The opening round of the 2026 Purbeck Trail Series saw four Bournemouth AC runners head to the picturesque but punishing Coombe Keynes 10k, with Stu Nicholas making an encouraging start to his bid for a third successive series title.

The six-race competition, which also includes the Lighthouse Loop, The Beast, Black Hill 10k, Studland Stampede and Blue Castle Run, has become one of the highlights of the Dorset off-road calendar, with competitors counting their best four results towards the overall standings.

Having claimed the overall title in each of the last two years, Stu Nicholas returned to the Lulworth Estate determined to lay down an early marker.

The Coombe Keynes 10k has already produced mixed fortunes for him. He stormed to victory in 2024 before enduring one of the cruellest moments of last year’s series when, while leading comfortably, he was sent the wrong way by the lead marshal, ending his hopes of back-to-back victories in the race.

Fortunately, the series scoring system meant he was able to discard that result and recover brilliantly. Knowing there was little room for error, he responded by winning the Lighthouse Loop and Black Hill 10k while finishing runner-up at both The Beast and the Studland Stampede to retain his overall crown.

Stu Nicholas arrived this year arguably in even stronger form. He opened the road season with an excellent 33:22 personal best at the Stubbington 10k, has recently lowered his parkrun best to just over 16 minutes, won the Norfolk Marathon and finished runner-up for the second consecutive year at the North Dorset Village Marathon.

The Coombe Keynes course is never one for fast times. Set entirely within the private Lulworth Estate, close to Lulworth Cove and the Jurassic Coast, the route packs around 550 feet of climbing into a distance that’s slightly longer than 10 kilometres.

The opening climb begins almost immediately and continues relentlessly for the first mile and a half, yet Stu Nicholas still powered through the opening mile in 5:50 before cresting the hill.

A welcome mile-long descent allowed him to regain some momentum as he clocked a 6:04 second mile before another climb took him to the end of mile three in 5:58.

With the fourth mile mainly downhill he returned a 6:05 split before tackling the final significant ascent, where the gradient inevitably took its toll as he recorded 6:35.

Once over the top there was still plenty left in the tank. He covered the sixth mile in 6:10 before flying through the final third of a mile at an impressive 5:21 pace to stop the clock in 38 minutes 30 seconds.

Remarkably, the performance came at the end of an exceptionally busy weekend. Stu had finished ninth in Friday evening’s Purbeck 10k before turning out again at Highcliffe parkrun on Saturday morning, making the Coombe Keynes 10k his third race in as many days.

Despite the accumulated miles, he still ran half a minute quicker than when he won the race two years ago, although the strength of this year’s field meant that was enough for fourth place.

Former Bournemouth AC runner Jacek Cieluszecki rolled back the years with a superb display to take victory in 36:14. The hills barely interrupted his rhythm as he consistently produced mile splits between 5:30 and 5:40 before easing slightly over the closing stages.

Egdon Heath Harriers’ Jamie Barrington finished second in 37:32, George Goodall claimed third in 38:03 and Poole AC’s Luke Terry crossed the line just behind Nicholas in 38:52.

Rob Parker of Bridport Runners took sixth in 38:58 while Poole Runners’ David Penwarden was seventh overall and first M50 in 39:20. Former Bournemouth AC athlete Julian Critchlow, now representing Poole Runners, finished 11th in 41:21.

Stu Bowers also enjoyed an excellent run around the demanding course. Having won last summer’s Maverick Exmoor Goat 15km and later tackled The Stickler, Bowers showed his strength on the hills to finish 16th overall from 305 finishers in an impressive 42:56.

Making a last minute switch with Twemlow Track Club man Jon Clemas, Kate Bowers seized the opportunity to pen a result for the first race of the Purbeck Trail Series and finished in 47:34. That put her in 44th place overall and was enough to see her come in as fifth female, just ahead of Sally Bugler of Bridport Runners.

Caroline Rowley was making another appearance in a series she thoroughly enjoyed last year. Although now taking a more relaxed approach to racing and no longer chasing results as fiercely as in previous years, she still produced an excellent series in 2025, finishing second in the F50 standings.

She shaved six seconds off last year’s Coombe Keynes performance, completing the challenging course in 58:06. That earned her 151st overall, 38th female and eighth in the F50 category, giving her another solid platform on which to build her series campaign.

Dulcie Gatehouse of Bridport Runners was first female, finishing 22nd overall in 44:34. Westbourne’s Carys Gallagher claimed second female in 45:27, while Louise Fox of Dorchester RIOT completed the podium in 45:59. Purbeck Runners’ Jenny Lee Marshall was fourth female in 46:36.

With the opening race complete, Stu Nicholas is well placed to launch another title challenge as attention now turns to the second round of the series, the notoriously testing Lighthouse Loop over 5k at Durlston on 12th August, where the climbs may be shorter but are every bit as demanding.

Massive thanks as ever to Ken Hewitt for chronicling the action superbly with his magnificent photos.