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Horseplay at Hambleden

Rob Howard / 29.03.2010

The southern cousin of The Mighty Deerstalker was held for the first time last weekend, when Hambleden Horseplay galloped onto the UK race scene to make it’s mark. The venue was in the Hambleden Estate, which is by the Thames near Henley, using a large field which is a major cross-country and eventing equestrian venue. The jumps and trails in the field and in the surrounding woodlands were to set the challenge for the two races, run at 5K and 10k distances on a similar format to Deerstalker. The 5K race was run in daylight and tougher 10k course began at dusk and ran into the dark.

Also similar was the fancy dress of the racers, who embraced the Horseplay theme enthusiastically. There were the expected horse riding helmets, whips and jodhpurs, but also lots of fox costumes, some complete suits and others just ears and tails, plus a strange mix of dress which had nothing to do with horseplay, including braveheart warriors, chill peppers and a platoon of beefeaters in full regalia! A good number of those in horse riding gear were local horse owners and farmers who were not so much in fancy dress as in their working clothes!

This amazing assortment of racers followed courses which wound through the surrounding woods and ridges, crossing jumps, wading through ponds and struggling with dense undergrowth and muddy conditions. Course Planner Gary Tompsett, who had the atmosphere at the finish hyped with a virtuoso MC performance, described the course as “combat running in places”. Commenting on the costumes he said, “People really got it and I’m sure the event will grow quickly. There were even some elite costumes which looked good but still allowed for fast running. However, when I cleared the course I did find quite a bit of snagged clothing, including some ears and tails!”

Despite the difficulty of the course there were some elite runners taking part and impressively fast winning times. The first finisher in the 5K took just 25 minutes 28 seconds, while the 10K winner, Andy Norman (Ron Hill) took only 49 minutes 53 seconds. Other notable performances came from Andy Spink, who ran both races (the second as Batman), the runner who finished having lost both shoes, and partially sighted runner Alex Tansley-Stitt, who raced attached to his running buddy, Mark Fellows.

The full results are on the race website at www.horseplay10k.com and the same venue will be used for the new one day AR series, the Greenbelters, later in the year.

You can see all the event photos in our photosales section