Aylsham 10k
‘A magnificent 7 RntS made their way to Aylsham this morning to take part in the 10k run.
After parking we made our way to the registration and collected our numbers which was very straight forward as normal.
Waiting outside for the race briefing it was easy for the all the RntS to congregate ( well after a bit of vigorous waving for Malcolm to rejoin his wife).
This also gave us a chance to welcome Teresa Futter and wish her well with her first run for the club.
Once the briefing had taken place it was a short walk to the start,.
This was fairly congested but after about 250m downhill the route turned left and headed out on to country lanes. At this point there was a nice incline and we all started to have more space.
The course was a lollipop shape heading out for about 2k before running a loop, then returning along the first 2k with a niggling uphill finish.
As indicated earlier these were all country lanes and closed to traffic.
The marshals as at most races were very supportive and gave plenty of encouragement.
A big well done to Teresa for her first club run, before hand she said she would love to get under 55. Good result.
Note for Alex make sure laces are tied tightly or get Cat to do it.
Still it let me get a head of him whist tying them back up on the side of the road. Not sure if that was the 27 sec difference!’
Paul
Official Results:
Ant – 39.40
Cam – 46.53
Paul – 49.26
Alex – 49.53
Malcolm – 51.12
Will – 52.30
Teresa F – 54.30
Dukeries 30
‘On Saturday 6th May I completed Dukeries 30, a 30-mile trail race in Sherwood Forest and its surroundings. There was also an option for runners to take on Dukeries 40 and both races started at the same time with a total of 170 runners. The start itself was touching. Steve Shanks, who died soon after completing the 2023 London Marathon, had won Dukeries 40 last year and was known to many of the runners in these events so we were asked by the race director to pay a tribute to Steve with a big applause before the race officially started. It was a nice thought.
I like to discover new places while doing races. In fact that’s usually how I select some of my races. I’d never been to Sherwood Forest before so decided Dukeries 30 would be a nice trail event to take part in. I was not wrong. The route was beautiful and passed through ancient woodland carpeted with of bluebells, an archaeological park with caves and a gorge (in Creswell Crags), farmland, rivers and tree-lined avenues.
As usual I used Tailwind as my main hydration during the race and made good use of the well-stocked aid stations. A few crisps, some salted peanuts, watermelon and banana were my choices at each checkpoint. I also consumed a few caffeine chews and gels.
I had decided to use a pacing strategy of 11-12 mins per mile throughout the race. I managed this to some extent though quite a few of the miles were slower. Somehow it all evened out and the speed I managed to make in the downhill sections of the race compensated for some of the slower miles. The last 3 miles had started to feel never ending but I had renewed energy when I had a surprise “cheering squad” (two friends) during this latter stage of the race! I picked up my pace knowing that I was now heading to the finish line and that my husband, Tim, and my two friends would be there to cheer. I finished in 06:44:11 . I was, and still am, well-chuffed with this result as it was well under the 7-hour target I had set myself.
It was a very well-organised race, with helpful and friendly volunteers. I would definitely consider doing this race again.’
Nur
Official Result:
6:44:11
Two Castles Narrative Marathon
‘On Sunday 7th May, Kerrie, Lucy and I took part in the Two Castles Narrative Marathon. Starting and finishing in Belchamp St. Paul we followed a set of very vague instructions to get us around the course and to see the two castles! Working well as a team to decipher if this truly was the correct hedge gap or path we had a great day together and kept each others spirits up.
The thought of going past an open pub was too much temptation to resist and we had a quick refreshment stop before heading into the next check point which was only just around the corner 🤣
One of the most challenging runs I had ever done; it’s very hard to get a good running momentum going when you’re trying to read instructions, look for markers points and where your feet are going all at the same time! But also very rewarding and done with great company.
They had had a lot more rain than us which made the course (mostly fields) very sticky and squelchy. I think we were wearing most of the field at one point! ‘
Kirsty L
