Congleton Half Marathon

Sunday October 4^th.

Cheshire Grand Prix

Summer Series, Race 20.

The impression was that many had taken the Summer Series race at a time. Sutton finished and suddenly Congleton loomed large. ‘I haven’t got the mileage in my legs’ seemed to be the catch-phrase of the week, spoken either as an explanation for not running, or as a means of managing-down expectation for those who were running. I’ve learned never take to these statements at face value and my friends in League 4, whom I had been close to/ahead of at Sutton, beat me by 5 or 6 minutes. 

The course is an excellent one, more challenging than Wilmslow, less daunting than Macclesfield. It is well marshaled. I think, however, I was not alone in starting to feel suicidal when the 11-mile marker failed to appear, by then I was moving somewhat slowly, but surely not that slowly, as I anxiously checked my watch.

It was cloudy to start but the sun quickly broke through and windless, it was a perfect Autumn day for a run.

The Grand Prix meant we had a good selection of stars on show.  Rob was 4^th. and 1^st. M50, Barry was 8^th. and 2M40, Andrew was 9^th. and 2M45, Nick was 27^th., Tom 32^nd. and 1^st.M60, James 36^th. 

Janine was 2^nd. Lady overall, Sharon was 3^rd. Lady, Diane was 3F40, Louisa was our fourth lady, Nicky was 2F55 (beaten amazingly by 7 minutes) then Huma, Angela, Sally 3F35, Gail, Clare, Athenais, Sue, Catriona, Elspeth and Claire.

Brian was again dominant in League 2. Janine was 2^nd. , Sharon 3^rd. Then Andy, Paul, Matt, Steve, Louisa and Tim. Whilst many felt that their diet of short races left then ill-prepared for a Half, Andy’s 170km. in the Alps perhaps tended to the other extreme.

Diane, who has had an excellent second half to the season won another League 3 60-points ahead of Nicky, Geoff, Gareth, Huma, John, Patrick, who struggled in the later miles, and Chris, who moved-up after a conservative start.

League 4 positions changed throughout the race and were only sorted in the final straight. James, improving race by race, took his first 60 points, Angela beat Sally by 3 seconds, Gail beat Clare by 5 seconds.

Despite being a distance behind those I flatter myself as rivals, I finished knowing I had run to the limit of my fitness/ability, the ultimate satisfaction. Athenias did remarkably well given she was making her debut at the Half and in a Wilmslow vest. Sue is good over this distance and produced probably her best race of the Series. At a previous Congleton Half, Cat passed me at 11 miles and then stormed up ‘The Sting’, she’s not quite in that form at present but ran well. Two years ago, I narrowly held-off a fast-finishing Claire, much has changed in her life since then and she was 25 minutes slower, but there is a theory that a woman runs faster after having had a child.

Simon secured his objective, 60 League 5 points. He’s won so many M70 first places we come to take it for granted, bit of a surprise to see him edged-out by a matter of 21 minutes. Elspeth just missed 2 hours, but was far from disconsolate, then Trevor and Claire.

Strong vocal support from Chris, Carolyn, Roy, Paul, Andy, Alan and Mike much appreciated.

My understanding is that our ladies won the Grand Prix but the men were narrowly beaten, but don’t take that as official.

Ian