100 metres to 100 miles.

The Cotswold Century

Report – Seth Turner

Having successfully completed several 50k and 100k races I decided it was time to step up and challenge myself at the 100 mile distance, so in February this year I put my entry in for CWC102 2023.

The Cotswold Century is a 102 mile ultra trail race the length of the Cotswold Way from Chipping Campden to Bath. As it meanders its way Southwest it takes in all the nice viewpoints and the pretty villages in the valleys so it really is very scenic but quite hilly with somewhere over 12,000 feet of climb over the course.

You have 32 hours to complete it with the winners usually coming in around 20 hours.

It is considered a tough race and has a normal DNF rate of over 25%. 

Knowing the northern half of the route quite well and having trained on the hills around Broadway I knew I could put in a decent performance over 50 miles but beyond that would be a compete unknown.

Stepping up to this distance involves many more challenges than just fitness with nutrition, navigation, mental approach and coping with sleep deprivation all having a part to play. 

We set off from just outside the market hall in Campden on Saturday morning in good running conditions, cool for September and a little misty.

As the first miles unfolded I felt good and strong and concentrated on keeping my pace conservative and dialling in my nutrition. Around Hailes Abbey at close to 20 miles I fell into step with another first time 100 mile runner called Nick, who runs for the Tetbury Dolphins. After a bit of chatting we worked out that we had similar racing backgrounds and times and with him having a good knowledge of the last 50 miles of the course we figured by sticking together through the night we could help each other to reach our goal successfully. The idea was to stick together until dawn then see what happened.

The plan worked well and we kept ticking off the miles, stopping at the periodic checkpoints to fuel up and pushing each other up and down the unrelenting hills. At the very scenic Birdlip checkpoint about 40 miles in we were feeling strong and seeing my family who had come out to support us really cheered us on as we headed into the darkness.

By around 70 miles, in the early hours of the morning my companion was starting to struggle. As is often the case with these longer distances I think he was finding it hard to get the required calories into himself and therefore starting to loose energy and becoming a little nauseous and disoriented.

I refused to leave him alone in the dark so I tried to keep his spirits up, chatting away as we fast-hiked the 5k or so to the next checkpoint. After a few minutes sitting Nick decided he was in no condition to continue for the time being so was going to rest an hour or so and see how he felt. I don’t think he knew at that point if he was going to finish or not but as I was still feeling positive and determined and with a quick change of shoes and shirt I left him there and continued on my way.

As the sun came up I felt a lift of spirits as I could feel the finish line coming towards me.

Arriving at the penultimate checkpoint in Cold Ashton I was overjoyed to find not only my wife Yumi there in support but also my trail buddy and club mate Adam Evans who had driven down from Stratford to run the last miles with me.

With 90 miles in my legs at this point I was undoubtedly feeling tired and slowing down somewhat, I was nonetheless determined to get the race done.

Amazingly a couple of miles after leaving the checkpoint a familiar voice came from behind me and my earlier companion Nick appeared, having been rejuvenated by a rest and some food and found a new determination to compete the race.

We decided to run it in together and with painful legs and aching bodies but a real sense of joy and companionship we descended the hills into Bath.

With Adam joining us for the last miles we ran through the lovely Georgian streets, dodging the slightly bemused tourists and arrived at the finish outside the Abbey in a final time of 24 hrs and 28 minutes, claiming a joint 7th place. What a day! 

The men’s race was won by Richard Ellsworth in a second fastest ever time of 19 hrs 55 minutes and the ladies race by Zosia Young in 27 hrs 13 minutes. 

The CWC102 is a superb event on a stunning national trail and was an incredible experience and a journey that I will not forget. The organisers and volunteers were absolutely amazing, positive and encouraging throughout and the spirit of the event as is so often in trail and ultra running, truly life-affirming I recommend it to anyone seeking a challenge and a chance to see what incredible things they are truly capable of.

Balsall Common 10k

And the winner was….

Jamie’s Race

Report – Jamie Hall

I enjoyed this WRRL fixture last year as it was my highest race position (4^th) and my fastest 10k. So, I was hoping for a similar outcome this year. 

