Review by Steve Bugden, Springfield Striders Running Club
This is the Springfield Striders famous 5 mile road race that takes place the last Friday evening in June. It starts off like a cavalry charge down Pleshey High Street as the hill means you can't run any other way than flat out! This also means by the end of the race you're begging for the end because as you'd expect, that's uphill. It finishes on the grass behind the village hall. After the downhill start it flattens out and its basically 2 laps of a country lane loop. The roads aren't closed but the local residents are smart enough only to drive anywhere that evening unless its really necessary. Parking is behind the village hall on the football pitch and there's a BBQ afterwards as the entry fee includes a beef burger or the vegan equivalent. There's also a bar with cold bottled beers and soft drinks available. I'm a Strider myself so slightly biased but the great thing about this race is you can ruck up, run it 'eyeball's out' and trust me, you'll forget about the week at work you've just had. And lastly a big thank you to Peter Chubb who organised this race.