Each year, the challenging but popular 10k race brings hundreds of runners to the town and is supported by local businesses and sponsors. The selected charity for last year's event was the Bridgnorth Food Bank to support their vital work in the local community.
Volunteers at Bridgnorth Food Bank have expressed their gratitude for the donation of £1000, thanks to the fundraising efforts of Bridgnorth Running Club's 10k committee.
Each year, the challenging but popular 10k race brings hundreds of runners to the town and is supported by local businesses and sponsors. The selected charity for last year's event was the Bridgnorth Food Bank to support their vital work in the local community.
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Manchester Marathon 2023
Tim Nash ‘It's been quite a few years since I posted a personal best at any distance, so I was delighted to do just that at the Manchester Marathon. I was even more relieved as I'd had what must be the longest taper in history - about six weeks - due to pain in my left knee, which thankfully didn't trouble me at all on the day. When you're lining up with thousands of strangers many miles from home, it's always good to see a familiar face, but I wasn't expecting one right in front of me! But it was great to catch up with fellow BRC runner Andrew Constantinou on the start line. We were both aiming to finish under four hours, and wished each other good luck. As it was my first real big city marathon - and even though I'd read the pre-race information - it still came as a surprise just how long it took to walk to the start. As part of a huge, snaking mass of runners, it was 9.50am before I crossed the start line, 50 minutes after the fastest 'wave', even though that was 10 minutes earlier than our 'wave' was predicted to start. The time flies though as you go through your mental checklist to see if you have all you need. I couldn't help but feel nervous as I lined up as the enormity of what I'd taken on suddenly hit me - 26.2 miles lay in front of me and my first time running that distance in five years. But once I started, I was too busy concentrating on staying upright and moving at a reasonable pace to worry about anything else. Relieved to see I was running 8.20-8.30 minutes per mile, the miles soon began to pass. But talking of things passing, I couldn't avoid a toilet stop about seven miles! It wasn't long before I caught the 3:45 pacers however and I decided to try to stay with them for as long as I could. People ask how you avoid boredom but I was so consumed with remembering when to have gels, caffeine tabs and drinks and the accompanying maths of when to take them that the time was flying by. A pleasant distraction was the support from the crowds lining the streets - thousands several deep virtually everywhere en route, many with coloured signs and banners. Still feeling good at mile 16 - by which time we were scaling the so-called 'hill' in Altrincham town centre - I noticed I'd moved beyond the pacing group I was in. This really inspired me to push on and, as I was feeling good, managed to increase my pace slightly to around 8.10-8.20 for as long as I could. There were bands and singers everywhere - mostly belting out Oasis songs it seemed - but I was relieved yet a bit 'pumped' to pass the deafening echo of techno music banging out under a flyover bridge as we made our way back towards the city centre. Desperate to avoid previous hydration marathon failures, I gulped down a full bottle of water at every drinks station after halfway. This stood me in good stead and it wasn't until about 24 miles that I started to feel really tired and I had to dig in. This is where the crowds helped and with dozens of strangers yelling your name (as it's on your number) you couldn't help but feel something of a gladiator! Award for the best banner must go to this one 'If you faint, I'll stop your Strava!' By this time my legs were so tired and I'd started slowing up, so I was desperate to see the finish line. Soon it was there and I was done. Within minutes, fellow BRC member Mike Timmington had spotted me and we chatted about our experiences. Mine was unforgettable and will live long in the memory. I think I'll do another marathon - you never know, I might get a pb!’ Mike Timmington ‘Manchester was my 3rd marathon but my first standalone one. My other 2 were in Ironman and Long Course events. I had hoped to prepare for a pb as it is a pretty flat course. Unfortunately training in February and March was affected by injuries so I nearly never turned up. My mate Dan who had entered also, persuaded me to go and treat it as a training run. We did but as true competitors right from the start we knew we were running too fast. We both felt good and passed the time with idle chit chat. We passed halfway in 1hr 44m. A great time but I knew I was going to pay for it later due to the lack of training. It hit me at about 30km. Now having to break into short walks to allow the legs to recover. At 35km I was in agony from the waist down. I couldn't lift my legs and every step was a massive effort. Head down and I was still in touch with my mate who was equally suffering. The last 3km was my hardest ever but the crowds were awesome and so many saw me suffering and shouted encouragement at me which really kept me going. I caught Dan with 400m to go and we crossed the line together in 3hr 52mins. Only 4mins off my pb so I know I have more to give with better preparation. Really great event and would recommend especially for a first one.’ Andrew Constantinou ‘So, after thinking about the challenge of a marathon for some time, a year of running with BRC gave me the confidence to enter the Manchester Marathon. So I mapped out a 20 week training program and all was going well when unfortunately the wheels came off in January when emergency surgery on a detached retina meant I had 6 pretty sedentary weeks and the thought of completing the marathon seemed highly unlikely. However, after resuming training I felt like I was back on track, albeit trying to make-up for lost time. So, with plenty of sage words of advice from lots of friends I lined up at the start looking forward to the challenge ahead. As I stood at the start line, I saw the familiar face of Tim Nash to my left - we had a good chat and to be fair that was the last I saw of Tim as he raced to a new PB! The atmosphere was great, the crowds enthusiastic and the weather kind. I ran very consistently for the first 19 miles and felt strong and felt that I was likely to hit a great time - probably relaxing too much as from mile 20 the legs got heavier and heavier and I finished in 4:01 better than I had expected but a little slower than I had hoped. It was a fantastic experience - I even enjoyed the training, and I’m looking forward to organising my next race!’ Hannah Edie-Pabla ‘Manchester was my second ‘road marathon’ and a bit different for me as I class myself very much as a social runner (and really enjoy off road runs) and for Manchester Marathon I was going solo! I really enjoyed the first 15 miles and felt that I paced myself well, seeing my husband and sons at mile 20 also really helped! The last 10km I thought would be easy but I have to say, I had to dig deep! I had a stroke of luck just as the finish line came into sight, as ‘Eye of the tiger’ came on my playlist, which gave me the motivation I needed to speed up a bit and get a 4 minute PB - happy days!’ Newport Marathon 2023 Paul Stevens ‘After a enjoyable 16 week training plan tweeked with four 1/2's which included Wrexham kindly donated by Vicky Morris, I felt in a good place going into this Welsh Marathon in Newport, My fourth in all, albeit over many years. I had a plan to aim as close to 9 minute miles for as far as my 50 year old body would allow to try and get a sub 4. Initally I stuck to the 4 hour pacer but felt OK to push on from 3 miles. The course itself was predominantly flat and aided by generous water and gel stations throughout. The atmosphere was very good in places and quiet in others which I didn't mind as it helped me zone out and concentrate on the pace. My strategy was going really well until about Mile 20 when I had to start to really dig in. I think this is so mentally challenging at this point. It feels to me thats when the race really starts! Mile 23 onwards my pace really went haywire and it really felt like I was running in treacle. I knew I was getting slower but couldn't do anything about it except to just keep going. As soon as that finish line was in sight I somehow managed to find some extra energy desperately trying to avoid being overtaken by the 4 hour pacer - I got over the line in 3.56 which I was so happy with and I was so thankful to see Rachel Wilson at the finish with her support and a recovery food parcel and for then being my chauffeur drive back home to Bridgnorth as I couldn't walk!’ London Marathon 2023 Nina Williams ‘After 16 weeks of solid training which began in January of this year, I took on the 2023 London Marathon for the second time. I previously ran this in 2018 in 27 degree heat and didn't have a particularly great time. I took a tumble 7 miles in and I didn't run well in warm conditions especially for 26 miles! I remember feeling I hated it and wanted it to end but after the event I decided I wanted to try again. My first time it was a charity place, but this year I was lucky enough to receive a ballot place. Now 4 years older I started out steady and told myself I wanted to remain consistent. This year was very much the opposite to 2018 and wet! I had it in my head that I wanted a sub 5 hour marathon after a 5 hour 29 minute finish in 2018. The 4 hour 30 minute pacer went past me but I kept calm and focussed. At mile 22 the pain kicked in but it wasn't a pain that got any worse so I pushed on. The crowds at London were incredible, they really kept me going. I think I ran the last 5k on adrenaline! As I made my way past Big Ben, I knew I wasn't far away and my time was looking good. I crossed the line in 4 hour 41 minutes and was thrilled with that. A fabulous weekend and one I will never forget! I also had a very supportive group of friends who helped me train and to them I am grateful.' Adam Calloway ‘I won a place in the ballot for the London Marathon, which completely amazed me, and decided to raise funds for Crohn’s and Colitis, a charity which is important to me, having had Crohn’s for over 30 years. Very similar to Andrew’s post, you never stop learning about the impact of a marathon on the body. I thought I was really well prepared in terms of training runs, but on the day, things didn’t quite go to plan. Because of how quickly I digest food due to having a large part of my bowel removed in an operation years ago, the planning of eating food is a nightmare, especially as far as exercise is concerned. Starting in an early wave, and the travel across to the start line meant that I ran the marathon on an empty stomach. This probably accounts for me running my fastest ever mile, 5k, 10k, and half marathon, during the race! But then the wheels came off at Mile 19. The lack of food and fluid left me flagging, with little energy for the last 7 miles. Without the amazing support of the incredible crowd and race Marshalls, who when you need to dig deep, act as a wave pushing you towards the beach, I wouldn’t have finished with a time of 4hours 5mins, which I was delighted with. However, the whole experience taught me some valuable lessons about fuelling up and pacing myself, which I need to put into place at future long runs - beginning with Edinburgh at the end of May.’ Bridgnorth Running Club member Sara Kent Nunney and her rescue farm dog Ralph recently competed in Canicross for team GB at the International Federation of Sleddog Sports European Championships in Germany finishing in an impressive 21st place.
