At the weekend I ran the inaugural 1066 Race. This follows the 1066 Harold’s Way – the route King Harold and his army took as they marched from London to meet the Norman invaders.
We started at 9am in Barnes and ran along the Thames to Dartford before heading to Rochester then to Maidstone via the North Downs Way.
After Maidstone the route headed south on some rather overgrown trails (I doubt they’ve been used since Harold passed) to the finish at Battle Abbey.
I managed to get lost overnight and then when I found the right path, compounded the error by heading north for a couple of miles until I met a runner heading towards me. My 110 mile run took 25 hrs 18 mins and I was the 6th finisher.
I’ve not seen so many nettles, brambles and thistles since Derek’s Hastings to Tunbridge Wells route. There may have been more on this route but it was dark and raining so I’m not sure.
Simon Margot won in 22:14
No one else managed to break 24hrs!
David Barker