Right Time, Wrong Speed

The title eludes to Radio One dj John Peel who more than anyone apart from Michael Eavis, epitomises the spirit of the World famous Glastonbury Festival. Peelie would champion music from all over the world and from all genres. The gentle pre T.Rex Perfumed Garden poetry of Marc Bolan and lyrics from early David Bowie, through the prog rock of Yes, Genesis and Jethro Tull, early punk Clash, Ramones and Television, new wave Undertones, Joy Division, Gang of Four, The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen and Cocteau Twins, and through to world music like Misty in Roots, Four Brothers, German industrialist band X Mal Deutschland and his favourites The Fall and finally White Stripes before his untimely death. John Peel represents a Who’s Who of the coolest music covering over forty years of his residency of the 10-midnight slot. I remember the story of my brother-in-law cycling from Blackwood, Gwent (home town of the Manic Street Preachers) to Shepton Mallet for the first Bath and Wells Folk and Blues Festival, the precursor of the Glastonbury Festival in 1970.

When entries were announced for the Glastonbury Festival 10km I was as keen as a vegan in a lettuce field to bag a place. Running and British/World musical history beckoned as I would never have a chance of going to the festival for real. This wasn’t just merely a race but a chance to be in an arena where most of the giants of music of 50 years held court. Places went quickly but not in 34 minutes like the music festival. Maybe your stereotypical rock/indie/world music fan isn’t that hot about running a 10km on a Sunday morning in October.

During the week leading up to the race I was struck down by some stomach bug or my bowel condition thing. I was off work and bed bound, well mostly. My only companion being Radio 5 Live’s excellent Brexit coverage, although that was getting tedious nearly three and a half years tedious. By Thursday evening I was climbing up walls. As I hadn’t eaten all day and spent most of it on the kharzi, I thought I’d go for a run. Only 5km, what’s the worst that can happen. Luckily, nothing.

Race day came and Madame Pompomadour and myself travelled to Worthy Farm with Jonathan Williams. Jon had been suffering badly with a heavy cold so it was great to see him turn out in his new birthday trail shoes. I hate to get new shoes dirty so quickly and unfortunately on muddy trails there’s no choice.

Registration was chaotic. The organisers seemed to have a good system but was implemented very poorly and added with the usual lack of ladies powder rooms, anxiety levels were naturally high. Jonathan’s week was to get worse as the tee shirt he ordered had not been allocated resulting in a jog of shame on Tee Shirt Tuesday, our club run after a race. Added to that the 2km race was delayed 30 minutes to allow race starter, Michael Eavis, to finish his boiled egg and soldiers. Incidentally, Harriet Hobbs finished as first female.

The race briefing was detailed, too detailed. Even the most inexperienced runner must have realised it was going to be a) muddy, b) hilly, and c) slippery under foot but it didn’t stop the Race Director from informing us of every step. Eventually, Michael Eavis gave the old ‘ave yer got yer festival tickets’ and ‘ready, steady, go’. Inside the first kilometre, and as we entered the field of the iconic Pyramid Stage, runners had already started to lose their shoes in the mud before sweeping around and into the first climb up into the woods.

The course follows a sort of figure 8 with lots of climbs, descents, mud, rocks, and twists and turns. I didn’t run at my best. I was still feeling the effects of my upset stomach and found the race a struggle. The final kilometre has a fierce uphill, left turn and down to the finish and I couldn’t quite catch Mark Benton, who was just in front. The scenery around was relaxing but with roads criss crossing on the course I always had the feeling of running on an enclosed environment such as a country park or working farm, which it is, but not the overall pleasure of a National Trust estate.

Phil Hobbs was first Harrier back followed by Stuart Anderson, and revitalised Tracy Thomas. I was the thorn between the great runs of Mark Kiwi Benton and Big Dave Darling. Lisa Pringle, Andrea Tarczali, Helen James and Jeannine Darling continued to run well after their recent half marathons. But it’s always special when the Benton quartet turn up. A lovelier family I’ve yet to meet.

Final conclusions. I had been looking forward to this race for so long that it couldn’t possibly live up to my expectations but it was a delight. I felt privileged to run where the giants of music had played for decades and it perfectly married my two favourite obsessions, running and music. In a spiritual way, I wondered how the countryside would have reacted to 49 years of all that festival commotion and how popular culture had changed since the first Pop, Folk and Blues Festival 1970. The Festival 10km is a quaint, local race that raises funds for local concerns and I like that and fits well with the Glastonbury ethos.