This Saturday I’m racing a 90-year-old steam engine.
But don’t be fooled by its advancing years: this thing can shift.
It covers 14 miles of hilly Welsh countryside in approximately 1hr 48 minutes – a time that only 10 per cent of the two-legged participants can better.
Race the Train has become something of a cult event among the running community. Now in its 31st year, the event attracts more than 1000 runners to the tiny town of Twywn.
The race starts at the Talyllyn Railway, before heading into the famous Welsh hills. Spectators can book their seat on the train, allowing them the opportunity to shower the runners with praise/abuse as they hurtle by.
By all accounts, the first half of the course is the easy bit. Any runner looking to beat the steam engine needs to be significantly ahead of it by the seven-mile mark. The second half is a different proposition all together: vertiginous ups, treacherous downs and the constant fear of being overtaken by your steam-spouting opponent.
As a fairly decent runner, I apparently have a chance of beating the train. The general consensus is that you need to be a 1hr 25mins half marathon runner to emerge victorious, which means I should beat it by a couple of minutes.
Of course, that’s easier said than done…
