Willow Miner Trail, 26th July 2023

On an overcast evening, myself and Chloe Glover went down to Durham to tackle the Willow Miner Trail, an annual race held by Elvet Striders.

Chloe picked a challenging one for her first outing in a Claremont vest. The 5.4 mile course is ‘undulating’ to say the least. Setting off up a straight road, the route quickly veers off into woodland, and the first of the steep up-and-downs follows shortly after.

The plethora of steep climbs aside, it’s a beautiful race, taking you through open fields and meadows, passing through a nature reserve, and providing stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Not to mention an encounter with the Willow Lady herself…

I would recommend this race to those not afraid of hills (and only £10 to enter!) The terrain felt like reasonable prep for the cross-country season, though apart from some patches in the woods, there was very little mud considering the recent incessant rain. However, in the video of the race, I did spot one runner slip and fall coming down a particularly steep bank…