Race Review - Mayhill Massacre 01/02/2025

The excitement was building—I was about to run my first race of the year! It had been a while since I last raced—November, to be exact—and even longer since I last raced in the UK, all the way back in July. After five summer races in a row, including two abroad, the British winter was definitely going to be a shock to the system.

This time, I was taking on the Mayhill Massacre. The name sounds terrifying, but in reality, it was a fairly tame 8-mile hilly loop—at least compared to my last race, which involved running up Table Mountain in South Africa. I chose this one because it was a smaller trail race, the perfect way to ease back into racing (and the pre-race anxiety) before the London Marathon. I actually found it through a great website called Runfinder, which I highly recommend for anyone in Bristol, the South West, or South Wales—it’s got a solid list of races in the area.

Now, let’s talk about mud. The race website promised it, past runners warned me about it, and even the race director told us in the briefing to double-knot our laces because of it. And wow… they were not exaggerating. I haven’t seen mud like that since my rugby days. At one point, I even got stuck and lost my shoe completely! On the bright side, that’s a solid excuse to buy a new pair of trail shoes (never a bad thing). My current ones, despite having decent lugs, just couldn’t get a proper grip.

The course started with the biggest climb, which I actually prefer—I’d rather tackle the hardest part while I’m still fresh and get it out of the way early. After that, it settled into an undulating route. Mayhill is known for its stunning views, but unfortunately, the overcast weather meant we didn’t see much from the top.

One of the things I love about smaller races is the atmosphere. There’s something special about being surrounded by people who are just there for the pure love of the sport. I ended up chatting with someone mid-race, which was a nice reminder of how much I enjoy these events. The medal was unique (sticking with the whole “massacre” theme), the course was a great challenge, and most importantly—I finished uninjured.

Now, it’s back to marathon training before my next race in two weeks: the Ridgerunners Caerphilly Trails 10K. Let’s go again!