STILL GOING STRONG: RACE THE TRAIN
Here’s the perfect challenge for runners looking to let off some steam
HOW DID IT START?
IN 1984, LOCAL DENTIST
Godfrey Worsley hatched the idea of a running event that challenged people to race against a steam train. Worsley organised Race The Train, with The Rotary Club of Tywyn – a coastal town in southern Snowdonia – which still organises the event today. The 14-mile race, which began with 46 runners, is now in its 37th edition and has seen over 1,000 runners from all around the world taking part.
WHAT IS IT LIKE?
KENNY BEGLEY, WHO FIRST
took part in the race in 1992, has fond memories of heading to Tywyn with his clubmates from Whitby Heath AC. He distinctly remembers the quirky prizes.
‘My friend won a trouser press one year!’ The course hasn’t really changed since. Runners are started by the Talyllyn Railway train whistle and follow the rail route from Tywyn to Abergynolwyn and back. It’s a tough, undulating, off-road course, which participants need to complete in around one hour 45 minutes to beat the train – only around 20% are successful.
WHO RUNS IT?
THE RACE ATTRACTS LOTS
of club runners, many of whom come back to race the train every year. Former international runners have taken part, too, such as ex-English cross-country champion Tara Krzywicki, who won the women’s race in 2008 in a time of 1:41:42. The same year, Gareth Raven of Sale Harriers ran an unbeaten course record of 1:18:15. ‘With experience, you learned how to run the race,’ explains Begley, who has run the race 10 times. ‘So, the first half you have to get yourself into a position because, when you turn, it’s single file. You’re on the side of a hill and it’s basically impossible to overtake.’
THREE REASONS TO RUN
• ITS UNIQUENESS. ‘Seeing the train at various points of the race and actually running alongside it is one of the best race experiences I’ve had,’ says Paul O’Mara of Tyne Bridge Harriers, who took part in 2018.
• GET YOUR FAMILY ON BOARD.
They can sit on the train and cheer you on (or jeer at you), making it a great family day out.
• THE ATMOSPHERE. ‘It’s amazing,’ says Alex Toll of Barrow Runners. ‘The train taunts runners with its whistle, and the evercheerful Rotary Club marshals are brilliant. I’ve completed this event for the last 14 years or so, so it must be good!’
WHAT’S NEW?
OVER THE YEARS, several races of shorter distances have been added to suit different abilities, including the 10K Quarry Challenge, which was introduced in 1995. This event also involves racing the train, but for a shorter distance, and it starts at an old slate quarry, with runners transported there by the race train itself (or, slightly less extravagantly, by coach, once train tickets have run out). There’s also a 3.5-mile race and a 5.5-mile race open to children from the age of 10, as well as a Toddler’s Trot.
WHAT THEY SAY
THE STALWART
‘As you get older, it gets a bit harder to beat the train! I think the best I’ve done is sub-1:30. The family thing was always the good part – and the camping. I remember there was a good ice cream place that you run past at the start and the finish. Everyone would go there. It was very family-oriented.’ – Kenny Begley
THE RACE DIRECTOR
‘What makes it special is that every part of the race is to do with you and a steam engine. I get the feeling (not that I’ve ever done it myself!) that it must be quite exciting. It’s the whole sense of: can I beat this thing? I can imagine that being a bit of an adrenaline rush.’ – Malcolm Austin
WHO KNEW?
THE CREATOR OF THOMAS
The Tank Engine, The Rev W Awdry, volunteered as a guard at the Talyllyn Railway after it opened as a preserved railway in 1951. Locomotive No 4 on the Talyllyn Railway was an inspiration for ‘Peter Sam’ in the series.
WAY BACK WHEN
1984 WAS WHEN…
UK miners went on strike for 12 months against the planned closure of 20 pits; Richard Branson formed Virgin Atlantic Airways; and Prince released the film and album Purple Rain.
Run it: Race The Train has been cancelled for the past two years due to Covid, but returns on 20 August 2022; racethetrain.com