Sometimes in life you need to pull up those “big girl panties” and step out of your comfort zone. Sometimes you need to challenge yourself. It’s never easy but it’s there to be done.
I did just that recently.
I stepped so far out of my comfort zone! So, what did I do?
I took part in my first ever trail race.
It’s been almost a year since I last ran but when I entered the inaugural Witchwood Run at festival level, I felt confident that I could at least walk a couple of laps of the 5.9km course. The event was being run by a friend so I had also volunteered my services as a marshal for later on in the day. (In fact, when I submitted my entry weeks ago, he messaged and asked, “why have you entered my race?”- a very good question!)
The Witchwood Run was badged as a family affair so we took that literally – Girl Child also offered her services as a marshal while Boy Child took things a step further and entered the full 24 hr event, despite never having done any trail running and only ever having run 20km on the road.
Shortly after 7:30am on the Saturday morning, we made our way up to the event’s base camp at Everton Scout Camp in Inverkip, weighed down with bags full of clothing, food, juice and a pop-up tent. Least said about the walk up that hill the better.
We set up camp then Boy Child and I went across to the scout hut to complete our race registration, collect our numbers and our all-important timing chips. The whole area was buzzing with runners arriving and making their final race preparations. From the size of the tent village near the start line, many of them had camped out the night before. Hardy souls these trail runners.
Weirdly I wasn’t nervous. I can get nervous about going to Tesco so feeling calm felt bizarre. That calm feeling lasted until the race directors gave the assembled runners their pre-race briefing then panic rather than nerves hit me like a tidal wave!
What was I doing there? Running races were the late Big Green Gummi Bear’s territory not mine. I felt like an imposter! Fear flooded through me that I was about to make a total fool of myself. Riddled with self-doubt and anxiety, I let the whole scene play out around me. Could I do this?
Still feeling totally panicked I walked across the start line.. well, the clock was ticking. Time to find out what I was made of.
Boy Child crossed the start line with me but quickly forged on ahead. He had his own target in his sights.
My target? I’d told myself I could complete three laps.
As I climbed the stile at the start of the first ascent, I continued to question my sanity. The initial climb up a narrow steep trail criss-crossed with tree roots was tougher than it needed to be. Still panicking, my breathing was shallow and I was quickly gasping for each breath.
My inner voice of reason kicked in and told me to stop being a wimp and to get the job done.
The trail emerged out of the trees onto a fire break road that the course followed downhill for over a kilometre before it took a turn through a gate onto a forestry track. At the end of that undulating track was a gate that led into a field. It was all uphill as the route followed the field’s perimeter round to a second gate that led into a very boggy uneven field to be traversed. Once out of “Shrek’s swamp”, it was across a cattlegrid, back up the long drag of a hill on the fire break road (that gentle downhill on the way out became an endless hill on the way back) then it was back down through the trees, over a second stile then downhill over the timing mat.
At one point while I was walking down the fire break road on the first lap there was a hoarse crow flying above me cackling loudly. I swear that that was The Big Green Gummi Bear laughing at me!
What was I doing there in among all these experienced runners!
Gradually, as I talked myself down, I realised that several of the other competitors were walking with many of them looking as out of shape as me. Whew!
The course was tough going but after two laps I felt ok. Conscious that I hadn’t eaten much, I decided to take a pit stop for dome food before tackling lap three.
As I descended down towards base camp, my calves began to cramp up and I really struggled to get over the second stile without falling.
Duly fuelled up for a third lap, I set off again, cursing that first ridiculously steep section under my breath. This lap, I felt more relaxed and was even enjoying the whole experience. The fear was subsiding thanks to largely to the encouragement of my fellow competitors. Everyone was rooting for everyone else and there were lots of shouts of “well done” and “keep going”. Seeing and hearing such camaraderie warmed my heart and helped to raise my spirits. Halfway round lap three, my brain began to contemplate that maybe there could be a fourth lap…
As I crossed the boggy field for the third time, I could feel both knees protesting. Walking back up the fire break road seemed to take forever as my knees grew sorer and sorer and my calves began to tighten again. The descent down into base camp was agony. It felt as if someone was stabbing knives into the sides of my knees with every step I took. As I climbed over the stile at the end of the lap, common sense prevailed and I decided to call it quits, (I knew I still had to be on my feet for several more hours to complete my marshalling stint.)
I had done what I set out to do. I had put my money where my mouth was and completed three laps (18 km or thereabouts) and had earned myself a stunning bronze Witchwood medal.
Go me! LOL
Reflecting back on the event, with my knees still aching, I’m proud of what I achieved. That’s not something I acknowledge very often.
While I had been undertaking my marshalling duties deep into the night, I had been swapping timing chips for medals. It planted a seed. The silver medals are very pretty….. to earn a silver medal, you needed to complete six laps… could I manage that in a couple of years’ time? Was four or five laps a more sensible target for 2027? Time will tell.
As for Boy Child, I’m super proud of him! He managed a fantastic fifteen laps (88.5km) and earned one of the coveted black medals. Quite the achievement for him and a proud mummy moment for me.
To find out more about the event and 2027’s event details please check out.
The WitchWood Run – 16th May 2026 | 24hr Lap Race in Historic Inverkip
(credits to the owner of the above image )
Coral McCallum 