Run Forrest race recap

So a couple of years ago I entered Run Forest - and the car broke down one the way.  Dodgy brakes and the drive down the Otways do not mix!  So we limped the car back home.   So this was my 'unfinished business' event.  No way was I going to get that big fat DNS next to my name again.

Mike was initially going to come but got boxed into doing something else here in town, so I went down solo, knowing I had a number of friends from our 12WBT Runners Connect group going to be there too, as well as some Aths Club members.    Forest is about an hour and a half drive away but in case there was fog I left early and of course no fog and I got down there waaaaay too early but I'd rather be there then than not.  Parking was around the town and being that Forrest so the early bird gets a good park.  I walked down to the race village with another lady and we chatted, her hubby was running the HM.  It was soooo cold.  I had my gloves and woolly beanie and long tights.

Got to the race village and people were milling around.  There was cruisy Jazz coming from loudspeakers in the trees.  A couple of fire pits burning, I got my bib and gravitated back to the fire.   Shorly after I met Annette from the group and embarrassingly I didn't recognize her, I saw this woman honing in on my fire spot and was ready to give her daggers! ha.

Soon enough my buddies Trina, Jane and Jacqui Veal were there, we took pics and started getting excited.  There was quite a buzz.  Mind you we weren't leaving our spot by the fire!!

The 5km kids took off, then 5km adults.  At 10am the 21km started. The race briefing warned us it was slippery and there were spots where there had been work happening on the trail where there was clay and they hinted we should stay high as it was mucky.  One look down at my feet and so glad I had these new trail shoes on.

10.30am approached for the 10km and I braved the cold and off came my jacket and beanie.  I was running in a tshirt, long tights and gloves (the gloves eventually came off and tucked into my belt). Trina, Jane, Jacqui and I milled about with the starting participants and then held hands jumping up and down excitedly.  This was going to be fun.  The air was so clear it was sweet and the scenery was beautiful in this area.

Just a tad excited!

Race started and soon enough there was a dirty big hill to scale.  Ouch.  Then we ran through such amazing bush.  Lots of damp leaves underfoot, undulating up and down, this wasn't too bad.  A lady in front of me took a spill and the runners around her made sure she was ok and we helped her up, she was all good.  So head down continued on.  We ran across a bridge, I guess it was like a damn or weir bridge, the view was amazing.  

Then back into the bush and lots of downhills I felt like I was flying.  It was awesome.  There was lots of strange orange mushrooms around, some as big as plates.  Then it got tricky, we hit the clay and mud and slip sliding, losing grip, but I didn't fall.  Lots of "whoops" and squeals were being called out as people almost came to grief, but the fast HM runners were catching us and they just barrelled through the clay using momentum.  It was hysterical, doing the clay slippy slidey dance, I had half the Otways mud on my runners.

At about 7.5km and you pass back by the race village and then do a big 2.5km loop out around the area and then back to the finishing area, down through the chute and I see Trina and Jax who were super faster than me, along the sides yelling out.  Finished and felt so alive, it was SO.MUCH.FUN!

No bling but we got a sticker!! I guess that was the 'race momento'.   Water, Gatorade, bananas and oranges at the end.  And quickly back went the beanie on the head.  Getting cold after the run and weather was no warmer.

Goodness when I looked at the GPS map afterwards we did do a lot of criss crossing, I had no idea.  

My official time was 1:22:29 

and I'm thrilled with that due to the slow muddy sections.

Quick goodbyes and Jane, Trina and I wandered back into town to the Otway Soup festival and market area.  Bought some goodies at the market, hamburgers for lunch as the soup line was too long and then Trina got to hold a flipping big snake and we heard her reach a top C when she screamed when the snake was getting friendly with her.  A woman of a thousand faces that's for sure!

Would recommend this event in a heartbeat.  Doesn't matter there's no bling, it was fun and there was such a buzz.  Awesome day!