Last Wednesday evening, Jennie Waters and Rich Owen of Newport & District Running Club took part in the Batch Bash, a 5.3km evening fell race, which takes in nearly 400m of climbing around the foothills of the Long Mynd, to the northwest of the well-known hill summit. The race starts and finishes in Batch Valley near All Stretton, and the route takes runners on a brutal anti-clockwise route, which covers three separate climbing sections, and skirts around the outside of Church Stretton Golf Club.

Jennie Waters (#446) taking on the hills at the Batch Bash!

Jennie and Rich were part of a field of 138 runners who took on the challenge, and Rich finished 74th overall in a time of 37 minutes, 37 seconds. Jennie was pleased with her time of 51:21, which gave her a finishing position of 126th, and she said afterwards: “I eventually plucked up the courage to run one of the Shropshire Fell Running Summer Series races – the Batch Bash. I was very nervous, as I’m not known for my uphill running ability, and there were some pretty punchy climbs. I enjoyed the downhill sections and, much to my surprise, I wasn’t last!”