The Merrell WildMan kicked off the year in style for Human Race Events with the toughest event in the series so far.

Taking place at a brand new venue in Hankley Common, Nr Guildford, the event was the third in the Merrell Series and saw a record number of runners and duathletes keen to test their winter fitness.

With three different race distances (6km, 10km and 16km) for the trail run, and a mountain bike duathlon which could be tackled as an individual or team relay all on offer, there was something for everyone.

The Army Training Ground in Surrey proved itself to be a seriously tough venue, with a rough and rugged route designed to test even the fittest athletes. The snowfall of previous weeks had made way for extremely challenging conditions underfoot, with copious amounts of mud and even waist deep water in places.

The 6km run was won by Dan Lewington in 38:51 proving how tough the hilly course was, with Alison Osmond taking the win for the ladies in and excellent 41:27.

In the 10km run it was David Bottjer who took overall honours in 38:32. He commented ‘That was exhilarating, but incredibly hard! I haven’t really run properly for a while so it was a big surprise to win. It’s the first time I’ve done a Human Race event and it won’t be the last’. First lady was GB and top age-grouper, Joanna Swallow of Bath Amphibians Tri Club in a superb 43:20.

The 16km run was a combination of both the 10km and 6km events and went down well with competitors who enjoyed the challenging single loop course. It was won by Robert Tansey in a superb 1:07.32 with former Oxford rower Claire Weldon taking the win for the ladies in 1:18.24. Graham Cotterell and Paul Johnson from Southampton RC both took part in the 16km run ‘it was stony, muddy and hilly and you were lucky if you could stay upright’, they agreed ‘but it was really nice just having one loop and not having to run laps’.

The WildMan Duathlon was the main event of the day, with over 160 athletes lining up for what could well be their biggest challenge of 2010. The 12km hilly run was quickly followed by one of the toughest mountain bike events on the calendar – 20km of sand, mud, hills and water – causing even the leaders to have to push their bikes through the most challenging sections. The final 6km run really was the sting in the tail to top off the toughest event of 2010 so far.

Colin Dixon, one of the UK’s most experienced off-road duathletes, was in stunning form, pushing the first run hard and took the win in 2:18.07 with Jim McConnel from DriventoTri hot on his heels in 2:20.27. Paul Davies, in his first race back from injury, took a well deserved third in 2:23.16. First lady in the duathlon was Gillian Banks in 2:54.21 with Charlotte Maurissen of Evolution Tri Club in second. Top mountain biker Genevieve Whitson took third overall, with the fastest bike split of the day for the ladies. Team ‘Hoof It’ took their third win out of three in the team relay in 2:29.40.

‘That was the sandiest course I have ever been on in my life’ commented DriventoTri’s Jim McConnel, ‘I think it’s the most demanding of the whole series to be honest. Now I’m looking forward to a nice cup of tea'. Paul Davis was of a similar opinion ‘It was hard’ he said ‘probably one of the toughest events I’ve done.’

Matt Sinnett, a triathlete from Maidenhead, was taking part in his first ever off-road event ‘I wanted a challenge’ he said ‘and the WildMan certainly lived up to my expectations.’

If you missed out on all the fun this time, it’s not too late to get in for the final event of the Merrell series.

The Merrell TuffMan is coming up in only two weeks time and some last minute entries are still available. The TuffMan takes place at the stunning Pippingford Park in East Sussex on Saturday 6th February and is the final event in the Merrell Series, offering both a trail run and off-road duathlon which can also be tackled as a relay team.

Can Colin Dixon make it four wins out of four at the TuffMan? With Sam Gardner racing this time, Jim McConnel set to push him hard and Paul Davies looking in great form, it promises to be a superb finale to the series.

Don't hang about entries will close on Saturday 30th January. Enter online at www.humanrace.co.uk