Grizzly 2011 will be on Sunday 13th March with entries probably opening late September.
We are very grateful to all of the sponsors, landowners, marshals, other support crew and everyone else who contributed towards staging the event.
Sponsors: Saucony - Everys solicitors - Honeybuns - For Goodness Shakes - Frydays chippy - The Sweetshop, Axminster - Ironbridge Runner - James Pyne Photography - East Devon District Council - Seaton Tramway - RBS Scaffolding - The Grove Niteclub - The Sellicks, Branscombe Mouth - and possibly a few others I've forgotten about for which I apologise.
I've received many comments regarding the litter issue which I mentioned in my wrapup email, all decrying the offenders.
The Grizzly is featured in two articles in the anthology The Best of the Fells; there are also three other pieces by the LMRBean.
The official race photographer was James Pyne Photography (01395 442721) who aim to have pics on their website by Thursday evening. They are the only photo outfit who have donated thousands of pounds to the Grizzly charity pot.
Runners' photos and videos: Hardley Runners pics - Colchester Harriers video (Cub Run).
Here's the 2010 Grizzly poem Take Me - to "The Beauty and the Beach" written by the Celestial Dungbeetle.
Here's a profile of the route from Rambo's altimeter.
Once again, I failed to get my act together and the results are in a bit of mess. Hopefully all numbers are recorded in more or less the right order but there may be some synchronisation issues between number recorders and timers. Also, the Grizzly stopwatch stopped printing for some reason so we switched to using the Cub one with the 11:28 time difference applied but there could be some residual errors from that, particularly at the point of changeover (about 2:59 Cub time, 3:10 Grizzly time).
Synchronisation between timers and number recorders was purely by periodically checking that they had the same number of runners and adding or skipping a times from the stopwatch to match the number recorders' sheets. I've not included every runner's time in the results to save a lot of time and effort today (Monday) since we didn't get them all in yesterday but they're not really that important, are they?
Consideration for next year - chip timing at about £2 per runner (either with increased entry fee or we absorb and have less to give away) or don't even both to try recording all times and do what we've ended up doing this year ... any thoughts gratefully received.
Corrections to me (Garry Perratt) until mid-week after which I'm most unlikely to change anything.
I've just got home in Budleigh after doing a respectabe 3h 45m first Grizzly and I just had to say what a great experience it was. Your choice of marshalls was impeccable and each should be congratulated on their professionalism and relentless cheeriness. If it was possible to say thank you to all the lovely people that turned out to cheer us on I would, particularly the lady and her three daughters (possibly) at the top of some hill somewhere who just did not stop whooping and squealing as everyone went by, they were a real tonic. Superb organisation and a nice final touch with the colour of the t-shirt; I can just see all the tough guys in a quandry about wanting to wear their Grizzly t-shirt with pride but wincing about the colour!
I have been to about 15 or so Grizzlies with E and have never seen such a brilliant atmosphere. Yes I know the weather helps - and wasn't it superb?- but E and I have just been talking through the whole race and she said in all those years she had never seen such an amazing crowd of spectators round most of the course.
Just wanted to say what a brilliant day out I had, and I'm sure all the other St Austell runners felt the same. The race direction and marshalling were superb, as was support from members of the public. A challenging course and a race I won't forget! many many thanks, and keep up the good work!
Garry, thanks mate, cracking day , bloody good run, wot a day out!! Marshalls every where good o,l lot, all of them. Fancy the bit just beyond Beer was a bit tasty but it would,nt be the race we know & love without a sting somewhere. Could,nt fault anything you even booked the weather for us, but Jezus where did you find those ******* PINK!!! TEE shirts , I,ll have to wear mine behind locked doors in case anyone get,s the wrong idea.
Just wanted to say thank you so much for organising the Grizzly. My brother and I are admittedly hobbling, but it was more then worth it. We especially liked the quotes in the trees etc along the way. They either spurred you on or they gave you something else to think about apart from sore knees and wet feet!!! (nice touch with the pool at mile 6 by the way!) Please say thank you aswell, to the marshalls. They were so encouraging and helpful. There are 2 more brothers in this family whom, after hearing our story, are ready to sign up as soon as they hit 18!!!
a very enjoyable grizzly 21 years of running them and still getting a buzzz my number one race every year
Thanks all you guys for yet another fantastic Grizzly. We loved the initial loop round the fields of Beer (a reminder of Grizzlies of old) and the previously unvisited "flattest farm in Branscombe". You excelled - as usual.
