The Dark Dart Dash
From wild night swim to a wild night run
A couple of years ago, I was enjoying the buzz of the Christmas market in the Barrel House, on the Winter’s Solstice, sharing mulled wine with friends, when some loose lips, went and dropped the challenge ‘lets go for a swim’.
The idea had been planted and there was no escaping it. The alcohol had done its job and soon we were trapesing through the back of Schumacher College and slaloming past the redwoods until we reached the frozen river separating North Woods from Staverton. Jess broke the ice with her toes but Mariana was the first to go in. Outside it was probably minus four. Needless to say, we didn’t last long, but it was an invigorating way to welcome in the official shortest day.
I thought it would be a wonderful thing, to invite a load of spunky folk, to come forth from hibernation and enter the woods en mass. I already knew from the Wild Night Run , which we staged last March, that there is a kind of dormant enthusiasm for nocturnal movement en mass. Once Schumacher had kindly agreed to let us use their old craft centre and parking facilities and John Channon on the estate, welcomed our access to the woods, the invites could be issued.
So ‘let’s go for a night run!’, a winter solstice shakedown in Dartington woods in Wild Running’s first Christmas Dark Dart Dash on Thursday December 19th.
It’s 10km off road, through the dark woods so you’ll need a head torch and for those of you who need some added incentive, we can provide timing by Racesplitter. If you’re not sure you’ll last the distance, well there’s only one way to find out! You can walk if you really need to, we won’t tell.
Prizes will be awarded in the time honoured fashion, to top finishers but fancy dress is welcome of course. So come trussed up as a turkey, or a brussel sprout, or mistletoe if you’re feeling frisky. There’ll be a prize for best fancy dress.
You can warm your cockles afterwards with a mulled wine (included in the entry), in the Old Craft Ed Centre behind Schumacher College and Hannah and Sima from The Kitchen Table, will be there to sell their delicious wares.
Registration is from 6.15pm at the Old Craft Ed Centre. Entry is £8 for affiliated club entrants and £9 for unaffiliated entrants. Parking is free and there’s space for around 50 cars but we’d like to encourage lift shares, or even to come by bike (or sleigh).
Book now to guarentee your place at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dark-dart-dash-tickets-7803633879?ref=ebtnebtckt