It’s summertime which means one thing for runners in Cornwall – Freedom Racing’s Summer Sessions are back on the race calendar.
I always look forward to summer sessions from Freedom Racing. With several years of no racing, they’re back, with Godrevy 10k kicking off the season.
Summer Sessions
The Summer Sessions are a series evening trail running events on the south west coast path. They’re all 10k and span the summer months.
I think the locations of the Summer Sessions are pretty special. I also like the chilled atmosphere that comes with coastal running. The 10k distance makes them accessible for all. Plus, the Summer Sessions are inclusive of all runners, and welcome people of all abilities and levels.
This year there are 4 Summer Sessions – Godrevy, Polzeath, Godolphin and Poldhu. Having completed the Godolphin Hill 10k a few years ago, I knew Godrevy 10k wouldn’t disappoint. One feature I really like is the evening start times. They tend to be on a weekday too, making them a good way to wrap up a day at the office.
As I’m gently easing myself back to running, my plan was to do this 10k in intervals. Run for 10 minutes and walk for 1. It’s as far as I’d got in my training and I didn’t want push myself too much. I’m in a place where niggles still happen and I worry about my injury returning.
Where is Godrevy Beach?
Godrevy is a relatively well known beach in Cornwall, on the far side of St Ives Bay, near Hayle. At low tide it connects with Gwithian beach, becoming an impressive 3 mile stretch of golden sand. It’s a bit of a stunner with views of Godrevy lighthouse and amazing coastline.
Due to its size and position, Godrevy beach is a popular spot for dog walkers, beach goers and surfers. Also, people have spotted seals and dolphins here, so it’s definitely worth a visit.
Heading towards Gwithian beach
The Godrevy 10k starts behind The Rockpool Beach Cafe with us runners heading out on the south west coast path towards Gwithian.
As with many coast path races, there were a few bottlenecks as we set off but the field evened out quick enough. I knew the Godrevy 10k included a run along the beach and the first coast path stretch lasted longer than expected.
We all know running on sand can be tough and this was no exception. We passed over the red river – there was no avoiding it, we had to run through it, and made our way up some rocks. It’s not as treacherous as it sounds, in fact it’s not treacherous at all! It is a bit of a climb though and most of us walked this bit.
The Second Half
The last 3 miles of Godrevy 10K headed in the other direction, towards Navax Point. The best view of the run has to be of Godrevy lighthouse. It was visible for most of the race as we ran along the beach and then on the south west coast path, to Godrevy Point.
It was at this point of the race that the regular runners, like me, were making way for the speedy runners who were running back, heading towards the finish line.
I found this part of the race quite difficult. My legs were getting a bit tired and the terrain was challenging (as expected). Mentally, I was wondering when we’d loop back. This bit of the race felt like it was lasting forever but realistically it was probably only about 1.5 miles.
The loop finally came and we headed back along the same stretch of coast path, towards Godrevy beach.
The Godrevy 10k Finish
Reaching the beach again felt good but there was still a little way to the finish like. The route heads into the car park, meeting with the steps, with the finish being at the back of The Rockpool Beach Cafe.
I’m not going to lie, it was a relief to finish! My little legs had done all they could.
The Godrevy 10k is a beautiful race with incredible views. I have a feeling the other Summer Sessions I’ve yet to do have just as much to rave about.
If you’d like to see the Godrevy 10k route, you can find it on my Strava activities. You can find details on entering Freedom Racing Summer Sessions here.