Describing the Mighty Deerstalker as a fun run would, you’d think, be stretching the meaning of the word “fun” so much that it would eventually make a sickening twang and snap. A wee bit like the hamstrings of those mad enough to take part.

But there were smiles everywhere on March 20. I was amazed; I was awestruck; I was baffled. If I had to drive round the same course, which required wading through freezing water, I can’t imagine I’d be grinning like a refugee from a Steradent commercial.

Many of the participants in the 5K and 10K runs had also taken part in previous years’ Deerstalkers. I couldn’t work out whether they were exceptionally tough or whether they had really lousy memories.

As you can see, numerous false moustaches were on display at the event. Personally, I’m not a fan of those. I find them a bit too weird. And I say that as a vehicle with fake body fur and artificial horns.

The things that really creeped me out, though, were the head-torches that the runners wore. They were not so much fog lamps for humans as demonic forehead eyes: many a runner made me jump when they emerged, like a sweaty cyclops, from the darkness.

But, man, what a party there was afterwards. The Beerstalker party tent produced far wobblier knees than any of the ascents on the run did.

See you in 2011?