DUNERUNNER RACES PRESENTS...
THE NELSON KNEE-KNOBBLER 10K OFF ROAD...
The Nelson Knee-Nobbler is the first of its kind to be held in the beautiful village of Horsey on undisputedly one of the best parts of the Norfolk Coast, and will certainly be a challenge for both the primed Elite and casual jogger alike!
The run is to start and finish at The Nelson Head Pub in Horsey itself - If you’ve never been to the Nelson Head before then you’re missing a trick - It’s remote, has a roaring open fire most of the year around, has an amazing selection of beer & cider and the burgers are to die for! Just what you might be wanting after being Knobbled by Nelson!
The route as stated starts and finishes at The Nelson - the start will be right outside the pub where from the hoot of the horn, you’ll be off - firstly through the ‘Bubble Run’ and then past the Cheerleaders who will be there to make sure you have a smile on your face at the begin gin of your challenge!
The course then heads down the bridal path which is all reasonably flat but can be a bit loose - this is where the beautiful Horsey Dunes come into view, stretching as far as the eye can see and also this is where you’ll be heading soon! This carries on for around a mile before turning left an you’ll be running along the base of the dunes - still on the bridal path but potentially into the prevailing Northerly winds - Nice!
After a spell on this bridal path, a right turn indicates the point at which the Nelson will try to Knobble you - up into the dunes you go! You’ll zig-zag around the dunes, working your way up and past a WWII Pillbox and then up towards the top of the dunes - this is where you’ll catch your first glimpse of the sea and the amazing coastline. At this point you’ll be able to see as for as Gt Yarmouth to the right and Happisburgh (Hays-bro for you no Norfolk folk) to the left - Happisburgh is renowned for it’s serious lack of sea defences and it’s disappearing coastline - thankfully something we’re not affected with too much at Horsey. The Horsey dunes are a SSSI - Site of Special Scientific Interest and the area is renowned for it’s wildlife - including the famous Horsey Seals, Adders (watch out for the adders - hopefully they’ll be asleep by then), Marsh Harriers and a whole host of other beauties - all there to take your mind of what is coming next!
The next part of the race will be a bit of a love it or hate it section - nearly 2 miles of beach run! You’ll have the North Sea lapping at your feet to your left and is you stray too far up the beach, soft sand to zap your energy with every stride! The course will be marked with flags which you must run though in order to keep the straightest line possible. As you run along the beach you’ll no doubt be greeted by the Horsey Seals that live in a permanent colony at the at beach - we may even find ourselves running right through them depending on how rough the waters are (they come in for a rest when it’s rough) - If you do see a seal then make sure you talk to it (if you can between gasps of breath) - they love it! They might also follow you in the water - very inquisitive creatures!
After running through the "Valley of the Seals” you’ll again head up into the dunes for a little more undulating, energy zapping & leg stabbing (from the Marram grasses) fun before heading back down towards the bridal path and the right turn towards home!
The right turn indicates the way home and you’ll be greater here by the Cheerleaders again, cheering you on and taking your mind off the slog back to the finish - if you miss them, then you’ve gone seriously wrong!
The way back home is again along the bridal path and into the Northerly winds - in and out of loose sand and by now surly the legs will be feeling a little on the worn side!
A left turn heads you back up towards the finish (about a mile) and then back on to a small section of road up towards the pub and the finish line - where again out Cheerleaders will be cheering you over the finish line!
It’s here you can say you’ve well and truly been "Knobbled by Nelson” - Head into the pub and get ordering the amazing food that will be being prepared by the wonderfully accommodating owner John and his staff! (this will be chargeable) and have a good old chinwag with all the other Knobbled competitors!
We are super proud that the Nelson Knee-Knobbler is being sponsored by our amazing friends at TORQ Fitness and they will be donating TORQ product to each participant and will also be donating prizes to the 1,2 & 3rd Male & Female home. They will also have a pop-up shop there on the day and will be offering the full TORQ range of products at special event pricing!
Please check them out for more information on thier amazing range of nutrition porducts - especially the Rhubarb & Custard Gels - they are an essential piece of Knee-Knobbler Kit! www.torqfitness.co.uk
In addition to the event - The Village of Horsey currently dosn't have a village sign and they would really really like one! They will be fundrasing on the day on order to get kick-started with this project and they would be happy to recieve any donations either before, during or after the event - please consider a couple of ££ for this when entering the race - thank you!
Now for the boring bits:
- Registration is from 09:00 on Sunday 12th October – there will be coffee and bacon rolls available (maybe not a good idea before a race) but excellent for all spectators!
- There will be plenty of parking on site at the Nelson – Postcode is NR29 4AD
- Compulsory race briefing at 11:15 – all competitors must attend this
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