Near perfect conditions on an early sunday morning in Clayton (except for the wind) set the scene for this years Downland Running Festival - the 30mile ultra challenge and the 5 mile "sprint" of the Jack and Jill Challenge, organised by Haywards Heath Harriers.
Click here to go to the race website - results will be on here.
The first race off at 9am goes 15 miles along the southdowns way to the water tap at Itford farm. There you're allowed a drink before turning back into the headwind and returning back to go past ditchling beacon again before reaching the Jack and Jill Windmills and the clayton fields at the bottom in Clayton Village.
Click here for the wikipedia entry on the Clayton Windmills
After that, some two hours later at 11am the 5 mile Jack and Jill Challenge took off, a quick round the field and then up the hill, fetch a pail of water, along a bit, down the tank track, along underhill lane a bit more and then up Burnhouse Bostall and back in (with a cheeky little left loop to get the distance in) and down past the Windmills again into the field.
Anyway there's a few more pictures below this, and here's the link to the gallery:
http://gallery.sussexsportphotography.com/a.tlx?k=1lazenw
There's a video clip or two on youtube here of the ultra as people reached the Beacon for the first time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4da4wYvxCg
The early and later leader of the Downland Ultra 30 - and he did a few extra miles, despite having done it four times before.
yep that's JenJ in the distance heading up towards the Beacon for the first time.
The view back down to the carpark at the start of the 5 miler
James baker beat his time from last year by 30 seconds
Some people were quite happy about coming down the hill again...
http://gallery.sussexsportphotography.com/a.tlx?k=1lazenw
and Fetchies should search on "Fetch" to see the fetchpoint crew photos.
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