I’m a firm believer that the mentality and character of a Race Director feeds down to the culture and feel of a race. Dour and serious RDs attract similar runners and as a flipside more lighthearted and fun Race Directors attract likeminded people. 

It was clear the moment I arrived that this was like very few races I’d been too. With a well equipped campsite and facilities this wasn’t a race to turn up to and leave a few hours later, it was a weekend festival for lots of types of trail running for all types of ability. 

The founder Andy Palmer sounds a bit like Mick Jagger doing a Michael Caine impersonation and has an infections humour that you can feel throughout the event. The White Star events have unusual medals, strange names and some very unusual merchandise, like squeaky cows used as race batons. Bring the whole cauldron of crazy together and it works brilliantly. 

Rather than parents sneaking off for a race somewhere the campsite approach means that  the entire family can come along and camp while people get involved in various races all weekend. Want to bring a dog on the course with you ? no problem. The campsite even had proper cabins with hot tubs you could hire if you are ‘tent -adverse’  Some people aren’t even after a medal, I  saw three ‘Speed Twitchers’ who were running a slow marathon with me with binoculars and gleefully noting down their first ‘Snipe’.

After arriving late afternoon on the Saturday and getting to see some of the runners do a ‘frolic’ ( which is basically as many laps as you can be bothered to do in 12hrs) I managed to get a nice pre race massage on my legs from a physiotherapy tent and a Beer from the ‘honesty bar’. What I loved about the Frolic was watching some of my friends doing a lap, leaving the course, going for a chat and a sit down and a beer …and returning to do another lap a few hours later. 

So at 8.30 we were off ! I grabbed a ‘sports bacon sandwich’ and tea right by the start and settled in to a pace that was far too fast for my intended time that day.  The Bad Cow Marathon is held in the very Scenic area near Corfe Castle and the Dorset coast so you get a huge range of sandy pine trails, hills, coastal views and epic muddy bogs. 

The courses of the White Star Races are littered with British Humour signs such as ‘ Did you know there is a marathon in London ?’ and ‘ We still haven’t recovered the bodies of some of last years runners on this course’ . I even saw sandcastles that had been put on the course. 

Checkpoints or Aid Stations are known as ‘Love Stations’ and usually have blaring music and either cider or beer available depending on the race. Usually I think its dangerous to spend too long at an aid station for fear of seizing up ( or even falling asleep on long runs) but here the atmosphere and copius food and beer makes you want to stay far longer than is wise. 

Rather than opt for one large route most of White Stars events are laps. For back of the pack plodders like me this has the advantage of meaning I’ve always got runners around me rather than spending hours at the back of a race on my own. 

As I crossed the line with a ‘sub 7 hour’ time I came to realise I wasnt entirely race fit after my rather big month for mileage.  Despite my physical state The Bad Cow Marathon was an utterly superb way to end the highest mileage month I will ever do in my life (above 700). 

Despite feeling ‘  a bit tired’ I’ve already cleared my diary for their Ox Races in 2 weeks time which is on the beautiful Cranborne Chase AONB which made up some of my favourite sections of the Monarch’s Way.

I felt at home at White Star the moment I arrived. They have utterly nailed a family friendly weekend get away that happens to have some running. The combination of great facilities and all sorts of variations of running for all abilities is not an easy thing to get right. Fun , Beer, Camping friends …..and as much or little running as you fancy is something everyone should go try.

I also Review the White Star Running Ox Races here