This was Ralph’s first “big” race as he is only just 2 years old coming to Sara as a rescue dog in early 2022.The very hot summer cut into his training time and almost all the early season races were shortened, meaning he had only raced once over one full course before the Championships. Sara and Ralph raced successfully over the challenging two-day event in warm conditions, competing against some amazing runners, some with enormous purpose bred hounds. Sara said ‘Competition standard was amazing, and my aims were always to be fast enough on day one to make the cut to run for day two and to give a novice dog a safe and enjoyable championship debut. I’m delighted with how well Ralph handled the big occasion, very proud to have competed for the British team and excited to see if we can build our endurance and lower our times further.’ For more info on Canicross, contact Bridgnorth Running Club. Bridgnorth Food Bank has been given a big boost by the town’s running club. The club hosted a fun run and barbeque to raise funds for the charity recently.
Club members handed over around £100 worth of food and provisions, as well as collecting £112 in donations. The event was based at Willey Village Hall and involved a run of up to four miles around surrounding lanes and woodland. “This was our annual social event and we chose to support the Bridgnorth Food Bank to benefit because it is such a good cause,” said Natalie Carr, running club chair. “There was a good turn out of members and an amazing response when we asked for food donations, with more gifts still coming in. “We all enjoyed the run and it was great to be able to sit down and relax with a barbeque afterwards,” Natalie added. Phil Webster, chair of the Bridgnorth Food Bank, thanked the club for its contribution. He commented: “Without the donations of organisations such as Bridgnorth Running Club the food bank could not help the number of clients who now require our support.” Bridgnorth Running Club caters for adults of all abilities and meets on a Monday and Thursday under the Town Hall at 7pm. For further information see www.bridgnorthrunningclub.co.uk The Bridgnorth Food Bank plays a vital role in the provision of emergency food parcels and medium term support for the residents of Bridgnorth and the surrounding area. Based in West Castle Street, it opens from 10.30am until 12.30pm each Monday and also provides advice on budgeting skills, support advice and information on family-based activities. By Lucy Brooks So after running for around 4 years I decided it was time to take the plunge and enter my first marathon!!! So I entered the Yorkshire Plusnet Marathon in October and then in true Lucy style panicked and thought I better have a practise run first. Training began in January mostly by just starting to build base miles and up my weekly mileage every three weeks with one week cut back. In the weeks leading up to marathon time I was rather terrified that coach William Laye had decided I didn’t need long runs, nothing over 2.5 hours. I managed to convince him to give me one 20 mile run for peace of mind but other than that the furthest I ran was 17miles. I did stick to my training plan fairly religiously which meant that I had completed some fairly horrific hangover runs which Richard Amos mostly dragged me through!!! One week to go and I wasn’t totally feeling optimistic. Too many people kept saying sub 4 which I had no hope of reaching, I was hoping 4:30 but under 5 and I would be pleased – this was my practise marathon!! Friday night – fool proof plan lets go out until 2am drinking, Saturday hungover parkrun, travel to Liverpool, many hydration tablets and bottles of water, feel pretty rough early night, passout, Sunday ready to race. Marathon day arrived and I was feeling a little happier and more confident as I’d decided to not put any time pressure on myself, just get round and run happy. There were many messages of luck from the lovely BRC members and a lovely thankyou from Lucy for help to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer in memory of Dave ‘Just remember all the times he took the piss out of you for getting a taxi to The George‘. Waiting at the start line I was next to the 5:15 pacer and there were very few people behind. I have some really reassuring chats with a couple of older experienced ladies who reassured me everything would be ok. Then a lovely message from Natalie reminding me to just enjoy myself and take lots of selfies. We set off in waves and so I was about 10mins after the first runners. Cross the start line, selfie, don’t go too fast just stay comfortable and ease into it. I’d decided to just catch up with the 5 hour pacer and then see how it goes. I was checking my watch intermittently to make sure I wasn’t going too fast (I was, the plan was 9:50min miles I was around 9:30 but decided when I caught up with the 5hour pacer I could slow down). So this was it, I was doing it, it was happening, it was gonna be REALLY far but I’d trained hard and it was all going to be ok! At around mile 1 I heard my name and looked over and my lovely husband was there with a fantastic banner, YEY!!!! I was feeling good but reminding myself it was a long way, don’t go too fast. The bands along the course were absolutely fantastic and I was dancing passed most of them, which very much ruined my pace and my running form but who cares I was having fun. By now I have passed the 5 hour pacer and could see the 4.30 pacer in front of me. I decided to just catch him up slowly and then see how I felt, I could just run with them and I’d be set. So I caught them up but there were far too many people crowded around so I decided to just run a little bit ahead of them. We passed the Everton Stadium and then came into a lovely park with a big pond full of ducks – selfie time, love ducks!!! About half way through the park was a band which I had a little bop to and another selfie with J. I was now following Sonic the hedgehog very much enjoying running through the park. 118 118 band, selfie time! We went up a ‘hill – slope’ and around a corner passed the Liverpool Stadium – quick photo and then back into the park coming back down. All the time I’m thinking I do enjoy running in a park and this is very pretty just don’t go too fast, quick glances at the watch – No 8’s allowed!!! Out the park we came to a hill, which a lovely lady at the start had mentioned, it was a bit steeper and longer but half way up was a band of drummers so I was pretty much loving that!!! I bounced up the hill slightly shaking my ass the the beats and passing quite a few people who clearly trained in areas flatter than Bridgnorth. At the top a lovely runner said this is the highest point in Liverpool - ‘OMG your like a tour guide, I might just run with you for the rest of the race and hear loads of amazing facts!’ – I think he was horrified!! In my mind I was thinking right highest point must mean lots of downhill, don’t go too fast. hen we came back into the town. We passed the Cavern Club and then ran down towards the Town Hall with a Beatles tribute band playing on the balcony – selfie time, I had to run backwards to do this which was a challenge and told myself repeatedly don’t fall over and ruin it all!! There was my lovely hubby again with his incredible banner. I was now playing overtake and catch up with a man in a Marathon Du Medoc T shirt who must have been about 70, saying to myself I really want to do that, should I ask him about it? I will not be beaten by a man in his 70’s!! – actually he’s probably really fit. We then came into Chinatown with an incredible band of drums and Chinese music under a beautiful arch way – selfie time. I could now see the 4.15 pacer just up ahead,I thought I’ll just catch him and then definitely stay with them. I caught up and asked him what average pace was it for 4.15, 9.40 he replied. He was very focused and seemed a little cross that I didn’t know. ‘I think I’ll just hang out with you for a bit then’. We got to another ‘hill’ and a lot of the runners around him seemed to trail back struggling to keep up up the incline, I stuck with him, mostly enjoying the extra space. Lots of claps and cheers at the top to which I said thankyou in my sing song voice to – pacer looked horrified at me and so I decided I might just run a little bit ahead where my lack of taking it seriously enough wouldn’t be frowned upon!! And then suddenly I was half way, I felt really good, quick half way selfie. OK so your ahead of the 4.15 pacer, stop checking your watch, if he catches you up, just try to stay with him and you’ll get an amazing time, good plan. So I just ran happy we went through loads of really pretty parks and the bands and support were amazing. I was mostly thinking about my running form now to make sure I didn’t waste energy, fast cadence, little steps, feet landing underneath my body and push off. I was also reminding myself to take lots of selfies to make sure I didn’t get too caught up in trying to hard and forget to enjoy myself. I just kept thinking I feel really good, I’m really enjoying this, I’m sure at some point there’s gonna be a lot of pain but not now, right now it’s really good. I decided to have the odd jelly baby from now on to keep my energy up, I’d not trained with Gels and I don’t like them so that was never happening. Through the park I reach an out and back part and couldn’t remember if I had already run along it or not (there were a few parts on the course where runners were coming the other way) – this could be a sign I was a bit tired, I had a little giggle to myself. Another amazing drumming band, selfie, selfie, selfie – I hadn’t seen the band and so I hadn’t been out, I need to still come back the other way. This was up hill and so back would be downhill and that was good, I was still enjoying but getting a little tired, I reminded myself to have little sips of water at each stop from now on and also started pouring some down my back to try and keep cool, the day didn’t seem particularly hot so I should be ok. The 4 hour pacer was on the way back down but I wasn’t sure how far in front he was, just enjoy it and don’t worry about time. Got to the end and there was a music van playing Penny Lane on repeat – loving it, selfie, assume this is penny lane. Pass the 4.15 pacer running up the hill, seems far enough behind that I’m doing ok. Then back down the way I had come, passed the drums again, still loving them, more selfies!!! I passed the 20 mile point, this was now the furthest I’d ever run, but I felt good. Actually thinking about it I had done a few 7/8 mile training runs when rather hungover where I felt considerably worse and I managed to get through them, I can totally do this, no problem!!! I’ve totally got this. I was pretty tired but had definitely run further and faster feeling worse, was still thanking supporters in my sing song voice and high fiving all the kids. It was good I was enjoying it. Through another park and then I could see the Mersey in front of me, I knew this meant about 5K to go, just a little parkrun, I actually felt better than I did starting parkrun hungover yesterday, YES got this BOOM. I looked at my watch and it was on 3:30, if I push this I can get sub 4! But what if I push too hard and lose it, what if I don’t run happy, what if I get to the end and want to die??? I was actually in torment, push for the time or just keep enjoying myself, what to do? At this point my watch started going crazy and I know my lovely messenger friends were talking about me – though I couldn’t see what they were saying and also couldn’t see how far left. I was still going past people, in fact hardly anyone had passed me the whole race, joys of starting at the back, and this was great for my confidence. I was getting a bit tired now, I was trying to push a bit. I was coming up behind an many who was probably around 60 wearing a 100 marathons Tshirt and I let out a little sigh. ’Are you OK?’ he asked ‘Yes, I was just thinking that’s a lot of marathons, this is my first so between us 101, although you’ve probably done more’ he replied he had. I explained my dilemma and he said running happy was probably best. I thanked him wished him luck and carried on. I got to mile 25 and I was REALLY tired this wasn’t easy anymore and I was struggling but it was just over 1 mile and I couldn’t give up. So I told myself short steps and keep going nearly there. I was mostly still passing people but it was hard now! I was desperate to see the end, kept checking my watch to ee how far and how close to sub 4 I was, messenger was going crazy so couldn’t see distance but I had about 5 mins, I wasn’t going to make sub 4 but was determined to keep pushing. Then I thought I could see the finish, is that the end I asked a marshall? ‘Yes’ right faster I run the sooner I’m there. Fast arms here we go, oh photographers, smile, smile, smile, arms in the air, happy, happy, happy – FINISHED!!!!!!!! 4:01:13 - OMG my legs are actually dead might collapse , photo of watch, send to messenger. Omg what the hell has happened to my legs I may never walk again!!! Photos. In to collect Tshirt, stretch, dear god stretch, owie, owie, owie, very tired bit of a mess. Where’s my free beer?????? BOOM!!! Ok so I wasn’t sub 4 but I was aiming for 4:20 at best and I was flippin a hell of a lot faster than that!!! Advice for others thinking of doing a Marathon.
