The Humdinger Half and Hurtle

The Taunton Humdinger Half Marathon and Hurtle is organised by the Running Forever RC and starts from the Wellspring Leisure Centre, Taunton.

With over 1000 feet of ascent, the Humdinger is one of the toughest Half Marathons in the area, although runners are rewarded with some stunning views of the Quantock Hills and Bristol Channel, depending on the weather.

On this occasion Sidmouth Running Club member Suzi Rocky chose The Hurtle. Run in conjunction, it covers the first three miles of the Humdinger course and then cuts off as the main ascent starts looping back to race HQ. The full route is just less than 5 miles and is gently undulating with no major hills. The Hurtle can still be considered a serious race and is an ideal alternative for those who do not wish to take on the Half. Suzi had one of her finest running moments in the Mighty Green vest finishing in a personal best time of 41:21 knocking 10 minutes off her previous time; being treated by the medical team for a hamstring injury at the end was not!

It is a race against time now to recover in time for the Grizzly in four weeks time. There were 214 finishers in the Humdinger and 106 in the Hurtle.