It is such a good feeling to see big races starting to creep back onto the event calendar, to see the photos of all the smiling runners and to sense the feeling of accomplishment by both participants and organisers alike. And there was another successful comeback at the weekend (19-20 June) when runners returned to the beautiful grounds of Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire for the 11th edition of its multisport festival.

The stage was set, the rain held off and a fantastic weekend was had by all. From the first race, to the last, everyone ran their hearts out. Saturday’s conditions were glorious with bright, warm sun. On Sunday things were a little more overcast in the morning, but cleared up into perfect racing conditions for the longer race distances.

Special mentions go to Alex Masidlover who was the first male over the hilly Full Marathon finish line in 03:16:23 and Max Phillis who came 7th in his first ever junior triathlon, on a borrowed bike!

The event village was buzzing. Ben Croucher was on the mic keeping everyone up to date with race and athlete information; the house band were blasting out the tunes; The Raw Tipple were keeping everyone caffeinated; Timothy Taylor’s were pouring the celebratory drinks; Ye Hog Roast and Jo’s Kitchen were keeping everyone fed; athletes were parading their finisher t-shirts and brand new merchandise from Scimitar‘s tent and enjoying pre and post race stretching with Yoga Tonic.

The success of the day was reflected in the social media comments post event: 

“Wow what a fantastic return to event running with Castle Race Series at Cholmondeley Castle. Top notch event, felt really safe and such a friendly atmosphere for all the family. Well impressed and ready to sign up for Castle Howard and next year’s Cholmondeley event.” @northernrunninggirl

“Multisport meets Glastonbury!” @TriCoachJoel

“Another beautiful location in the Castle Series. 4 done in the series. Thank you Castle Race Series and to all the volunteers for helping us around.” @keithmansell

Organisers were delighted to welcome so many spectators to the event, who gave their all cheering athletes on around the course and over the finish line. As we all know it makes a huge difference to those racing.

Results can be found via runABC North's race listing page here.

The dates for the 2022 event at Cholmondeley Castle will be 18/19 June, you can book your place today by visiting the event website

Image: Castle Race Series