The 2006 Grizzly.
The 2005 Grizzly Photo Gallery.
The 2007 Grizzly Photo Gallery.
The 2008 Grizzly Photo Gallery.
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Rain and an easterly gale
Getting ready
Warming Up
Moving towards the start
Getting ready
Steady rain and freezing wind
2 minutes to go
1 minute to go
Barriers taken away
Countdown starts
10 seconds
8 seconds
5 seconds
3 seconds
Go
Streaming past
2000 runners
Through Fisherman's Gap
Onto the shingle
Down to the Harbour
Already the runners
are starting to
spread out
and it's still raining
and its cold
Vito Graffagnino leads
The first runners
back along the Esplanade
past Fisherman's Gap
Up Castle Hill
2000 Runners
1000 spectators
18.5 miles to go
It takes minutes
for all the runners
to pass by
on up the first hill
still coming down the Esplanade
the last few
continue to pass by
The winner, Adrian Mussett
finished the race in 2-12-46
Welcomed home by Jim Knight
Neil Holmes, last years winner
was 2nd in 2-13-20
The winner
Vito Graffagnino finished 3rd in 2-16-19
TV interview
Neil Holmes cleans up
courtesy Seaton Fire Brigade
and its cold water
Adrian Mussett after 18.5 miles
The first female runner home
Heather Foundling-Hawker in 2-25-36
Washing off the mud
Rambo
The Grizzly run is organised by the Axe Valley Runners (website www.axevalleyrunners.org.uk) who organised the first 8 mile long race in 1988 starting at Beer Head.
The 2006 Grizzly will be remembered for the rain and the freezing 3 degree Celsius easterly gale. The race route had needed to be revised after a cliff fall near Weston Mouth had made this section unsafe reducing the overall race distance to 18.5 miles.
After 24hours of intermittent rain before the race, the course conditions were always going to be challenging.
The runners at the front had the advantage of running over relatively ‘firm’ ground; the hundreds of runners who followed were running through churned up mud.
Hills turned into mudslides making progress uphill difficult and in the dreaded bog itself, there were 12” deep foot holes coming down a steep descent into the thigh deep mud of the bog then followed by wading across the freezing cold thigh high waters of the river.
2,300 runners signed up to take part in the 2006 Grizzly, the exact numbers of runners starting the race is not known but there were 1,528 race finishers.
The winner of the 2006 Grizzly was Adrian Mussett of the Colchester Harriers who finished the race in 2-12-46.
Neil Holmes, last years winner was 2nd in 2-13-20 and Vito Graffagnino finished 3rd in 2-16-19.
The first female runner home was Heather Foundling-Hawker in 16th overall position with a time of 2-25-36.
The winner of the Cub Runners was James Beard in a time of 1-10-54 with Clare Donnelly 2nd with a time of 1-13-45.
Previous races have been called:
- 1988: Unnamed Runners
- 1989: Torment Tenners
- 1990: Grizzly 12ers
- 1991: Hillockers and Rowlockers
- 1992: Eye of the Stormers
- 1993: Sting of the Butter-fliers
- 1994: Magical Memory Joggers
- 1995: Nightmare Returners
- 1996: Lemming Revengers
- 1997: Apocalypse-Yes!
- 1998: Flight of Fancy
- 1999: Insanity and in Health
- 2000: Another Brick
- 2001: A Race Oddity
- 2002: The Jokers in the Pack
- 2003: Jurassic Jaunt
- 2004: Infinity and Beyond
- 2005: A Thousand Steps for Mankind
The 2006 Grizzly was called: O'limpiyak Dilemma
The Grizzly raises monies for charity and the 2006 Grizzly has raised £18,000 which has been shared between 31 organisations.