Huge thank you to everyone who sponsored me :) It's not very often that i gush about how lucky I am, but last night was one of those nights that made me feel incredibly thankful. It was a glorious, if slightly chilly Wednesday evening, which was to see the first fell race of the Shropshire Summer Series; Caradoc Classic. I'd never done this particular race before and the butterflies in my stomach were well aware of that fact, as they fluttered on the drive to Church Stretton. I don't normally feel the nerves before fell races so i was glad to relax a bit when i met up with everyone else from BRC at registration. Fell races are a far smaller affair than most road races, and always friendly and welcoming of everyone. You end up with a real mix, from speedy under 15 kids to over 70s, and you'd be incredibly brave to try and guess who's going to finish where. Looks can be deceiving and experience plays a massive part when racing on the open hillsides. 7:15pm and we made our way to the start, Caer Caradoc looming over us in the evening sunshine. My nerves came back... Time for a quick warm up and some traditional BRC pre-race selfies, courtesy of Nat, before we were called forward to the start line. The BRC support crew of Will, Sharron, Julie and Andrew had already headed off to provide much needed encouragement along the route and with a shout of 'GO', we were soon in hot pursuit. The race started with a runnable 1.5km stretch to the foot of Caradoc before a steep climb up to the first false summit. Smile and wave to the camera and an exhausted 'thank you' to Julie, Sharron and Andrew. We climbed again, levelled off, then up yet again to the turn around point. The view at the top was stunning, clear skies and patchwork fields as far as the eye could see. But now the fun bit. Immediately from the turn around we were into a pretty fast steep descent. I really really love the downhill and over the years I've either grown in confidence or managed to block out the fear, allowing me to go pretty fast. I barrelled down, overtaking a fair few runners, thighs screaming with every foot plant. Before I knew it the ground levelled off and we were on the the run in. My legs were like jelly, breathing hard, desperately trying to stay in touch with the runners in front. Finally, back onto the tarmac and a short sprint to the finish; time to breathe! As I watched everyone else come in it was wonderful to see the mixture of real effort and pleasure on people's faces. Fell running is hard, but I can't imagine a more amazing way of spending half an hour on a gorgeous Wednesday evening in Shropshire. Quite simply, I love living where I do, I love running and I love the hills. I'm very lucky to be able to be part of such special moments with a brilliant, supportive running club around me. Well done to everyone that took part at Caradoc, but special mention to Derek in his first fell race, Rich getting a massive PB and Jenny on winning her age category. Now onto the next in the Summer Series, the Wrekin Streak. Strava link - https://www.strava.com/activities/959361822 Results - http://www.merciafellrunners.org.uk/node/2912 BRC member Gemma Brown tells us about her first Half Marathon experience... by Gemma Brown On Sunday 12th March, I took on my biggest running challenge yet since joining the club in 2015 doing couch to 5K, The Silverstone half marathon!! There were 3 of us from Bridgnorth Running Club there, we travelled down together and in good spirits. We arrived in good time, I was under trained, over prepared (enough food for a family, half my first aid kit, extra clothes, extra drinks and extra gels) and super anxious!! As soon as we began the trek from the car park I began to feel intimidated and a little over whelmed by the crowds. The baggage drop was easy, there were plenty of toilets and a disappointing charity village, still so many people all milling around and of course it was trying to rain. I had already had to make a big decision about whether to wear my coat and ditch it at the start, it was now in the baggage drop and we were getting damp shoulders. I had decided to wear my asthma UK charity vest even though this was not a sponsored event for me, mainly because all of my running is for them in memory of my son. I so pleased I wore it as I soon got chatting to another man raising money for them through taking on a 1000 mile challenge, I was reminded of my determination and my excitement was growing!! Off we wandered to the starting pens, so many people everywhere!! We were near the back with our estimated finish time and couldn't even see the start. We made sure we stayed to the open side, the last thing I wanted was to be stuck on the inside, trapped by people. My first gel was consumed and we waited, we had a giggle about a bit as it was starting to get a bit cool although the rain seemed to be stopping!! Time soon crept up on us and almost without warning there was music and excitement and the race had started. I had been given lots of advice from fellow runners, mainly not to start off too quick, so naturally, this is exactly what happened! The first Km was exhilarating but it was tough, my watch told me I had done it in 7mins, I'm a steady runner and never do 7 min Ks!! I had a word with myself and told my friend I needed to slow down so we did. Sadly not enough, the next K was only 30 seconds slower and I was getting stitch. So I listened to my body and slowed down to my pace and the stitch eased and disappeared, thank goodness for that. The sun was starting to shine through the clouds, before we had even got to 2 miles the buff was off and I had stripped off on the racecourse to remove my long sleeve top, I figured most people would have seen a sports bra and it was a case of needs must. Running with just my vest felt great, there was a cool breeze and I felt great and raring to go again. My fellow running club friend had initially encouraged me to take on the challenge and we agreed to run in together, our other friend had trained properly and was aiming for a time rather than a finish so it was just to two of us. We chatted and the distance passed. We listened to dodgy music from the DJs and were in high spirits enjoying the company of those around us. We even ran with a man in a giant Mr Rush costume who was running barefoot! I had another gel after 1 hour and was enjoying the caffeine high. Again the time and distance passed and we ran whilst chatting, there was the odd walk break and jelly baby consumed. We got to 10k and had beat my previous 10k PB, I was buzzing!! A quick text to my husband reassured him that I was loving it!! Before we knew it we has got to 16k and decided to make the most of the toilets with out queues. Sadly a few people I wanted to beat seemed to have passed us during this time including a four person plane. We carried on but my friend was starting to struggle, she was recovering from injury and I tried to motivate and support her. We joined a lady who was 'jeffing', we ran for 45seconds and walked for 30. This was somewhat enjoyable and lifted our spirits. We were running at a slightly faster pace than her so we so pulled away and carried on. I realised I had missed my second hourly gel by 25mins and decided I was okay and we were near enough to the finish. The water stops were often and alternate ones were lucozade, I had decided to carry my own drinks so I could drink when I needed to instead of being confined to water stops and risk running with a bottle or even worse throwing an almost full bottle on the floor, going against my recycling and waste morals!! We had got to 18k before pain in my upper inside legs was becoming more and more problematic, the painkillers I had taken half an hour previous were not as helpful as I had hoped and I was really regretting not taking that second gel. My friend was struggling and urged me to leave her, but ensuring we both got round was more important than me getting a better time so she was stuck with my fairly consistent chatter. Fast forward a the last couple of Km, some moaning about blisters and a few expletives and we crossed the finish line together, running with a smile on our faces. Almost instantly I felt heavy, stiff and tired, I was out of adrenaline and the goody bag was almost too heavy!! I found my medal straight away to take a selfie to send my family against the clock as my phone was nearly out of battery. I was so chuffed, so tired and my legs didn't feel like mine. We got our bags and the slow painful walk back to the car felt like miles, I had convinced myself that my feet had been replaced with two large blisters. On further inspection when we got back to the car, only 1 blister on my middle toe and no blisters on the soles of my feet, they were just incredibly sore! I felt a little worse for wear and extremely tired, but I had done it!! I did a half marathon and I really enjoyed it (this was a big surprise to me!). The course was pretty flat apart from slopes under and over bridges. I was worried it might be boring, it certainly wasn't! In fact, I was quite excited to be running on a Formula 1 race circuit! We weaved around all of the circuits there, we could often see runners in front or behind through the fences, towards the end of our run, a lot of people had finished and were leaving on mass. The section from and to the start/finish was the only part we ran twice, it felt much longer on the way back though! There seemed plenty for spectators in the form of food stalls and places to stand. All in all, a great day, if not a little exhausting! More importantly, I can't wait for the next one! By Andrew Davies
It is raining hard and blowing an icey cold gale as I leave the accommodation, with the fell tops all covered in a white blanket of snow, as I drive to Keswick. On arrival I find the weather has improved as I park up at the town Football Club’s muddy car park to make my way to Keswick School to collect my running number at the check in desk having already pre entered the sold out race with its limit of 500 competitors. The race start at 12.00 is at the other far end of town, a fifteen minute walk and all congregate outside George Fishers ( walking / activity shop) for the pre-race briefing, before being led a hundred metres or so to the official start just below the traffic island on the B5289 road to Borrowdale. It is a slow start for me and six seconds have already elapsed after the gun before I even get moving due to the final total field of 476 runners. The first part along the B5289 is very crowded with runners and I have to weave in and out to get past some of them. The temperature is only 3 degrees and my legs feel heavy and cold as I run the four miles to the Grange turning. The road has not been closed to traffic and although only light, there are still a couple of vehicles which come past the runners at a too fast a speed. On one occasion I am nearly hemmed into the rock by the roadside as two cars come from each direction and I bang on the car’s side window to show my annoyance. Why is he in such a hurry on a road that goes to nowhere except Borrowdale? He replies by blowing his horn at me before then continuing to speed off. Once over Grange bridge I feel I am beginning to get into the race with all my body at last warmed up as the route takes a minor road which climbs for about a mile following under Maiden Moor and Cat Bells and looking across down to Derwent Water