The Off-Road Race Series got off to a cracking start with a record 850 participants braving the damp conditions to take on WildMan, the first in a 3 series line up.

Mud, puddles, woodland terrain and even rain is all a part of the fun for these hardy athletes and the various routes on offer in the grounds of the MOD at Ash Ranges didn’t disappoint. There were three disciplines to choose from, the 10km run, 15km run or the duathlon consisting of a 10km run, 18km bike and 5km run. You could also opt to run either distance with your dog, which at times became an interesting battle of who was walking who.

The first to set off was none other than the Human Race crocodile who was given a 3 minute head start on the rest of the 10km field with the pack aiming to catch up and overtake in order to claim a sweet treat at the finish! The regular trail running athletes, among the 150 taking part, shot off in hot pursuit of the croc’s tail and disappeared into the woodland. The challenging and winding course proved no match for Martin Senior who flew round the course in 45:21, bagging himself some CEP compression socks and a Lifeventure thermal flask. Ricky Foster and Rob Reynolds were 2nd and 3rd respectively in impressive times of 47:45 and 49:00. Kudos also goes out to Chris Lynn who was the fastest dog runner over the 10km distance, dragging his canine friend round in 51:07.

The first 10km lady home was Elizabeth Coz, who stormed round two minutes faster than her nearest rival, returning in 50:23. Sarah Broome-Smith not only finished second in a time of 52:02, but she also took on the challenge of running with her dog, a very impressive achievement for them both! Third place went to Kathy Giddings in a time of 55:01.

Once the 10km athletes had finished churning up the course it was time for the 15km race. Graham Smith made light work of the hilly, slippery trail finishing in a time of 1:04:32. Not too far behind wasDonald Campbell in a time of 1:05:39 with 3rd place going to Thomas Astley in 1:06:55.

The female race was won by Gemma Farrell in 1:14:46. With only seconds between them was Eva Auand Hazel Blythe who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in times of 1:16:09 and 1:16:52.

The final event of the day was the grueling and boggy duathlon. The heavy rain made the conditions even tougher but this didn’t dampen the spirit of these duathletes as they sped off for the first 10km run with grit and determination. Most athletes were unrecognisable by the time they pulled into T2 with their bodies and faces covered in mud splatter! Dafydd Hollis was the first back to the event village, even beating the relay teams in a time of 2:00:58. Callum Hughes turn of pace on the runs secured him 2nd place in a time of 2:03:19 and despite Roger Fowkes impressive bike leg which was a minute faster than the winner, he had to settle for a respectful 3rd in a time of 2:03:47.

The women’s event saw a new winner for the first time in 3 years, with Fay Cripps taking the crown in a time of 2:13:37 beating her nearest competitor by a whooping 6mins and finishing ahead of the first relay team. Second place went to the 2013 and 2014 winner, Sam Aplin, in a time of 2:19:54. We thought Sam had mistaken this event for one of our triathlons when she took an unexpected (for her and us) swim in the infamous giant puddle!! Third place went toBecky Hoare, who also finished 3rd in 2014, in a time of 2:26:48 which is two minutes faster than her time last year, congratulations. All of today’s duathletes were deservedly rewarded with a treat from PowerBar.

were there to catch all the muddy action today and WildMan are providing every participant with a free photo from the event! Post you picture on social media with #YouVsNature to be in with a chance to win free entry to another Human Race event.

Loved WildMan? Then why not join us in February and March for the next installments of the 2014/15 Off-Road Series with IceMan and MudMan.