Loughton Veterans Cross Country

I just bought a new camera, a Fuji X-Pro1. It's lovely, it really is, so I wanted to get out and shoot something this weekend. I've been running a lot recently too, and in researching running clubs, I discovered that there was an inter-club XC race taking place in Loughton.

Those were all the details I could find though - a time and a nearest tube station. After a bit of digging I discovered last year's race had been held in Roding Valley Meadows, which I googled and got a vague reference to a nature reserve. I rode my bike there in the hope that 60-odd runners would be pretty obvious.



After twenty minutes of riding around, I eventually discovered the race, albeit, the final half.

I got chatting briefly to one of the marshals who told me they don't need to say where it is because everyone who needs to know, knows. He wasn't being an arse, just stating a fact. It made me think how good cycling is nowadays, with one online events calendar (that I use at least, as I'm not bothered about TT's) that tells you exactly what's going on, when and where. When I first started road racing back in the mid-nineties, it was still in the predicament running is in now.

And for all that, I really fancy giving competitive running a go again. And I think the first thing to do will be to join a club so I can find out exactly what's going on.