Thanks especially to all the marshals who greeted the 1000th runner with as much enthusiasm as the first. It was a lot colder for them yesterday than for us running and I am truly grateful for their support and encouragement.
Just wanted to say that I ran the cub run yesterday and had a wonderful time. Really enjoyed it and thank you so much for organising such fantastic weather - we couldn't have asked for better. Please pass on my grateful thanks to all the marshalls - they did a great job and were always full of encouragement. Great event again - see you next year.
i just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone involved. it was my first time running it and i had read a few reviews that said it was not friendly. Well i found it one of the friendliest runs i have ever taken part in. The marshalls were more than fantasic (if that possible) although i did want to hit a few who kept telling me it was all down hill from here on and just round the corner ha ha. And the marshall at mile 3 who told us we had broken the back of it and nearly there.
Thank you Garry and your team for the most awesome Grizz. I had a fab day and felt priviledged to be part of such an event. We all wore our T. shirts to work and all my patients loved them!! Don't listen to those men ( who obviously aren't REAL MEN) if they're scared to wear pink!
Just a quick mail to say thank you for organising such a fantastic event. I ran my 2nd Grizzly on sunday and despite taking longer than last year and being overtaken by a Dalek shortly before the finish I loved every pain filled moment of it. ...and what a beautiful pink - I'll be wearing it with pride...
Just wanted to say thank you for yet another brilliant Grizzly. Really impressed by the organisation from you and your team, and also a huge thanks to all the Marshalls for their support throughout the day, they were great. Also so many people commented, me included, whilst facing yet another jaunt along the beach, and the vertical climb from beach to cliff top (well it felt like a vertical challenge), that this is one of the most friendliest runs out there, certainly helps to get you through it. And finally thanks to everyone who came out to support on the day, again, it really helps.
Just a quick thanks to you guys at AVH for organising another great Grizzly which was my 6th in a row. The marshalls were superb in their encouragement to us all and I now have my own pink T shirt to wear at ours works pink charity week end later in the year!
Thanks Garry - never done it before, but a fantastic race. Could have done without the cramp attack half way up the Stairway to Heaven!! Great marshals and a wonderful atmosphere - next year here I come.
Marshals were superb - where do you get them all from. Each and every one need to be applauded - even if they do tell lies...
Thanks for an excellent race yesterday. This is about my fourth Grizzly, but I found the course interesting, different and challenging - which is I think what you're trying to achieve by varying it each year, so congratulations on a job well done.
What can I say - many many thanks to you , your team and club for yet another excellent race! Superbly encouraging marshalls - sublime course - lovely T Shirts - lovely goodies at the finish. I would rate this as a World best and a must to do. Well done and huge thanks again to you all. See you next year--- please!! Regards from a very achy but happy runner
Thank you very much and everyone involved in the Grizzly 2010 organisation. I had the most fantastic time ! The marshalls without exception did a great job.
Thanks for a fantastic race Garry - you're probably sick of it all with so much to do but it was perfectly organised and the huge support was a massive help given the tough course - the last section on the shingle was a bit masochistic in my book but I've heard the winner ran through the waves - must remember to try that next year!
The atmosphere at Branscombe Mouth was brilliant - the drummers were so exciting and energetic that it almost took your mind off the fact that your feet were about to fall off from the freeeeezing river water!!
Thanks to all for an amazing day....absolutely incredible organisation. It was my first Grizzly and may I say it was a day full of the best value entertainment for only twenty three quid.....where else can you get that type of value?!
Thank you and all your helpers for yet another fantastic race. Please don't even make a joke about not organising it next year! The new course was great. Personally I thought the best yet - though I've never had any complaints before except perhaps too many boring lanes last year. Every one of the marshalls was absolutely incredible, cheerful and encouraging - each and every one deserves a medal.
I want to thank you, the AxeValleyRunners and all the volunteers, marshalls etc. for the wonderful experience of last Sunday. This was by far the most outstanding experience in running I've ever had, I hope you will not doubt to long so I can reserve March 13 2011 in my agenda and book for the race and the accomodation. Many thanks, take a good rest and find the courage for organising this unique run again, I really hope to join again, ... an exhausted runner from The Netherlands
I thanked you after the race but want to do so again, I'm still on a high from such a brilliant day. Huge leg cramps after the bogs but felt so good finishing the race. A truly stunning day - many many thanks to you and all the marshalls.
