Well the usual faces turned up for the 40th??? (no one was quite sure) 25/12 event. It always starts from a pub but over the years 4 have been knocked down/closed/built on but the current 5th looks certain for years to come. For the last 3 years the New Bowling Green Tavern backing onto St Nicholas’s Park has hosted the event and what a great bunch they are. Coffee, biscuits, mince pies etc all laid on all morning for us and supporters FOC. There is no official race entry just a £5 donation towards Myton Hospice where £250 was collected. So well done to the pub and of course Leam and Ken running clubs for co-hosting the event.
As usual club runners, non-runners, holiday makers and people with dogs took to the 4 lap event round St Nich’s Park. I even did more than one lap pushing my grandson Nathan round in his 4 wheel buggy- really hard work I can assure you when running and pushing something that refuses to go in a straight line at all!! Glad when that was over. But it has given me some thoughts for training near Tesco’s car park. Get a buggy and put some in it and do some hill reps and flat out stuff for ½ hour. Real killer it could be!!
Eventually all 43 runners finished and it was back to the pub 100 yards from the start/finish area for more food, coffee and drinks. Great time was had by all. Nice to see that ex Massey man John Jones (now with Ken) appeared again and ran with me on my “buggy lap”.
Winner: Simon Wurr (Leam) 17.49.
Massey times:
Graham Patton 27.30.
Dave Phillips 34.31. So 64 races done this year now so Illmington looms tomorrow-without buggy!!
Race report Dave Phillips.