I'd planned to have a go at this in the very cold 'dry-frozen' weather of early January, but sadly my day-off came one too late. The night before there'd been heavy rain immediately followed by freezing temperatures, so all the paths were ice sheets in the morning.
It was a sunny day though, so I made the decision to wait a bit and hope for melting before getting going.
I'd chosen to start at the top of Box Hill, so that I could finish with a maximal effort up the steps. This meant the slipperiest descent of the day coming first, and I was on the ground within 100m! No damage done though and minimal momentum lost. I'd made my own route that added a little bit of distance compared to the previous records, but easier navigation and some faster terrain. I skirted around Dorking for the first 5km keeping a fast pace, but wasn't quite prepared for how hard the climb through Redlands would be. It's an area I've spent a lot of time mountain biking in, but never running. Somehow it all felt harder on foot.
After Redlands it was familiar tracks up to Leith; mostly fast going but still climbing. I probably pushed a bit too hard here, but I'd decided that if I could reach the high point of the route on target avg pace I'd stand a good chance, so I was determined to do so.
After Leith the long floaty descent to the Holmbury valley went smootly, with only a few ice sheets slowing progress. Again, with that average pace in mind I pushed a bit too hard up the final Holmbury steeps, and started the descent in a bit of a state.
After Holmbury top is where my route differs fairly significantly from some of the others. The most direct way back to Dorking is through the Wooton Estate, but this area is made up of loads of small valleys and navigational challenges. I'd chosen to get over to the main road instead, then treat myself to some smooth road miles.
In my imagination this would be plain sailing, but in reality I got to the road with very sore legs, then had a really hard time keeping to the target pace. I came through Dorking with vision blurring, knowing I had to get to the Box Hill stepping stones and begin the climb with at least 8 minutes in hand.
I had gone to have a look at the stones earlier in the day to check the water level, at which time they were high and dry. The flow must have increased over the day though (melting ice?) so when I arrived they were only just passable. I squelched my way up the steps to the top with all the energy I had left, and finished just inside the fastest time.
Lovely day out all in! I'd like to have another go in the summer though, and try the more direct but off-road route of others' efforts.