The Forest Mile Challenge - Week 4

Week 4 of the Forest Mile Challenge begins on Monday 8st March and ends at 6pm on Sunday 14th March. (Last weeks results are at the foot of this post)

The Challenge is based on actual routes and distances in the Forest of Dean.  Most of them start and finish at Mallards Pike Lake. This week the distance is 10.12km (6.3m) with 95m (312ft) of elevation difference, with no net overall descent.

You do not need to pre enter, just run and submit your time. Do not feel obligated to run every week of this five week challenge, dip in and out as your other commitments allow.

This is the Strava segment that this weeks challenge is based on.  The current male record for this segment is 35 minutes 9 seconds.  The female record is 41:41.

Those lucky enough to live locally, should try to run the actual route.  The route starts just beyond Go Ape at Mallards Pike (FOD) where the sign showing all the running trails is. It is fully route marked, just make sure you follow the signage, rather than just using autopilot, as I have previously done.  The parking at Mallards Pike is metered, so I suggest parking at New Fancy or elsewhere and running in.  If you run the actual routes in the Forest and your Strava data does not match the segment data, no time or ascent penalties will be applied.

Those of you who are not local, need to choose your route in order to comply with the Covid restrictions applicable to where you live. Please see details of the Barnets Wood alternative route at the foot of this post. 

If you run your own route, time adjustments will be made to try and make your results comparable to those running the actual route at Mallards Pike.  

Only one result submission is allowed per person.

Road v fire trail

All of the Forest of Dean trail routes are on firm fire trails, if people choose to run on the road a 5% time penalty will be added.  The idea of this challenge is to encourage you to go off road.  

Ascent

If your run has too much ascent, then you will get a time bonus of 1.74 seconds per 3.048m (10ft) extra.  The ascent bonus will be limited to 60m total ascent. If too little ascent there will be a time penalty of 1.74 seconds per 3.048m (10ft). These Forest trails are all loops, so the elevation for your run at start and finish should be equal (elevation at finish must not be lower than elevation at start by more than 5 metres). 

Distance

There will be a time penalty if you do not run sufficient distance. Strava adjustments will be ignored.

Time submissions

I have created a Google form in order that people can submit their times.  This works in exactly the same way as you have been doing it for the Gwent Leisure Centre League events.

Here is the link to the Google form -  Submission form

I would also encourage you to post your time on the Facebook post in the same way you have done for previous Chepstow Harriers challenges.  This will therefore ensure that the social side of the challenges is maintained.

I hope you all enjoy this challenge and I look forward to seeing your results.

Barnets Wood alternative - Details provided by Bill Savage

off the B4235 Usk Road 

Markers used are Start Finish and Directional arrows

Forest Mile Challenge Barnets Wood 6.3mls-10.12km Week 4

For your enjoyment this week how about 6 laps of the the wood

To make things less taxing on the brain I have decided that we all start and finish at the same point i.e. the Barrier in Lower corner of carpark

I don't know why I'm being so kind perhaps it's a covid thing

Good luck all

The results from Week 3 were as follows: