On Sunday 12th February, Alex Cochrane of Newport & District Running Club took on the Cannock Chase 10 Miler, a tough and extremely hilly 2-lap trail race that takes place annually on Cannock Chase. Also on offer was a 5-mile race, taking in one lap, which had more entries, but Alex took on the tougher 10-mile challenge.

Each lap starts and finishes at the campsite at Tackeroo, with runners heading north initially, taking in the trails around Pepper Slade and Cherry Tree Slade, before looping back past Strawberry Hill and Abraham’s Valley back to the start point via yet another hill, from where the 10-mile entrants complete a second lap.

Conditions were good for running on the day – luckily, the recent dry weather meant it wasn’t bad underfoot considering the time of year. Alex ran well to stop the clock at 1 hour, 23 minutes 43 seconds, which meant he finished 34th overall, and he was also the first finisher in the junior male category.