(Warwickshire 5 Mile Championships)
27 June 2007
This odd race was held on a motor racing testing circuit outside Warwick. The idea seemed to be that if it was fast enough for Jeremy Clarkson then the good runners of Warwickshire should be able to register a decent time too.
From the start the leader sprinted away leaving me in a large group of runners following far behind. By 2 miles the group had stretched out and I was struggling to maintain about 10th position. The track was fairly flat but a stiff breeze helped me imagine some inclines as I contemplated the eternity of the 1 mile straight ahead. The pace was fast and I repeatedly traded positions with a group of junior athletes who appeared to be gifted enough to overtake me at will but lazy enough to let me creep wheezing past again. This, combined with the complete lack of scenery, made it difficult to judge my progress as we charged down the long straight. Finally reaching the bend we were directed through a coned off section of tight loops. Strangely, this just seemed to be designed to slow us down. We weaved along before returning to the straight track at the 4 mile marker.
Running into the sun and feeling slightly dizzy, I was probably still on for a good time but the last mile seemed to stretch on forever as my legs tired. My trademark weak finish allowed another V40 to lunge past me into the funnel – grrrr. But then I looked down at my watch and saw I’d snuck a PB by 10s.
1 0:25:10 HAZELL, Scott Coventry Godiva Harriers SM
8 0:27:13 DOWNS, Rob Wilmslow RC 2 M40
323 finishers
Full results at http://www.coventry-godiva-harriers.org.uk/Full%20midsummer%20results%202007.htm
Rob