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Underwood 10km

Anyone who has completed the 10km or 5km will probably agree this is as hilly as any run gets.

The start and first km gives everyone a false idea for the run ahead. The initial downhill is followed instantly by a steep long climb. The route is up and down all the way. The last Km being a long steep climb to the finish. A very tough run which is very rewarding once completed.

The conditions this year were ideal, sunny but with a slight chill to stop any runners getting overheated.

The event itself is based at the local junior school with some great homemade cakes on sale to get those energy levels up. They are definitely recommended.

All proceeds this year go to the National Children's Home. This is a great little event as a warm up to the rest of the summer.

Race for Life, Derby

What a cracking event held in the lovely Darley Park in Derby. Obviously this is an all women event and 4,400 of them entered. The park was absoultly packed, mainly with girls dressed in any variety of pink.

The weather couldn't make it's mind up and it rained on and off all the way upto and after the run. However it seemed to hold off during the run.

The course was a tricky run mainly on long wet grass. It took the girls over the river, around to the boathouse and back into the park, where after a lap of the park (with a steep hill in the middle) the finish appeared.

The girls finished the course in a very respectable 31 minutes.

The funniest part of the day has to be highlighted. Bearing in mind the run is for the battle against cancer it was really amusing to see a group of girls warming up by having a pre-race cigrette. Excellent, well done girls!!

Notts 10, Holme Pierpoint

The Notts 10 is said to be the oldest run in England. Not certain about that, but it is a sure warm up before a Friday night curry.

The run is two and a half laps around the Holme Pierpoint Lake totalling 10 miles. It’s a flat course and uninteresting. There are no decent views and the wind can take it’s toll. However it’s an excellent training run as a solid pace can be set from the off and maintained through out the race. There are no hills in the way to upset a steady run.

Mick and Mick entered this Friday teaser. About two hours before the race was due to start there was a flurry of torrential rain, thunder and lightening. It was not looking good. But things did brighten up and in the end the conditions were ideal. The storms held off, there was no strong wind and every now and then there was a drizzle of rain to cool you down.

The aim of the race was to achieve a finish less than 1 hour 30 minutes. At the start it seemed a daunting task but after a couple of miles of road, just over an 8 minute mile pace was very comfortable. The miles passed by fairly quickly and before an Eastender omnibus would’ve finished the home straight loomed ahead. The 8 minute mile pace was maintained right to the finish line to come in with a time of 1 hour 21 minutes and 14 seconds. Both Micks were ecstatic.

With a smile on the face and a big appetite, the after run curry was polished off with a glee of satisfaction.

Results
 
Mick - 1hr 21min 14secs
Mick - 1hr 21min 14secs

(both watches agreed exactly - unbelivable)

Two Castles 10km Run

A record number of 2,236 runners registered the Two Castles Run on Sunday, 12th June, 2005. However according to the results 1856 turned up to run.

The run is a flat to slightly undulating run. It starts at Warwick castle and finishes at Kenilworth Castle. It's a very organised run and well worth the nine quid to enter.

The weather couldn't have been better although the start time could've been. For a 9am start the alarm was set for 5.45am. Thats not right on a Sunday morning.

There were masses of people at the start line which consisted of a single path. It was set up for a big queue at the start which is inevitably what happened. It took probably 4/5 minutes to get through the start line and then another couple of minutes to get out the park. Then it was a weaving exercise to get into any sort of rythem. Once the pace was set though the rest of the run was enjoyable. There were no major hills and the finish at the castle couldn't have been better.

Results

Mick = 51 minutes 47 seconds
Mick = 51 minutes 47 seconds
Ali = 65 minutes
Steph = 65 minutes

Robin Hood Half Marathon

There were 12,000 entrants to the Robin Hood event this year. 10,000 of those entered the half-marathon with 2,000 for the full marathon. The start area, situated on the Trent embankment, was bigger than expected with running shops, massage tent and a full selection of foods. The line up for the start was situated directly next to the river Trent. The markers were set out as to where to start if aiming for a certain time.

At 10am the gun sounded to start the run. From the embankment the route swung left onto the main road, past ‘the Globe’ pub and ‘Hooters’ until reaching the roundabout near the ‘Capitol one’ building. After going right the runners took the first left before the reaching the ‘ICE Stadium’. This was a tough little uphill before turning left again and heading uphill through the Lacemarket. The race went straight through the centre, onto Maid Marian way before heading up into castle gate and through the castle grounds. From there the runners were directed to Wollaton Park to reach the half way mark. After exiting wollaton park the race headed through a housing estate towards the Nottingham ring road where the showcase cinema was passed on the left hand side and the runners went right and back towards the embankment. The last sweeping mile followed the river Trent, through the event area to the finish.

