Crocodile 8

The race begins at Burghill School. From there the race leads up the village on road and then turns into the ancient parish church, where the runners meet their first kissing gate. The course leaves the church and continues into the neighbouring orchard, a striking feature of the area and owned by the Co-op. (NB: once all the runners have passed through the orchard the family fun run takes place there.)

Leaving the orchard, the runners begin the trickiest chapter of the race: the crocodile. The difficulty level often depends on the weather; a great amount of rain means a lot of heavy mud. Past years have shown that a downpour the previous day have created conditions where big mud is the order of the day!

The runners climb the steps up the crocodile's back, then leave the wood and out onto Tillington Common, a vast stretch of grass and hay. Once they have crossed the common the runners climb through the adjoining field, hit a desserted country lane and up to the final stretch. In the final 1000 yards they pass the Bell Inn, the local pub which hosts the evening's entertainments.

Finally they return to Burghill School to cross the line on the playing fields. Throughout the race they are cheered on by well-wishers and drink stands from village volunteers and members of the Hereford Couriers running club. Musicians and other surprises are dotted about the course to help the runners on their way.