On Easter Sunday I raced the Hanham Horror, a 9k multi-terrain race, organised by Bitton Road Runners. It takes place through woodland tracks and towpaths along the river Avon. To keep things interesting it also features over 100 steps and a rope climb towards the finish! Kinisi Run Hub were proud to be supporting the event and were there with a pop-up shop and VJ trail shoe demo. We were also able to debut our brand new gazebo!
The race HQ is outside the Hanham Athletic FC club house where registration and number collection were. We were also based here with our pop-up shop and joined forces with VJ to deliver a demo event for the VJ Ultra 3 and VJ Max X2 trail shoes which runners were allowed to race in and test out the shoes! This was well received with much positive feedback for the shoes. I raced in the VJ Max X2 which was the first time I have tried the shoes and thought they were great!
The start was on the other side of the football fields in the country park. It was a nice wide start with plenty of space for everyone and we got away with no issues. The first section of the race was actually on some roads behind the football club but this is only a short stretch before we were back onto trails. The first mile loops around a section round Conham and back past the start before weaving through woodland. This is where the 100+ steps were and these really make your legs burn! Then we dropped down to the river Avon and had a really nice run along the towpath before veering off back into the trees and making our way back to the start.
Not far from the finish is the iconic rope climb which was tough! It is only about 25m but very steep and the ropes are definitely needed. Over the top of the climb and then it is back to the football fields and to the finish by the race HQ. Unfortunately I took a wrong turn after the rope climb and ended up leaving the course. I soon realised I must have gone wrong as there were no marshals or arrows anywhere. I back tracked and eventually found my way back to the course but ended up adding quite a bit more distance onto my run (it should have been a 9k route but I ran over 9.5k). I had been leading the race by a fair distance but this mistake resulted in me finishing in second. But these things happen and it was an enjoyable race!
After my navigation error, Chris McMillan (Weston AC) came through to take the win in 34:53 followed by myself in 35:57 and Rhys Goddard (Vegan Runners) in 36:20. The women's race was won by Niki Morgan (Chepstow Harriers) in 45:30 with Sarah Heath (Spirit of Monmouth) second in 47:38 and Rachel Wren (Unattached) third in 51:09. In total there were 167 finishers. Full results of the Hanham Horror 2026 here.
Well done to everyone who raced and thank you Bitton Road Runners for hosting a great event!