on the right hand side. Along here a water station is provided but the water is like ice and two sips are plenty! I look at the runners in front of me and select a certain runner, say sixth in front of me and decide to make the effort to pick them off. I do this three times between here and the finish and succeed in the quest. By Hawes End and before the cattle grid, the route turns left along a narrower road leading to Skelgill from where there is a long descent to bypass Stair and then onto Swinside where another left turn is made half way up a hill which immediately passes behind a pub cooking Sunday lunches as the smell of fat wafts out of the extractor fan. It is level running now along the road under Swinside hill and beside its forest over to the right to reach the next T junction through Ullock before a long final climb to join another wider road taking us into Portinscale where the finish is down a cul de sac to the right of the hotel. At the finish the lady number taker says to me’ V65 I have been waiting for you’ for I am first in age category and have won a prize being a ten pound note, a bottle of Wainwright beer, a Keswick AC clothes bag and a free entry into next year’s race. However there are no goody bags or anything else at this event – just running for the enjoyment! After a shower back at the school I attend the prize giving. It has been a good day out and event, just a shame about the traffic on the first part of the course. Time 1.15.16 Position 138 / 476 runners. By Nickie Smith I can't really remember what it was that made me agree to take on the Severn Path Ultra, at that time I had so much going on with a new job, new home...lots of changes...I do remember thinking that if the lovely Vicky Andrews was going to do it, then so was I and that was that - Team UltraBot. But, as I think everyone knows now, the lovely Vicky only went and got pregnant so had to pull out, no such liberation for me.... That was way back in October 2015... A long time until May 2016, plenty of time to train, or so I thought. So how do you train for a 60+ mile run..? In truth, I don't know how a 'proper' athlete trains, I don't read autobiographies about amazingly inspirational super heroes who achieve epic runs, I don't follow any training plans or have a special diet.... My 'plan' was to run with the club on the usual Monday & Thursday sessions and then go for a long run at the weekend, aiming for about 40 miles if I could. My 'actual effort' was a bit different....I lost my mojo for running and life in general for a while and the longest training run was only 18 miles, so not even a third of the distance of the event.. In my head I had broken the run down into a more manageable distance, so I just had to run four half marathons and a 10k to finish...that's ok...right..? So that's pretty much what I did. I hadn't trained enough, didn't eat the right food, and definitely didn't get enough sleep - but I went out with a relay team and support runners from the club and did it... A brief run down of the day; Start point - Montford Bridge, Shrewsbury. I set off with Simon & Matt, though Matt clearly wanted to go his own way...he did follow the route, even when we couldn't find the first gateway because it was so overgrown since we did the recce back in March. A lovely, mainly off road section round the meanders of the river. CP 1 - Atcham One down, three and a bit to go.... Said 'see you laters' to Simon and 'Hello' to Harriet, the next relay runner. I ate a few handfuls of salted peanuts, a quarter piece of cheese sarnie and a slice of malt loaf - I wasn't hungry but knew that I needed to keep the energy levels up. A fair bit of on-road running in this section but still plenty of lovely country side views and animals for Harriet to talk to. CP 2 Ironbridge Two half marathons done, two more and the bit at the end still to do... Stepping up as the relay runner was David, and joining the support crew was Natalie - who was also turning Ultra as she was going to stick with me to the end... Had another few handfuls of the nuts - loving the salt, a quarter of the cheese sarnie, more malt loaf and washed it down with a cup of squash. I topped up the hydro pack with water and set off. This section is very familiar to lots of us, down the old railway track, so it did just feel like I was running home. So great that the route came through Brignorth and there were some lovely peeps waiting to cheer me on. This was not an official stop, but the lure of ice cream was too great for Matt and so in his place as support crew were Jenny & Amanda. I took the opportunity to change my socks, after thirty or so miles they were a little bit mingy (thanks Nina for washing them) CP 3 Hampton Loade Three half marathons done, just one more and the 10k... The next relay runner to join the team was Laura (Simon's sister) I stuck to the same eating pattern - it seemed to be working out ok, and I really didn't fancy anything sweet. I was really starting to feel it in the legs by now, and this next section had a lot of grass fields that had been cut leaving the long grass on the ground, it kept tangling around my feet which I was already struggling to lift off the ground..A much slower walk/run pace from now on.. Onward into Bewdley to be greeted with provisions of ice cold water (thanks Amos) and to say goodbye to Jenny & Amanda. CP 4 Stourport on Severn Four half marathons done, just this last little bit... More nuts, cheese sarnie, malt loaf and squash. After running over 25 miles already as my support crew, the official relay runner to take us to the finish line was Natalie, and Sarah joined as my support crew, along with Simon who wanted to do the start and the finish of the