Standish Woodland Chase 2025

My husband and I, along with several members of our running club, recently ran the Standish Woodland Chase. Organised by Stroud AC, the Standish Woodland Chase is a 9.5 mile hilly trail race. It is also part of our club’s off road race series.

Race HQ is a farm on the outskirts of Stonehouse in Gloucestershire. We’ve run some very rural races this year, but I think this one took the prize for most rural race ever. The registration desk was in a barn, with cows on either side! Race numbers were collected from the registration desk and people could even just turn up, pay an entry fee and get a place on the day.

Parking was in a field right next to HQ. There was no bag drop, as the cars were a stone’s throw away There were three portable toilets and a urinal for runners, so the queues were short to non-existent.

The start line was on the road just outside the farm. Standish Woodland Chase is a gun timed race. We knew there was a steep climb to the woods, then two laps of the woods and back down the hill to the finish.

As ever, my main aim was to win my age category for the race series, while also having my eye on winning the age category overall. My husband had only signed up at the last minute. We usually do a 10 mile run on a Sunday morning at home, so he thought he might as well just use Standish as his 10 mile Sunday run and take it at a leisurely pace. Whatever pace you took it, it wasn’t a leisurely run!

The start was on an open road (so only bone conducting headphones allowed), but we didn’t see any cars. It was a steady climb, then we turned a corner, the road got narrower and the climb got steeper!

A group of three men and one woman from our club took off ahead of the rest of the club members. I was aware I was fifth female and I stayed that way for a really long time. The hill was an absolute killer. By the time I’d run 0.75 miles I had to walk. I felt like I was going to die. I had to get my breathing and heart rate under control. I walked three times in the first 1.5 miles.

At about 1.5 miles, we joined the main loop around Standish Wood, which is a Cotswold woodland managed by the National Trust. At this point, the worst of the climbing came to an end, but there was still a lot of ups and downs. I must have walked at least seven or eight times during the race.

The main loop is all in woodland, so it is sheltered from the elements. The path is a woodland trail, with everything that can throw at you in terms of tree roots, uneven ground and loose stones. I was wearing trail shoes, which seemed like the sensible choice. After a very dry summer, we’d had a little bit of rain in the previous few days. It hadn’t been enough to make it muddy, but the ground had just a little bit more give in it than it would have done a week earlier.

Getting to the turning point at three miles was a huge relief. It was a sharp 180 degree turn, followed by some welcome downhill running. The pack of runners was very spaced out. The only other runner I could see was the woman just in front of me. We tended to walk the same hills and sometimes I nearly caught her up. I had no real intention of overtaking her. I didn’t have the energy and I knew she wasn’t in my age category.

There were no mile markers on the route, which is fine as most people rely on their watches for distance. There were a few marshals on the course and the route was generally well signposted.

At just before five miles I came across the most welcome sight – my 24 year old son and his friend volunteering as marshals. He confirmed I was fifth lady and second lady in our club. It was good to know I would seen him again on my second lap.

There was one water station at the start/ end of the lap. Technically we went past it three times, but I don’t think many people bothered with water the first time. The water was in cups (hard to drink), but I was happy to stop to drink it. Mine was handed to me by an adorable little boy. I also had my own drink with me, as did many of the other runners. It was cloudy, but 20 degrees and humid. If you’re running nearly 10 hilly miles in those conditions, you need liquid!

So I started the second lap. Same old, same old. Just me and the same woman. Nobody visible behind me, nobody else visible in front. It was nice not having to do the massive climb this time, but the rest of the course was still tough. When I got to the turning point at 6.5 miles, it was crazy to think I’d only run 3.5 miles since I was last there, because it felt like a lot more.

When I was walking up one of the hills, I turned round. There was a little pack just behind me, led by the lady in my age category from our club. I put my foot down, finally overtook the woman in front of me and I was off! I wasn’t putting in all that hard work to be overtaken in the final third of the race.

I saw my son again and knew it was almost time to head down the hill. At the water station, they told me “straight down all the way, the way you came up”. But did I remember the way I’d come up? I’d just gone up and followed people.

Running downhill was fun and I really picked up my pace. But then I got lost. I was on a field and I didn’t know if it was straight down or slightly to the left. There was nobody to ask. I must have wasted 30 seconds. I remembered I hadn’t gone over a stile, so it was reasonable to expect it was straight down, but I had to check with a Stroud runner, who of course overtook me. Luckily, he was male. I don’t mind men overtaking me as I’m not racing them!

There was another point where I was momentarily confused. More signage would have been welcome on this part of the route.

And then the finish line was in sight! I crossed the line in 1:25:32. I was fourth lady and first in my age category – winning a box of biscuits. The lady from my club was just 20 seconds behind me. The lady I’d been behind for most of the race ended up 24 seconds behind me. My husband finished three minutes after me. He said he’d felt like he was ‘coming last’ at times. He was more than 40 minutes ahead of the person who actually did come last.

All 93 finishers were given a wooden medal and an endless supply of water in disposable plastic cups.

Standish Woodland Chase is a really tough race, but the setting is beautiful. I might be back one day!