Taught a lesson

What miserable conditions yesterday for the Haldane Fisher Syd Quirk Half Marathon.

As I stood waiting for the start feeling the effects of the wind and the rain I wished that I was not there. Not just because of the discomfort (it was much better once we actually started running) but because I would have liked to have filmed Colin Watterson's pre-race briefing.

Colin is second only to Gordie Brew of Western AC as the longest serving club Chairman in the UK (or is it the other way around?) and his role of briefing the competitors of the dangers that they should be aware of is extremely important and serious. But as he listed all the places on the course where there was flooding, wet leaves, wind and rain I felt I had to be flippant and shouted "Haven't you got any good news for us Colin". I would have liked to have recorded the race briefing of the doomiest and gloomiest race briefing that I have ever heard!

I worked out it was the 14th time that I have finished the Syd Quirk which makes me (with Steve Kelly) the second most experienced in the event, even if it is only half the number of finishes clocked up by Alan Pilling. It was a personal worst for me and for the first time I ran more than a minute a mile slower than my best ever time. What is more, it was slower than eithe half of my run in London just a few months ago.

But I certainly wasn't trying any the less and wasn't going to let too much people beat me easily. It was fairly obvious that Lloyd Taggart, Martin Malone and Mike Garrett were going to take the top three places and I settled into a race for fourth tracking half marathon debutant Russell Collister with plenty of runners not too far behind.

I thought we were pulling away until Rob Sellors passed us before end of the first lap and left me for dead. I knew as soon as he passed me that he had me beaten and I would imagine he was one of the few to set a personal best. The primary school head teacher must have been slowed by the weather so he clearly has more improvement to come. The prolific racer had not competed since the Western 10 four weeks earlier. Training hard for endurance events and then lightening the load often has a delayed benefit and I think that Rob may have taught himself a lesson.

Oh and by the way, Colin's answer to my cheeky question was: "There will be better weather next year". 56 runners and 44 walkers who made it to the finish yesterday will be pretty pleased if Colin's long range forecast is as accurate as Adrian Cowin's forecast of the doom and gloom that Colin described at the start of the race was. Whilst I can't speak for all of the larger than normal number of non-starters, I think that some of them might be on the start line if he is right!