After missing the last trail runs organized with Peckham Pacers during the winter, I was excited to hit the trails again. With the excuse that I'm going to a mountain event in June, I got myself a pair of Hoka Speedgoats 5, so this was the perfect opportunity to test them out. It's funny that a lot of us actually got them and used them for the first time this day; there was a whole discussion on sizing unleashed on the WhatsApp chat, and apparently, I was the only outlier who would have preferred a size lower.
No, Hoka didn’t sponsor this event, but we did get some snacks from Raise, which makes all-natural seed and oats clusters covered in chocolate. I don’t usually eat while running (apart from silly gels), but I surprisingly digested them quite well.
We left from Peckham Rye Station to catch the train to Dorking from Clapham Junction, which takes less than an hour. We met Sam and James there and dropped our stuff in their cars. Although it was slightly chilly at the beginning, the weather turned out pretty well. We split into two groups, 10k and 15k, aiming to gather at Denbie’s Vineyard at the end for lunch.
I joined the 15k group, camera in hand, and packed my snacks in Erin’s vest. The route began with a steep hill we walked up because there was no way to run that incline, no matter how good the Speedgoats were. The rest of the way was a succession of ups and downs, pushing the pace a little bit on the flatter sections, crossing tunnels of entangled trees, and rolling down the hills all the way to the vineyard.
We reunited in the backyard of the vineyard with the 10k group, as well as those who went for a walk around the area, to refuel with Britain’s favourite sandwich selection… and of course, some got to try the wine.