With it being two laps, the pre-race discussion was to see who was going to set the pace and to follow the front group for the first lap and that was my plan!

However, as soon as the race started, I got completely carried away and went out hard, so I had to commit to it.

The first 2k was at 5k pace and this helped me to gain a decent lead at the front. I was then able to settle into a more sensible effort at my 10k pace.

I ended up running the rest of the race out on my own but with the course having a few turns and fairly undulating it helped the kilometres to tick by, until the 8^th km where the hill just seemed to go on forever. 

With a few 2^nd places this year, I was delighted to finally win a road league race.

 I did go for a cool down with some of the SAC crew and on the way back we could hear the announcements of the prize winners. Luckily, it was for the 5k race and I didn’t miss my first presentation race win! That would have been typical.

On Sunday, the Balsall Common 10k and 5k event took place attracting nearly 600 participants. The race has “layers” as it is first and foremost a fundraiser for the Lily Mae Foundation, whilst also being the potentially penultimate fixture in the Warwickshire Road Race League.

So the first layer …

The purpose of the Lily Mae foundation is a very special one, and their website describes them better than I can …

“Not only do we want to support anyone who has suffered the loss of a baby, but we want to raise awareness of how tragically common the loss of a baby is. Most people don’t realise that Stillbirth, Neonatal Death, Miscarriage and Medical Termination devastate the lives of more than 3,500 parents every year. Not only that, the loss of a baby is seen as a taboo subject, so parents are not encouraged to seek the support that they so desperately need. We want to change all that.”

Many individuals completing the event do so in memory of a lost baby or lost babies and as such the race has a poignant feel for some, and is so much more than just a race to many of the participants.

Please do read the information on the website and help the foundation in their aim to raise awareness. https://www.lilymaefoundation.org/about-us

Then the race part …

The race has a mass start with 5k runners completing a single lap and the 10k entrants completing 2.

The course also has a reasonably long “out and back” section which means that you get to see more of your team mates than normal, which is welcome on the continually undulating course.

The 2 most notable performances of the day were as follows … In the 5k, Jasmine Mothershaw was exceptional and finished as 2^nd place Junior (and for the record was also 3^rd lady overall). In the 10k, Jamie Hall secured his first and thoroughly deserved, open race victory and has also more than certainly secured his place as the Male winner of the Warwickshire Road League.

Daughter Jasmine was joined by Mum Sue in the 5k who finished as 13^th Lady.

Seventeen club runners and race walkers completed the 10k and winner Jamie was followed home by Matt Burdus-Cook, Richard Liggatt, Adrian Mason, David Teasdale, Max Ross, Joe Lee, John Raby, Tim Hutchinson, Fin Hutchinson, Susan Hunt, Suzanne Ross, Lisa Lambourn, David Maundrell, Kate Sergent, Paul Hawkins and Gemma Smith.

For the full results pease follow the link below:

https://www.stuweb.co.uk/race/3ef
 

Susan’s Race

Report – Susan Hunt

Last Sunday saw Lisa Lambourn, Kate Sergent and myself heading off on a road trip to the Balsall Common 10k. 
 
It was a new event for all of us and the first surprise was the 12 noon start time. 

Luckily it was considerably cooler than the previous weekend (when the temperature came close to the melting point of rock).  There was even a slight chill in the air!
 
The event was a community fundraiser for the Lily Mae Foundation (who provide bereavement support to families who have lost a baby to Stillbirth, Neonatal Death, Miscarriage or Medical Termination in the West Midlands and Warwickshire). 

It incorporated mini-runs for nursery and primary school aged children and by the time we arrived at the Primary School venue, there were hordes of tiddly kids wearing medals and massive smiles.

There was also a 5k race (juniors and adults) – the 10k being 2 laps of the 5k course.  Both races started together.  10k competitors were categorised (and identified by the colour of their race numbers) as either ‘affiliated’ or not.  
 
As affiliated runners, we had a rare opportunity to feel important, as we were ushered past the 5k and ‘normal’ 10k entrants and told to assemble at the head of the race. 