The weather was perfect. It was overcast to begin with and no wind or rain. Towards the end of the half marathon it was slightly muggy and the full marathon runners must’ve felt the heat as it got towards 1pm.

Great North Run

50,000 people entered the Great North Run this year. It was the world’s biggest half-marathon ever and the stage for a world best in the men’s race.

The official start for the masses was 10.40am, slightly later than usual. Maybe due to the volumes of people that needed to get to the start. The BBC were ever present with the usual celebrities running (Dermott O’leary, Nell McAndrew, Ray Stubbs, John Motson etc.) Before the race began the ashes were displayed and a frantic warm up was planned. Sue Barker did the usual presenting.

The start line was bursting with runners going back along the dual carriage at least 1km. Late comers were forced to enter the race by jumping over the closest barrier causing chaos. The runners at the back of the pack didn’t stand a chance of crossing to start until 30minutes after the race had begun. Luckily for all, the entrants were chipped so that the official time was from when the runner crossed the start line to when they crossed the finish line.

The race began for the elite woman’s race and the wheel chair entrants at 10.15. They got a flyer from the off and were a long way down the course before the masses began. The masses started with the elite men’s race. The gun was fired, there was a big surge and nobody moved until the first rows filtered out of the start.

The route followed mainly dual carriage-way through Gateshead to South Shields. The first mile took in a number of under passes until the race crossed the Tyne Bridge. A fantastic sight as thousands of runners flowed over the bridge. From there it was similar surroundings passing the Gateshead Athletic track over a number of roundabouts until the 9th or so mile. Here the route climbed gradually through the main street of a suburb of South Shields. A tricky section where the majority of runners stopped to take a breather. At the top of the climb the race took a step downhill, passed the Marsden pub and then took a left. The last mile was downhill along the coast to the finish line.

The Team had four runners in the Great North Run, Mick (running for ‘mind’), Ali (running for ‘The Dogs Trust’), Mick and Steph (running for ‘Cancer research’). It was a very early start to the day for the guys. After a very hearty breakfast (fry up ofcourse) and a 1 hour drive the guys arrived in South Sheilds, the finish of the course. The task then was to get the bus to the start. getting the bus didn't seem a problem. The problem was getting a bus driver that knew the way to the start. However after getting lost a couple of times the local driver managed to remember where he was and got everyone to the start. From then on it was a battle to get to the start.

The team hustled and bustled their way to the line of 50,000 people. On the way they passed the famous peoples pad, got a glimse of the Ashes and got covered in mud. It was impossible to get to the back so 20minutes after the start gun went the team had to jump the barrier to get a chance of running. The first stretch was an electric atmosphere, all they way to the bridge. From then on though, it was hot and very frustrating. It was impossible to get into any rythem, due to the amount of people darting around in front.

It was an extremly tough run, not because of the undulating terrain but because of the heat. You could have added 20minutes on to most peoples times because of the heat and the amount of people. At last the finish neared. The amount of people collapsing must've been an all time high. The finishing village was massive, it even inclucded a beer tent, which probably wasn't the most sensible thing to have. Anyway even though the times were slow the weekend was worth it. Roll on the next half marathon.

Worksop Half Marathon - 30th October 2005

This year the Worksop Half Marathon was held on a wet Sunday morning at the end of October. Having done the event two years ago Mick thought it was as good a chance as any to go for a personnal best. However the memory must've faded as the course was far from the flat course stored in his memory.

The aim was to do a 7.5 minute a mile race coming into the finish just under the 1 hour 40 minute mark. The first mile was a tough climb and knocked that attempt straight on the head. With the crowded start and the climb the first mile was well over 8 minutes. This meant the rest of the race was a chase to get back the lost time.

The next stage of the race to the halfway mark went by without incident. Most of the run is situated in Clumber park and so there are some good little views to spur you on. After the 7th mile though the heavons opened. The rain came down hard and fast making it very difficult to run in. The last half was a struggle with a welcoming last mile that was totally down hill. The PB was accomplished but getting under 1hour 40mins is yet to be done.

Clowne Half Marathon

The Clowne Half marathon was held on a chilly november Sunday morning. This is renowned for being a tough winter run. However Mick C managed to use this a good training session in the build up to the London Marathon in April. He came in with a decent 1 hour 55 minutes and 5 seconds.