Cannock Chase Trig Points Race 2022

January 16th 2021

16ish miles trail (self navigated)

I'd had my eye on this for a couple of years, but the 2020 version didn't go ahead. With this in mind, in January 2020 I decided to run my version of the route anyway and loved it, so I entered the 2021 race.

The trig point race involves participants going to all four trig points in Cannock Chase, in a specified order, then returning to Milford Common. I do like races with a bit of added interest, and prior to the race carefully plot my proposed route, accounting for distances, elevation profiles and the limited info I remembered about conditions underfoot (mainly, do not go *up* the old railway line).

A bright clear day greeted me, and I found myself on the start with a broad mix of club runners, mountain runners, and suburban inhabitants like me. We set off and I managed to stay out of the railway line on the way up, but immediately followed the masses off my proposed course. I followed them back onto my course, carrying on up to the first trig point. From here I stuck doggedly to my route, sweeping down to the valley and then all the way up to Castle Ring, the high point of the course and actually the most familiar area to me.

From Castle Ring I ran back downhill, getting a feel for the field in this out and back section, before turning left to head back through the forest. There seemed to be a lot of route diversity from this point, and there were a group of three man that a few times split from my route ahead of me, then popped back on just behind me! It later turned out these gents were local to myself, and clearly ran a very similar pace.

Once down in the valley, I soon climbed back up to the boulder area, one of my favourite parts of the chase. It's open and wild, set with heather, low gorse and grasses. The final trig point was somewhere on this plateau, from which I followed the old railway line back down to Milford, getting a bit of pace up in the last few miles as they were pleasingly largely downhill.

I made my sub 2hr target, which for 16 miles on pure trail I was pretty OK with. The field was diverse, with the top runners representing the UK in World Mountain Running competitions. Therefore I was OK with my gender position. Possibly I could have pushed harder earlier on, but it's early in the season. My route seemed reasonably efficient, but I'll be checking flybys to see where everyone else went!