day. By now I was pretty knackered, and so running was out of the question. I'd never been down the neck of the river and so was totally reliant on the others to keep us on course. My watch had died at 52 miles, so I was recording the last bit on my phone - my brain couldn't compute the distance remaining, and it was clearly more than the stated 58 on the entry form. I did turn into a bit of a toddler, asking for distance updates every few minutes - "are we nearly there"... And was most put out that a bull, along with his cows and the calves, were blocking the path - how inconsiderate!! - we had to go all the way around the outside edge of the field - there was no way I was going to outrun a pissed off bull... With the light fading and me dead on my feet, we found our way to the finish line, a caravan park somewhere in Holt - no crowds or fanfare, just Steve in his orange Landrover. A quick medal presentation, handing out of t-shirts & a buff - photo taken for the website, and he was off to find the other chap who was 2 hours behind us.. Thanks to Rob Carr & Julie Roberts who were there to get us back home, I was a total zombie by then…… What an amazing day, a totally surreal experience... 62 miles in a day. In hindsight, just a few things I would do differently;
I hadn't realised that my one day run was actually part of a five day challenge, The Severn Challenge - from the source to the mouth of the River Severn, 217 miles in total..... And the medal I received is part of a larger five piece medal that's really pretty cool... Too cool actually not to get the rest of it, so now you've all seen it too - who's in next year..? If this girl can, then you can too :-) Massive thanks to all the peeps who helped me along the way... Natalie Carr, Simon Mapp, Matt Kirkby, Harriet Quast, David Carson, Stuart Carr, Rob Carr, Sarah Millington, Nina Williams, Jenny Norton, Amanda Prescott, Laura Livesey, Dave Prescott, Richard Amos, Julie Roberts, Vicky Andrews. BRC Member Sam Trevor recounts her first (and maybe last) marathon experience at Edinburgh Marathon. So the day eventually arrived. Nerves were bad as I left the apartment but once I met with the others and said a teary goodbye to Craig I felt good. Had a few pictures with Cat, Bec and Craig and we left Craig and Bec at their pen and Cat and I went to ours. Still feeling happy, a few more pictures and we were away. The first few miles were around town, always having Arthur's seat in view and saw an amazing fairy house for Holly. We saw Craig, Kieran, Holly, Dad and Sherrell at mile 4 quick kiss and off we went. Just after mile 4 we joined the seafront; running down Portabello sea front was amazing. Time was good, had to rein Cat in a few times, but on the whole things were going well. Mile 12 is where it started to go wrong, yes mile 12 was not happy, the sickness made its appearance. I thought if I get a fizzy drink I'll burp it away, so bless Cat she ran into Lidl and came out with coke for free, bless the lady in the shop. I didn't have much just enough to burp lots, Cat started grading them! After this we decided that we would have to opt for the run / walk strategy. We then arrived at my new house (an amazing stately home) where at mile 18 things went from bad to worse. I stopped and threw up in the garden of the big house (surely this means I own that little bit of land!). We walked for a good half a mile just to sort myself out hoping that would make me feel better. We then carried on run / walking until mile 20 where I started to feel very poorly, felt very wobbly and yes threw up again. The temperature was really hot at this point Cat said “We are walking you can't run anymore if we are going to finish this marathon you have to walk.” After some crying I knew it was the right thing to do. I was bitter and disappointed but every time I ran I felt so ill, I had to finish one way or another. Thought that if we just walked I wouldn't be sick again, wrong, mile 23 just before the wonderful Lucy appeared with Lucozade I threw up again. Anything I drank just kept coming back I was feeling so disappointed as this isn't what I wanted, I always knew it was going to be incredibly difficult and had already said if I have to run / walk I will, but walking the last 6 miles wasn't my plan. Bless Lucy, she walked with us for 2 miles, apparently we walk incredible quickly. Heading towards mile 25 I was feeling awful and yet again I threw up. Turn the corner and I saw Kieran, there was crying from me and he walked with us for a bit before we headed into the last corner. Feeling very ill I was not going to walk that last bit so off I ran with my wonderful friend Cat. Crossing the finish was just the best thing ever. Running this marathon has been the hardest thing I've ever done, I couldn't have done it without the support of Craig, Kieran, Holly and my family and friends who have help me by looking after Holly so I could run. Thank you to Bex for making training so much fun. Thank you to Lucy for being the best supporter ever, getting me Lucozade and walking the few miles with us. Thank you to you all. But my biggest thank you goes to Cat. Cat got me through all the training and has been truly amazing. But on marathon day she stuck by me for 26.2 miles even when I was throwing up she was amazing, she made me laugh when it was going all wrong, she went to the shop to find me a drink. But most of all she got me round without ending up in the back of an ambulance, which at one point I thought I may have. Cat is amazing person who I can't thank enough for what she did for me. So to sum up my marathon experience. It was hell and I'm never doing it again!!! |
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