I simply wanted to say thank you for a fantastic race/run on Sunday. It was the 1st time I've done The Grizzly (and that distance). I was bullied into it by a friend whom I bullied into doing The Hellrunner! I know you didn't book the weather, but it couldn't have been better. The atmosphere, the scenery, everything about it was brilliant. I'm looking forward to making it an annual event. Thank you,
Many many thanks to everyone involved. It was my first time at the Grizzly (I did enter when that ship spoiled the party, and couldn't do the later run ) and the main thing that sticks in my mind is "so many memories". Most races have just one or two memorable events, if that, but not the Grizzly.....loads! All the marshals were so friendly, and I think I managed to thank everyone until my brain blurred near the finsh, so my sincere apologies to those marshals from me. Some of the advice from them however was a little bit suspect........... "no more hills" as we left Beer for the first time....... "no bogs this year" as we headed up towards Branscombe... and lots more comments from them kept us all amused. Being a Scot....hearing and then seeing the pipers....fantastic!
Just a note to thank you and your legion of marshals and supporters for organising an absolutely amazing event this year. In the words of my club mates I was a 'Grizzly Virgin', but there is no doubt in my mind that I'll be back.
Sorry to add to the email deluge but it has to be said - BRILLIANT! I tell every runner I meet to do your race. Marshalls - simply wonderful Music - tremendous Course - pleased to finish! Organisation - perfect Friendliness - uplifting, proud to be running Scenery - always wonderful - last Sunday was sublime I also found Seaton very welcoming to runners - welcome posters everywhere The massage after was the best value ever and allowed me to drive home :)
It was a super event. The marshals were fantastic. The support around the course was excellent. The bands, the monument, the weird place with a Buddha, incense and didgery doo, it was all amazing and an experience that cannot possibly be replicated in any other event. This event is so so special.
I must be one of the few runners who did not like the new route. Marshalls as usual were excellent,, but this was the first time I have had to walk more than run and I was disappointed.
I'd just like to say well done guys, yet another fantastic race. All six Trull Troggers loved the day out and yes the weather helped but it's still our favourite and hardest race of the year. One compliment of sorts "Last Sunday is the one and only day I'll ever wear a pink t shirt". The marshals and support were awesome, as far as I see it the facilities are spot on (pub and chippy by the finish) and the route is stunningly beautiful.
Thanks once again for a fantastically organised Grizzly - even though I was cursing you every time we began yet another climb! A lovely varied course, and I enjoyed the two bogs, plus the 'slurry' at the side of one field high up close to Beer! It would have been nice to go through the river again at Branscombe, if only to wash our legs a bit! I just wish my legs could have kept going from Branscombe onwards - but we don't have hills like that to train on in Essex! It's our club night tonight, and we have all pledged to turn up in the pub afterwards wearing the pink!
Thank you to you and the club for yet another amazing Grizzly... It was my third grizzly and is it me, or was that one of the toughest routes in recent years..? The general consensus amongst my running mates was that it was.. but still brilliant. Don't take any notice of those people not hardcore enough to wear a pink teeshirt - if they can complete the Grizzly, surely they can do anything... it beats the black and dull colours.. hints for future tee-shirt colours - soft peach, soft lime green... pastel shades show off a weathered complexion a treat! Thank you again to you, the marshalls, organisers and supporters for a very special event..
I know you will be receiving millions of e-mails and have enough to do, but I just wanted to send a quick note as one of your brilliant club members and marshals was a life saver on Sunday. I did speak to you at the end of the race and returned a pair of gloves generously loaned by Andy (Sayers - I think?). Where I had foolishly fallen head first into the second bog (the deep one!) and was wet literally from head to foot, my hands became so cold I couldn't move my fingers or feel anything in my hands, I first took off my wet gloves, then couldn't get them back on. On the steps at Beer, I asked Andy if he could help me put them on and he gave me his own gloves and also spent several minutes rubbing my hands to get the circulation going again! What a star! Please say a very special thank you to Andy as this got me the last couple of miles to the finish - you have no idea how much it helped!
