It had been a solid campaign in the Purbeck Trail Series so far for Stu Bowers and he kept the momentum going with another excellent performance at the Black Hill Run 10k, battling his way around one of the toughest courses in the six-race competition to secure 22nd place out of 221 finishers.

Having made an excellent start to the series with 16th place out of 305 runners at the opening Coombe Keynes 10k, Stu followed that up with an even more impressive ninth-place finish at The Beast, a brutally hilly 12.4-mile challenge which certainly lived up to its name.

The fourth fixture of the series, the Black Hill Run, offered little respite, with three particularly testing climbs contributing some 650ft of elevation over a distance of approximately 6.5 miles. So, despite carrying a 10k label, this was actually closer to a quarter marathon, and certainly not one for anyone expecting an easy ride!

Stu negotiated the challenging terrain in 46:37, which was good enough for 22nd overall and fifth place in the M40-49 category. That represented another very solid result in a series which has attracted some particularly strong competition this year.

There was plenty of history to contend with too, as the Black Hill Run has previously provided a happy hunting ground for some of the area’s leading trail runners.

Stu Nicholas was the winner last year in 40:37, on his way to securing the overall Purbeck Trail Series title for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, former Bournemouth AC man Jacek Cieluszecki remains the course record holder with his astonishing 37:58 from 2022, when he seemed capable of powering up hills faster than most runners could manage on the flat!

This time around, it was Twemlow Track Club’s Rupert Allison who came out on top, producing an excellent performance to take victory in 39:24.

Gergely Arvay of Littledown Harriers was hot on his heels, taking second place in 40:03, with Rob Parker completing the overall podium in 40:26.

Iain Ferguson of Poole Runners secured fourth place in 42:49, followed by Mark Packer of Littledown Harriers in fifth in 43:43.

In fact, it was something of a red-letter day for Littledown Harriers, who had four athletes inside the top eight. Bradley Dawson finished sixth in exactly 44 minutes, while Stuart Clarke took eighth in 44:07, underlining the strength of their men’s contingent.

Ian Middlebrook of Egdon Heath Harriers also enjoyed an excellent run, taking first place in the M60-69 category in 44:34. That was particularly impressive as it put him 10th overall!

There was another fine performance in the M70-79 category from Hamish Murray of Purbeck Runners, who crossed the line in 49:31 to take the age-group victory and 39th place overall.

In the women’s race, Rachael Haddow of Poole AC led the way, producing a time of 47:13 to take first female place and 25th overall.

Louise Fox of Dorchester RIOT was next home in exactly 48 minutes, with Jenny Marshall of Purbeck Runners taking third female place in 48:55.

Hannah Haugvik of Dorset Doddlers was fourth in 49:07, while Carys Gallagher of Westbourne completed the top five with a time of 49:34.

With four races now completed, the Purbeck Trail Series is beginning to take shape, although there is still plenty to play for.

The scoring system awards 500 points to the winner of each race, with competitors counting their best four results from the six fixtures. Consequently, the magic figure is 2,000 points, and consistency across the series is every bit as important as producing an occasional big performance.

Adam Hodge currently leads the men’s standings with an impressive 1,956 points, with Matty Bishop in second on 1,901 and Taylor Holding third with 1,846.

In the women’s competition, Louise Fox holds the advantage with 1,873 points, putting her ahead of Carys Gallagher, who has accumulated 1,825.

There was also a 5k race taking place, with Seth Hollyman of Poole Runners taking the honours in 24:19. Elijah Houston followed him home in second place in 25:09.

Florence Robbins, also of Poole Runners, was first female and fifth overall in 28:07, while clubmate Louise Fuoco took second female place and seventh overall in 29:07.

The Canicross 10k provided another entertaining spectacle, with Daniel Peart of Bridport Runners taking victory in 46 minutes.

Bruce Campbell of Egdon Heath Harriers was second in 47:29, accompanied by his four-legged running partner Dennis.

Alison Clarke was first female and fifth overall with her dog Hazel, while Carly Wall of Run Blandford took second female place and sixth overall in 58:07 alongside Monty.

So, with the Black Hill hills successfully negotiated, the Purbeck Trail Series moved a step closer to its conclusion. For Stu Bowers, it was another valuable result in what has been a very encouraging campaign so far, and the final two races would present plenty of opportunity to add to his points tally.

After negotiating Coombe Keynes, surviving The Beast and now conquering Black Hill, Stu has certainly demonstrated that he is more than comfortable when the going gets tough!