41st OPEN MASTERS TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

25^th & 26^th June Alexander Stadium Birmingham

 Like Malcolm, I couldn’t decide whether to run Lymm or not, I had my number but general lethargy, the weather & a morning spent at a school ‘summer’ fair at 3.30pm I decided not to bother. It proved a good decision as the sun was blazing Sunday morning on our way to Birmingham & I was feeling fresh. I had only entered the 800m as is was all that was available on the Sunday & I had originally planned to do Lymm as well. We parked next to Phillips Idowu who was pleasant & chatty, he can back 5 minutes later unable to train – so I had to explain that it was a gathering of crumblies, sorry I mean veterans.

I felt incredible nervous in the indoor warm up arena as everyone seemed to look fast & on paper I was one of the slower ones. I bumped into the 2^nd place V35 from the BMAF 5K champs last week & she too had only picked the 800m for convenience & made me feel better as the time she had put down was from 22 years ago! At least mine was fairly recent. We were led put from the warm up arena to the start (it felt very official).

At least it would be over quickly! As the gun went the girl with a 2.02 pb was off like a shot but I was second when we broke from lanes after the first hundred, it was only then that I thought – I could do this! The bell was a welcome sound & down the back straight someone came past me, I knew as long as I didn’t let her get too far ahead I could get her on the finishing straight. I managed to sprint past her all the way to the line. The time wasn’t great (I was running 2.17 for 800m at 13 years old) but I was really pleased to have a silver. My legs were like jelly which made me laugh after such a short effort but after a longish warm down I was thankful that’s all I had done as people were dropping like flies in the heat.

Really enjoyed it – it was a walk down memory lane & a silver medal in a national championships as well.

WV35 800m

1^st  Karrie BLAKE – SCVAC – 2.07.61  (New Championship & British Record)

2^nd  Louise RUDD – NVAC – 2.24.16

3^rd  Nicky NEILL – EVAC – 2.25.00

4^th   Sarah DAVIES – OPEN – 2.27.50

5^th  Emma PARRY- OPEN – 2.28.82

6^th Claire O’HARA – EVAC – 2.29.85

7^th Joanna WINFIELD – EVAC – 2.30.88

8^th Stephanie SPENCER – MMAC – 2.32.40

Louise