Race report by Dave Phillips.

The HQ for this is the superb Worcester rugby club HQ at Sixways just off the M5. Huge car parks so no problems encountered. The Massey mob met up for the usual team photo at the start so it should go viral any time now.

A huge gathering of runners assembled for the mixed mass start in glorious sunshine but then the trouble started. Hill number 1 was just round the corner and lap one was a succession of hills-mostly up.

There was a cut off time of 2.15 at the 11 mile mark so my 2.02 meant I wasn’t pulled out.

Lap 2 had a loop in it (not on lap 1) and from 15 to 20 on this loop 4.5 miles were uphill. Lap 2 was probably one of the loneliest runs I’ve done because at the cut-off point 99% of the runners turned right for the finish 2 miles away and a few carried on to do the full. I reckon –as always at Worcester- about 225 do the full and I think most of those were in front of me. But at 14 miles 6 runners passed me never to be seen again then just 2 of us plodded on hill after hill right up to the 25 mile mark.

Then a gentle jog along the canal path to an empty finish area-and empty car parks. Felt really knackered at the end but at 25.5 miles Steve  Damms stopped his car and said “see you in the pub just up the road”. Job done so we all met there for –in my case-Thatcher’s Gold 5.5% cider.

En route 3 things happened. A cyclist shouted “come on Massey”, a chap in his garden  at 19 miles asked the two of us if we wanted a lift in his car to the finish if we were too knackered to run, and at 24 a lady marshal said to me that” she also finds it harder to race walk than run” but wished me well. Bloody cheek as I DID HAVE 1 FOOT OFF THE GROUND.

At least Liverpool full next week will be flatter.

Marathon

 Half-marathon