Heavy rain greeted the 446 runners who made it to the start line, the race having attracted a full 500 entries. Former Great Britain Athlete Dan Robinson was on the start line with them.  Robinson and Lee Rankin from Stroud AC were joined by Rob Minton of Stratford battling through classic Dozen conditions. The heavy rain over the summer and the winters deluges combined with motocross and logging meant that the course was particularly challenging, with mud up to the runners knees as they descended to the New Inn at Waterley Bottom, and even the relatively benign slopes up from the New Inn were very slippery.