Approx 1800 runners assembled in the huge marquee on Cassiobury Park near the centre of Watford on a very cold morning to collect their numbers, deposit bags, meet colleagues etc. Then I met Dave Goodwin and Anne-Marie and a mob from Sphinx wrapped in dustbin liners to keep warm. Or to keep the rubbish in?
The gun went off at 1030 and after a few minutes the 2 starts merged and the pace slowed-great for me I thought.
This year the course had been changed to avoid last year’s flooded sections. More later on this!
So after a couple of miles through suburbia we headed out on familiar roads in the best of Hertfordshire countryside-and traffic free. Super views over the rolling fields, woods and of course the M25. Then mysteriously after 7 hilly miles the new course took its toll. Yes the new scenery was great but to get to the highest point of the course meant more hills. Eventually we joined the outward road on which we had been before which meant the last 4 miles were all up and a bit of down-but not too much. Give me a bit of water lying on the roads any day rather than these hills. Absolute killers.
Finally the Park was in sight but the new course meant a final 800 yard uphill slog to the finish. As usual Dave and A-M were there to wave and clap me in.
Then the medal and T shirt made the whole day a success. Mind you A-M didn’t run because of her injury so she swam at the nearby Leisure Centre and I presented her with my T Shirt for attending and doing part one of a Biathlon! Don’t wear it out A-M!
Somehow my time was in the results as c1.40 and I was 77th. Not true but at Watford in 1992 did 1.40 and was 88th – so there!
Massey results.
Dave Goodwin 2.06.
Dave Phillips 2.33.
Anne-Marie DNS and DNF!
Race report by Dave Phillips