click the photos to see a larger image

once they'd completed a lap and a quarter of the sports field, the runners headed down through the mud before, inevitably, starting to climb the first slope of the day . .

and as I trudged after them, I was rewarded with views both of the distant matchstick runners, and the hills, forest, and wildlife that the runners were encountering . . the views are further down the page . .

a few shots here of the leading runners whizzing by . .

below on the left is the battle for 1st and 2nd, whilst on the right are the 3rd and 4th placed men . .

the 1st lady to come by on the left, and the 2nd lady is in the group on the right . .

and when it got to about 12.30 I picked myself up and set off back towards Anstey, taking photos of the remaining runners as they overtook me . .

below are some of the photos that don't really fit in elsewhere . .