On Saturday, I ran the Maverick Dark Castle: an 11km night time trail run around Corfe Castle.
I’d not done a night run before, and had never run a trail run (needing to buy my first pair of trail shoes for this event!) so take my uninformed opinions here with a pinch of salt.
Running in the dark
The run started a little after 8pm. It is November, so that means it was dark. Very dark. The route isn’t lit, so head torches were essential to see where you’re going.
An uprooted tree was the biggest obstacle. Most of what we had to navigate were branches and tree roots… oh, and mud. So much mud.
Photo of me (I’m underneath the “ic” in “Maverick”) close to the start of the run. I think I love this photo not just because of the arty light from the flare but because you can’t see whatever stupid face I’m probably pulling…
Running in the mud
There were two races on the day: 5pm and 8pm. I assume the route was in a better state for the 5pm runners. By the time we got to it – there were bits that were more swamp than path.
After the end, I tried to sum up the range of mud on the 7 mile course.
The view of the castle on the run up the hill to the finish was an incentive to keep my head up!
Some stretches were sticky like clay. A lot of stretches were slippy and slimy. Some were wet and boggy mini-lakes. (To be fair, I tried to find routes around the deepest sections, so generally most of what I ran through was only about ankle-deep.)
Laughing (and screaming) in the dark
You could tell when a very muddy section was coming up from the sound of laughs (and screams) of runners who reached it ahead of you.
Fun and friendly vibe before the start – somewhere between a festival and a Christmas market.
Overall, the vibe was fun and friendly. Even the grumbling about the hills was good-natured.
It was lovely how everyone encouraged each other. Runners who reached a gate ahead of you would wait for you to reach it to hold it open for you. (And there were a lot of gates… it was a run through the countryside!)
strava.com/activities/16469141220
Times aren’t important
I’ve done a few road races before, and the main thing about road running is your finishing time and your pace. The main thing anyone asks after a road race is what your time was.
This didn’t feel like that. I’m not sure it’s a run for people who are super competitive about their time. (Maybe that’s a trail run thing?)
My number and timing chip
For one thing… there was a lot of mud to slow you down. While I saw a few brave souls go full pelt through the muddy slip-and-slide sections, most of us slowed down for the deepest and steepest bits!
But more than that, there are several single-track sections where you have to go at the speed of the person in front of you. No-one seemed to mind.
Plus, there are several kissing-gates on the route where runners would all come to a stop while we waited to go through one at a time.
It felt like the night wasn’t about being uber-competitive, but just enjoying the ridiculousness of being out in the dark and the wet together.
Waiting for the start – it was cold until we got started, so I stayed close to the fire!
Evil, evil hills
It’s a hilly route.
The first mile was a bit of an uphill, but the adrenaline from the cheers, bell-ringing (?), and flares at the start line meant I didn’t really notice.
The climb for the first few miles felt harder than my phone’s GPS record suggests!
The second mile was like climbing a mountain. Seeing the head torches from the elite runners who had already made it to the top and were running along the ridge a long way above us was… dispiriting!
The third mile was a long gradual incline that felt like it would never end.
I’m not a fan of hills. 😉
Waiting for the start…
A choice of routes
There were three routes to choose from: 5km, 11km, 15km.
I went for the middle option, as I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wish I’d gone for the 15km… maybe next time!
Speaking of routes, the organisers did an amazing job with the sign-posting. The signs were super clear. We were in countryside in the dark with just head-torches to light our way, but there was never a point where I wasn’t sure where I was going.
results… “Veteran”? 😉
Photos
The approach to photos was simpler than the bigger events.
For example, the Great South Run last month had loads of photographers at multiple points around the course. I paid £20 on an impressively high-tech website that used a combination of face recognition and chip tracking to automatically search for photos amongst the thousands of photos taken on the day.
Saturday wasn’t that. It’s the other end of the spectrum. A photographer at the start and end of the race, with photos on a simple free gallery where you can easily scroll through.
Another photo of me from the start of the run – I’m under the “i” in “Maverick”.
(By the looks of the gallery, it looks like the 5pm run had people taking photos at some other points on the route as well – maybe the 8pm was supposed to as well? I don’t know. Ultimately, the world doesn’t need more photos of me in pain, so I don’t mind either way.)
While they don’t have as many photos as the bigger events, I think their photos are a lot more cool – you can’t beat the backdrop of a castle at night… especially with the flare light at the start!
And this is what happens when you can see my face… in my defense, this was in the last 50 metres before the finish line – I was tired!
Overall…
I loved it. One of the best things I’ve done this year.
I can’t recommend it highly enough. Do it – even if you’re not into running, just do the 5km. It’s really a lot of fun.
parts of it were sticky and boggy, like running through clay
parts of it were wading through ankle deep lakes
parts of it were deep slimy mud, like running on a slip and slide
parts of it were so hilly it felt like scaling a mountain
All of it was the most fun I've had in ages. ?
— Dale Lane (@dalelane.co.uk) 15 November 2025 at 21:42
Tags: running