I just wanted to send you a brief note to say how brilliant I thought the Cub Run was on the weekend. I have participated in a number of sporting events (running, in particular) and, without a shadow of a doubt, your run was the best organised and most enjoyable event in which I have entered. From the registration table (where I was able to pick up a new number without an inordinate wait or difficulty) to the person handing me my complimentary t-shirt, I was nothing but impressed. The course is challenging, but remarkably beautiful (and, trust me, it takes a lot for a New Zealander to compliment another country's coastline), it is well marked, the marshalls were extremely friendly and helpful, the announcer was engaging (and it was great to hear my name as I crossed the line), the goody pack at the end is something that other competitions could learn something from, and the massage was both ridiculously affordable and excellent. I couldn't have had a better experience and I hope to return to tackle your best cliffs in the coming years.
thanks again for my favourite race. I can't fault your event although there are lots of bits I moan about while I am on route but that is the nature of the Grizzly Beast and please don't change it. I was cream crackered at the end but still enjoyed it loads.
Just a huge thanks for the Race on Sunday, brilliantly done, an even bigger thankyou to the marshall's AND the tee-shirts were by far the BEST there's been. PINK is a definite GRIZZLY colour!!
The whole day was fantastic and I did try and smile and thank the marshalls on the way. Love the pink T shirt and look forward to another Grizzly.
See you guys next year and three cheers to the marshals who were simply wonderful!!
This was my first Grizzly and I loved it. From the amazing varied terrain, the course, the people (fellow runners and marshalls) to the sustenance at the end and the lovely pink T-shirts which I thought looked especially good on the men. I could do this race again in a month - do I really have to wait a whole year?
First and foremost I wanted to send a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU for your amazing efforts to get the Grizzly going every year. It is an amazing event and your organisation is quite astounding. The enormous number of marshals deserve a word of thanks too, though I'm not sure too many of them would pass a lie detector test with comments like 'almost there' (after about 3 miles!) and 'there's no bog on the route this year ... '. Hmm!
I would want to add my 100% support to your comments about the slobs who drop their gel packets around the course; I was really shocked by the selfishness of so many competitors and hope this didn't detract from the over-all success of the event for you.
Thank you and your team for an excellent event. It's the second time I've run it - definitely more hills this year, or maybe my mind has erased pain from last year and I've forgotten how hilly that one was - but I really enjoyed it. Despite the pain, I laughed, giggled and screamed my way through the bogs, laughed up the horrendous hill out of it, and was amused by my horrendously muddy legs for the rest of the way round! There is nothing quite like it.
Just to say we had a fantastic weekend. What an experience - it was unbelievably hard, but at the same time brilliant!! Definitely would like to do it again next year..............I think!!!! Marshalls were fabulous what a great bunch of people and the organisation also fab.
"No way, never!" was always my response when asked, by family and friends who run the Grizzly every year, if I would ever attempt it myself. However this year, for some unknown reason, I decided to give it a go and not only amazed myself by completing it, but also enjoying it! A great atmosphere, fantastic organisation, friendly & encouraging marshals, beautiful scenery and a great course (all this coming from a road runner who usually avoids mud & hills at all costs!). Thank you for all your effort in organising such a great race and for a very memorable day. Oh and I almost forgot, I loved all the signs dotted around the course - very inspirational and made me smile lots.
I must say again thankyou for organising such a great event. All the little things make such a difference, love the signs, the entertainment dotted around the course, the BRILLIANT Marshals can't thank them enough.
I didn't really train at all and after a horrendous morning baby wrangling started the run not having eaten nor having had time to get any food. At about the 15 mile point I noticed that I couldn't get my heart rate above 130 and was getting very cold - I've had proper hypothermia in the past and knew I was on the cusp of going down in a big way. I spoke with the marshal at the 16 mile point to see what the terrain was like for the last few miles and a couple of blokes (I think they were Australian) overheard and asked how I was getting on. I told them the above and before I could say anything else a friendly, "You need to get some food inside you mate" (bit stereotypical but that's what he said) came from one of them quickly followed by energy gel, flapjack and a huge unopened bag of jelly babies. They left me to it a short while later and I struggled over the last few miles and the finish line; the boost this food and their encouragement gave me was amazing.
The day worked really well for us too, with all of the volunteers enjoying themselves and keen to come back next year! As usual we had some new people who were full of praise for the runners and appreciated the "thank-yous" from them. I think that asking someone to spend the day standing out in the perishing cold handling cups of cold water won't appeal very much! However, asking them to lend a hand with the Grizzly seems to work, and everyone loves doing it.
The runners were all amazing, 90% of them thanked us all for helping and others even stopped for a chat, its amazing that they find time or even have the energy to thank us all its a credit to all running clubs. Well done to your committee for the superb organisation and another great day and we are looking forward to helping you again next year.