Pleshey Dawdle 30k Gavin Long reports: This was a tough, self-navigation trail race in the Essex countryside. More than double the expected number of entrants meant that there were not enough instruction sheets, so the four of us had to run together as a Saffron Striders team. It started so well, with Steve establishing and maintaining a fantastic pace, and Paul shouting out the directions from the back. As the race progressed, Stephane and I took our turns to lead the group. The similarities with Bradley Wiggins’ pursuit team were uncanny. With just 2 miles to go, Steve’s Borrowdale endeavours and his 15 miles of mountain biking the day before began to take their toll. Despite us now being spread out, we were still working together ensuring that the one behind could see where to make the next turn. Stephane claimed injury prevented him from slowing down, and suddenly the chain was broken as he accelerated by me to catch Paul at the front. Steve was now isolated at the back. I waited for him but we had lost sight of Paul & Stephane. We were indebted to a trailing runner from Springfield Striders who we followed to the finish line. 16th place was pretty good and the fact that we only added 0.3 miles to the actual distance was a reflection of Paul’s excellent navigation.