottom and the start of another big climb to the top of the park. After reaching the top of the hill the runners were able to see the finish and follow a downhill route, snaking its way across the field before coming to a “wet” finish line.

A map of the run can be seen here – http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/87655107/