On Sunday 19th February, three members of Newport & District Running Club took on the Rugeley 10 Mile race. This hilly but picturesque race takes in the area around Rugeley as well as some of Cannock Chase, and features almost 300 metres of elevation changes. 

Aaron Nicholas (left) and Ashley Moore (right) during the Rugeley 10 Mile race

Steve Cannon, Ashley Moore and Aaron Nicholas were the Novaportans who made the journey across Staffordshire, with Ashley noting that, despite reading the course on paper, he wasn’t quite prepared for what was to come! Aaron beat his time from last year by 18 seconds, finishing in 1 hour 19 minutes 42 seconds to take 109th position, whilst Ashley finished 57th overall in 1:11:04. Steve completed the race in 2:14:58, taking 287th place overall.

Ashley’s medal and beanie hat earned by completing the race

Ashley said after the race: “The 1.5-mile hill at mile 7.5 was a particular “highlight” and I was “bouncy power walking” by the end, after already running basically uphill for the last 7 miles! The mile-and-a-bit downhill to the finish was more than welcome come that point. It was nice to get a Beanie hat rather than a tshirt – more races should look at caps/hats as an alternative!”