Dan Ashcroft reports
Rumble in the Jungle – 11 October 2025
The Rumble in the Jungle takes place not in the Congo, Amazon or any of the Southeast Asian jungles but is more conveniently located in the outskirts of Hull.
In fact, it is named after the Urban Jungle in which it takes place and arguably after dusk and, until dawn, it is probably the most dangerous place in the world! Along the wide tarmac trails, participants could enjoy the sights and smells of this part of Hull. These included painted male genitalia on the course, various expletives written on the path in chalk and then the occasional whiff of the herb sweeps across the course. There were also various obstacles to avoid such as the trail bikes, mopeds and e-scooters, all of which were being ridden at pace, by Hull’s youngsters.
From the start, the course takes runners one way along an old railway line before turning around at approximately 1km, from there the course goes back past the start and out the other way for just over 2.5km before turning around again. This makes a 7.15km ‘loop’, so if you do six of these you have completed the marathon. It is also the flattest course known to man, with approximately 26m of elevation according to Garmin.
A couple of weeks ago, the race report from another event organised by Circuit Running Events mentioned that runners had to access to just one toilet for everyone. On this occasion men and women had access to a gender specific toilet. Unfortunately, this was not accessible until 15 minutes before the race start.
In his eagerness to get the start, Dan Ashcroft, sole Matlock AC representative, failed to apply lubrication. At the halfway stage the organisers confirmed that they didn’t have Vaseline, but could provide some hand cream. Consequently Dan now has probably the smoothest nipples in Hull!
Despite saying this, Circuit Running is run by a friendly pair who provide low cost events (£20) with a simple feed station and decent goodie bag.
