Get Those Motors Running!
Hills were climbed in Hill Climb country at the Bugatti 10K...
The Bugatti 10K race results caught our eye at the runABC nerve centre on Wednesday evening (7 August 2024). It was the unusual name that stood out, so we decided to ask our reporter Alan Newman to investigate...
The Bugatti 10K can trace its roots to what was once the Bugatti Inn at Gretton, a favourite of members of the prestigious Bugatti Owners’ Club who regularly raced their fabulous cars on the nearby Prescott Speed Hill Climb (established in 1938) deep in the Cotswolds, near Cheltenham. The event began as a five-mile race hosted by the local club Cheltenham & County Harriers.
After a few years, and a brief hiatus – along with the closure of the Bugatti Inn – the race was reinstated, with the Harriers and Almost Athletes jointly hosting, as a 10K event run from the Bugatti Owners’ Club at the Prescott Hill Climb, one of three races now promoted by Almost Athletes. The Linda Franks 5 is on the third Sunday in January; the Meteor Mile is on the first Saturday in September and the Bugatti 10K is a Wednesday evening fixture in August.
As befits its historic link with hill climbing the single loop course on quiet country roads is 'undulating' as they say in these parts. The final uphill kilometre sorts the athletes from the almost athletes!
The Prescott Hill Climb function room and bar is an ideal place to relax afterwards, with food available, and this is where the presentations take place. Prizes are awarded to the top three male and female finishers; age category winners and the first team finishers.
This year's winners were Ben Price (Western Tempo) in 32:42 and Stephanie Lane (Cheltenham Harriers) in 39:19, blazing the trail for 201 finishers in 1:17:52.
The remaining individual prize winners were CLC Striders pair Max Harrison-Tossato (34:40) and Joe Willgoss (34:54) in the men's race and Almost Athletes' Patricia Dendy (40:08) and Helen Knight (CLC Striders, 40:59) in the women's race.
The top 49 finishers beat 45:00 on this exceptionally tough course and full results can be studied at the runABC race listing here.
To learn more about this event visit the Almost Athletes website here.
Photo from the 2022 race courtesy of Almost Athletes website