Very well done to the 7 runners and 2 volunteers who braved the wind at The Mad March Hare this morning. Andy has kindly provided this weeks race report and photo.
Mad March Hare 10K – March 13th 2022
It was supposed to be a 70-minute drive to the Mad March Hare 10K race at Scottow Enterprise Park located on the former RAF Coltishall airbase. However, a diversion on the main A149 at Hillington due to total road resurfacing added 10 minutes to the journey. Not that we minded as we travelled through rural Norfolk with blossom starting to show and daffodils out on this spring like morning. We arrived to see the Junior race start at 9:15 am, the 10K started at 10:00, so plenty of time to pick up my number and warm up. We didn’t see any hares, mad or otherwise.
This was the first in a series of three 10K races organised by the Coltishall Jaguars. The course two laps in anti-clockwise direction of the mainly old airbase perimeter track. On the inside of the course solar panels and concrete jet blast deflectors to the right open fields across which the wind was howling. For the first 3K the wind was relentless, I felt for every step forward the wind was blowing me back two. As we turned the wind dropped and I could catch my breath only to be repeated on the next lap.
The race is well organised, with plenty of parking, race start and finish near to the car park. Plenty of marshals and support not that they actually need many marshals on this simple loop course. Javabean café serving good coffee, bacon baps and cake at reasonable prices.
All finishers receive a medal, this year’s medals are themed around three of the Polish squadrons based at RAF Coltishall in WW2 and feature the insignia and one of the aircraft operated by the squadron. Finished in a chip time of 48:42 overall place 76 from a field of 239. Good to meet other Runners-Next-The-Sea, now my first claim club.
First in my 70+ age group, a very nice award, flat packed which I assembled while drinking a cool beer.
Malcolm Senior
Runners-Next-The-Sea
