My second trail race - The Maverick Adidas Terrex X Series Chilterns 2023

On Saturday 15th July I took on my second trail race. My first was earlier this year courtesy of Maverick West Sussex. I was joined by my good friend Carla running her first with Maverick. It was one hell of an adventure for us so you must read on to find out more ⬇️

Here is some info on what was on offer

With four routes on offer there was something for everyone which was great. I signed up to the middle distance 21km. Didn't take me long to register after my first race which I absolutely loved. An Ultra is definitely on my list so watch this space.

If you know about elevation gains then this will interest you as still means nothing to me lol.

The day before

Talking to Carla the topic of weather was of course mentioned as she kindly shared with me 🌧️

Then the question of whether to wear shorts came up which I said I would as although it would be raining, it wouldn't be cold.

There were train strikes on Saturday so I am glad I didn't have that headache as Carla thankfully was driving there and I could join her.

Race day - the journey there

I woke up at 5:15am a nice early start always with these epic days. I was out of the door just before 6am, the adventure begins 😊

 

It took me a bus, train and tube to meet Carla in Shepherd's Bush for 7:30am. It would take us an hour to get to Wendover, let the mini road trip begin whoop whoop

The sun was out for us on the drive there so I was starting to regret not bringing my shades 😎 I should really be prepared for all conditions right. Lesson learnt for next time.

We arrived at Wendover around 8:45am, now to find a car park that wasn't full. It was great to see my friend Frank volunteering at one of the car parks which was full and so he told us to go the one near the Wendover train station.

We parked there, then Carla needed about 5mins to sort out everything she would need that was in her car hehe. Off we went to the race which would be a 15mins walk.

Just outside Wendover train station we saw some friendly faces from the Adidas Runners London community who had all just arrived. Great to see Andrew Amon, Andrew Clark, Jon Woo, Chris Chan and Paul Neve. Yes I was jealous Andrew Clark had his cool shades on lol.

I was excited for my friends as they were experiencing their first Maverick race. I didn't look into any detail around what was on offer in this race as I just wanted it to be a surprise. It's something I tend to do with most races I enter. 

Race day - event village

We arrived at the village and I could see plenty of runners from the Adidas Runners London community.

The medals were there ready for the taking

I collected my bib, got myself ready in race mode then came what we all knew was coming. Yep, heavy rain. I put on my New Balance rain coat and was still smiling.

As for Carla well you can see how she felt

We headed over to shoe trial to try my luck and happy I found my size in the Adidas Terrex Speed Flow trail running shoes. They felt so comfy with good support ✅

Race day - off we go on an adventure

Let the fun begin

Love running through a forest.

I was even flying hehe

Check out the beautiful views

What a lovely surprise to see my bro Prithvi from the Runderbolts #496 family volunteering 😊

Great to also see my bro Ayo, Adidas Runners London Captain 😊

My face says it all. We saw this emotion if you remember at my first Maverick race ahead of the mud bath hehe.

Navigating the slippery downhill

These signs kept us on the right path always 👍

We were absolutely loving it

Half way point where I was greeted by the one and only Samy 😊 we refuelled with some tenzing and biscuits. What an energy boost that gave us to finish this run.

Finish line photos

Results 

My favourite photos

Carla shares her thoughts of her first Maverick Race

My first proper experience of trail running and it definitely did not disappoint. I think it’s safe to say Mother Nature was out in full swing on the day. And although it felt like we were running through tornados and mud baths at times, my dear friend Hasan kept the energy & fun going and I wouldn’t have changed a thing about the whole day. 

The weather actually helped us both challenge our inner strengths as we both dug deep to get through it together. Both myself and Hasan had a really crappy week that week, so coming away from our hectic London lives, combining the love we have for nature and running, maverick you have definitely opened up my soul to trail running! A beautiful route, amazing friendly volunteers and lots of our fellow runners in the community. Thanks Hasan for letting me share this experience with you…. I left the event village feeling wholesome :-) 

I can’t wait to do it all again in September!

Next race

The Maverick Adidas Terrex Original Kent on 16th September 2023.

Final words

If you haven't experienced a trail run then you must. It was such an amazing adventure with my friend Carla. Running amongst nature offers you something different from road running so definitely give it a go as you might be hooked like I am now.

I live for the experiences 😊