Dash for the Splash – Catherine Walker

Sunday 1st Feb 2026

It’s been so much fun to run cross-country this season. Before this winter I hadn’t done a cross-country race since I was about 13, and it’s been great to rediscover the pleasures of running on mud. I’ve been enjoying it so much that when a large group of Harriers went to Watford for the half marathon, I went instead to Wimbledon Common where the Dash for the Splash race was 10k of the soft, squelchy stuff. It was brilliant. 

This race is run by a venerable cross-country club: Thames Hare & Hounds, founded in 1868, i.e. 19 years older than Queens Park Harriers. The club seems to have spent its first hundred years shielding its members from any competition that wasn’t sufficiently gentlemanly. Happily that has changed and now everyone is welcome at their events, gentleman or not. And this is a lovely event. Not particularly big - about 250 runners in 2026 - it attracts a mixture of experienced cross-country runners and newcomers, all drawn to the rough terrain and the mud. The organisers even tempt runners with puddings - a choice of sticky toffee or chocolate pudding for every finisher - a great alternative to T-shirts or medals.

The Dash for the Splash took place in light drizzle, which was a novelty for me after a series of dry cross-country races earlier in the winter. The puddles were deep, so I kept reminding myself to lift my knees up and go straight through the middle of each one. Hills featured prominently. At around 8k a marshal greeted me and two other women with a cheery “All downhill from here, ladies!” This was followed by a grumble (light-hearted, I think) from a man behind us: “No ladies around here, harrumph”. Presumably put out because three women had overtaken him. I chuckled to myself briefly, then stopped chuckling when I turned a corner and was faced with a steep, muddy upward slope. What happened to “All downhill”?! Misled by a marshal! Ah well. Lots of muddy hills was what I’d signed up for, so I put my game face on for the next hill.

The centrepiece of the event is “The Splash”, a spot near the finish where runners cross a brook about 4 metres wide and knee deep, with steep mudbanks on either side. The Splash is a highlight, but it’s not the only attraction. The other 10k of (mostly) mud also had hills, gnarly roots, boulders, logs and other obstacles, which all added to the fun. It was proper cross-country, fully connected to the landscape and the terrain. I loved it.