Our main fundraising event of the year- our Race for Wildlife- is now just seven days away on Sunday 15 October and we are getting everything ready for the big day! Our warden Emma will soon be out spray-painting 1km markers along the routes to help runners on the day. There are so many little jobs that need doing ahead of the event but it’s something we all love as there is such a lovely atmosphere on the day.
The 5km route is shown below, but it begins just south of East Wood, which runners will see on their right when they assemble. In the summer season this is an area where Cuckoos can be heard calling and usually a pair of Spotted flycatchers make their home. Soon after the 5k runners start, they’ll have Trial Wood on their left, an area which was planted up by Bryant & May before the reserve existed with hybrid black poplar trees- the perfect tree for making matchsticks! On your right will be the large reedbed of New Fen.
After 1km or so you’ll see things switch- the wet stuff will now be on your left, which is New Fen South (as it is south of the main track). Then, you’ll join the Washland footpath at Joist Fen, and head back east along the high riverbank which follows the river Little Ouse. It seems a bit surreal, but across the water from here is Norfolk! The river represents the county boundary between us in Suffolk and the county north of us. This part of your run will offer you expansive views across the reserve, big skies and open spaces. It’s easy to forget, but what you will see on the day used to be arable farmland used mainly for cultivating carrots until it was transformed in the 1990’s- into a habitat designed primarily to attract breeding bitterns. So much other wildlife has benefitted since then from the habitat created too, and hopefully you'll see plenty as you run round. Once you reach the Washland Viewpoint, you'll head down a shallow bank to join the 10k runners to pass through the woodland of Brandon Fen, towards the Finish Line.
Above is the 10km route- the first part of this is the same as the 5km route but at Trial Wood you will keep left, to pass through an area not usually open to the public- New Fen South. This grazing marsh is cattle-free (as of today!) and once you've passed through this scenic rough meadow you'll join the 'safety bank' which snakes it's way through Shepherd's Fen to join the riverbank at Botany Bay. The safety bank, interestingly, is a feature we had to include in the design of the reserve, and is an emergency measure to stop any extreme high water levels on the reserve reaching the railway line. It's never been needed (yet) but it does provide super views across the reserve as a little bit of height in the Fens goes a long way! The lofty poplars and secluded nature of Shepherd's Fen make it attractive to nesting hobbies, some of which still have fledglings to feed- so keep an eye out for these elegant beauties as you run through.In recent years our reserve team have been trying to diversify the wooded areas here with more of an understorey of different tree species, aside from the hybrid poplar, to make the wood more attractive to nightingales, woodpeckers and warblers in the breeding season. This is beginning to work, as since 2022 we've had multiple singing male Nightingales in the Spring. On your route back you’ll pass Joist Fen on your right which is a hotspot for bearded tits and bitterns here on the reserve, and both routes will enter Brandon Fen on the approach to the finish line, a wooded area which is a nice contrast to the open Fen you'll have been enjoying earlier!
When you reach the finish line, where I (and Karen, one of our lovely volunteers) will record your time and you’ll receive a medal and a very warm welcome! Every single sign-up for the race really does mean the world to us at Lakenheath because it directly supports the wildlife here, and our ability to care for it. Without runners turning up on the day we wouldn’t be able to protect the habitats here as well as we can. There's also a little surprise waiting in the Visitor Centre, as a token of our appreciation...
Afterwards, we’ll have a stand of delicious homemade cakes and hot drinks back at the visitor centre for competitors and their supporters. It’s our volunteers who bake the cakes and many are very talented when it comes to this! They’ll have had their ovens on all across Norfolk and Suffolk the night before, cooking up a variety of delights. We are all very much looking forward to the event and it will be wonderful to see some new faces on the reserve this year too. It’s an ideal event for all abilities- for beginners just getting into running or for seasoned athletes that might want to add something a bit quirky and different to their calendar.We have been working hard to organise things well for the event and thanks to the dedication and commitment of our volunteers, we have a very sturdy network of marshals, two very well signposted routes, a water station and several event first aiders we can call on if we need to.
So far we have just over 70 people due to attend but we have room for plenty more, so if you’d like to book a place, head here: http://bit.ly/RaceforWildlife_2023
I hope this blog has provided a bit more detail on what the event will be like, for anyone who wanted to know more, but if you have any other questions do get in touch at lakenheath@rspb.org.uk
by Heidi Jones
Visitor Experience Officer, Lakenheath Fen