Dan Williams was back to take on the Cider Frolic for the second year in a row. Having won the event last year he decided to take it a bit less seriously this time around.
Starting at an early bird 8am Dan set off for the first lap with pal Stacey in fancy dress.
“The bunny ears kept falling off haha… they got ditched after the first lap”
Set in the grounds of Cranbourne Chase Cider near Wimbourne, this endurance event is a course of 3.9 miles to be run again and again over and over for 12 hours. Not hilly but not flat either, the undulating loop was tough underfoot. Rutty and rock hard in places, scratchy thigh high crops and matted thick dry grass to negotiate.
Halfway on each lap was the welcome sight of the infamous White Star Lovestation . Banging out some disco tunes accompanied by sangria, cider and the usual array of coke, water and munchies. There was an ice cold sponge station also located there, an essential part of surviving the heat as morning turned into midday and a humid afternoon.
Dan kept Stacey company for a huge 33 miles, but she started to suffer tummy cramps so Dan went on ahead.
“Mile 34 and 35 were my fastest of the competition” he tells me “I knew I was in 7th place so I thought I’d try and make an indentation on that”
3 hours he continued on for… working his way through the field into 2nd place. Could history repeat itself? Yes it could! But not in the way that Dan would have liked.
The blow up he suffered last year on lap 15 (mile 54) happened like clockwork and he decided to call it a day. He made it to the end of the lap and retired. 56.5 miles behind him in 10 hours and 27 minutes. Giving him a final position of 4th overall and 3rd Male.
That wasn’t the only prize Dan found himself with however. He was awarded White Star Runnings annual Tough Udder Award. Given to only one individual each year for their outstanding mental and physical toughness.
