Another trip to the Lake District, but this time the running shoes are coming with me.
The Grasmere Wild Trail Runs have been on my radar as exactly the sort of event that fits into the Tough Smudge journey. It isn’t an obstacle race and it isn’t about chasing a flat-road 10K time. This is about getting more experience running properly off-road, dealing with hills, changing surfaces and the sort of terrain that makes ten kilometres feel very different from ten kilometres on tarmac.
The route starts in Grasmere and takes in Grasmere Water, Rydal Water and Rydal Caves, surrounded by some of the best scenery the Lake District has to offer. The organisers describe the 10K as one of their most popular races, and it is apparently regularly described by runners as one of the most beautiful 10K routes in the UK.
There is a new Half Marathon option for 2027 and, initially, I was tempted by that. I thought there was a time restriction which helped steer me towards the 10K, although having looked again I can’t actually find a published cut-off.
Either way, I think the 10K is probably the better choice.
The aim of this journey isn’t simply to enter the longest distance available at every event. I need to become a stronger runner, particularly on trails, climbs and technical ground. A hard 10K in the Lake District gives me a chance to work on exactly that without every weekend becoming another long-distance endurance effort.
There will be plenty of opportunities for longer distances as the training develops towards World’s Toughest Mudder. This one can be about running the terrain well, building confidence on the trails and hopefully beginning to see some improvement in pace and strength.
And if you’re going to spend a Saturday morning running up hills, there are probably worse places to do it than Grasmere.
Another 10K. Another different challenge. Another piece of the bigger picture.
Endure. Overcome. Make it count.