This sense of importance was short-lived in my case, once the race was underway and the non-affiliates and juniors came charging past.  Among the junior 5k runners scampering ahead of us was SAC’s own Jasmine Mothershaw, who said a cheery “Hi” as she whizzed past in a flash of yellow.
 
It was an undulating course, for which all those Greenway and canal towpath training runs were poor preparation and I suspect that I was not the only runner who envied the 5k entrants as they turned off the course to the Finish, while I begrudgingly began my second lap.
 
One fun feature of the course was a reasonably lengthy out and back section. 

On the first lap it allowed me the chance to wave and shout cheerful encouragement to all my other clubmates – including the SAC elite at the head of the pack.  By the second lap however, the elite had long since finished the race (and possibly were already showered and tucking into their Sunday roast) and the most I could muster was a grunt of acknowledgement at the few familiar faces in the (now spread-out) field.
 
For the final 2 miles, I found myself running behind a couple of Kenilworth runners – one expertly coaching the other to a target PB time.  I soon tuned into his running commentary and found myself following every eaves-dropped instruction.. “lengthen your stride” on the downhills, “tiptoes and fast cadence” on the uphills.  The constant dialogue was not only useful and encouraging; but also a welcome distraction from the effort as my heartrate approached a frankly foolhardy 180bpm.
 
I managed to keep pace with my new two best friends (who were doubtless oblivious to my existence) right up until the point that we turned off the course onto the playing field, when they sprinted away to the finish line with youthful abandon.
 
Having not even glanced at my watch for the duration of the race, it was a happy surprise to stop it as I crossed the line and realised that I’d run my fastest 10k since 2019.  A post-pandemic PB!
 
Lisa and Kate were equally excited with their results – a PB for Lisa and Kate’s fastest 10k for many moons.
 
As we basked in post-run euphoria, the results were announced.  Stratford’s Jamie Hall and Matt Burdess-Cook had placed 1^st and 2^nd which wasn’t too bad a result; but more importantly, Jasmine Mothershaw was 2^nd Junior Female in the 5K and she accepted her trophy with the biggest smile of the day.
 
After a celebratory visit to the coffee van, we headed home (thinking that the day couldn’t get any better) to watch England win the rugby.
 
Postscript:

As a prolific racer, it made a welcome change to take part in a community charity event – one where the entry fees are contributing to a worthy cause.  The event certainly raised my awareness of the Lily Mae Foundation and it was touching that, as the non-affiliated (charity) prize-winning runners were announced, so was the name of the baby in whose memory they were running.

Similar events that I’ve done recently and would recommend (for their community involvement, charitable cause and family-friendly races) are the Crowle 10k and the Pendock Spring Chicken 10k.

Copenhagen Half Marathon
 

Report – Stuart George


When at Junior School in far off Aldridge in the wonderful town of Walsall, we would on occasion have to sing a song.  

“ Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen, wonderful Queen of the sea”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMbbg0k4Xeo

( Listening back its amazing social services didn’t get involved)

Being from the lovely landlocked West Mids,I had no idea where this wonderous place was or if it even was real.  Last weekend reality was confirmed as I got to run my first overseas race.

The Copenhagen Half marathon promised a fast course, a cool climate and expensive beer afterwards!!.

Two out of three aint bad as the start time approached it hit a balmy 22 degrees and boy did it feel every single degree and more.  The expensive beer became even more of an incentive!!

Now I need to be clear here I had a great time.  Me and my wife had a wonderful 4 days here and I had a brilliant race and pleasingly I hit a 90 second PB in a finish of 1:26:33.  It was flat fast and had big, yet slightly reserved crowds. 

However, if you happened to be a 1nr 40 minute plus runner the experience was very different. 

25,000 is hell of a lot of people and to get them to where they should be at the start time requires a lot of organisation and judging by some of the scenes somebody forgot to explain that to normally efficient Danes.

Firstly 11:15 seemed a ludicrously late time to start a half marathon for a country with a similar climate to ours there was always a risk it could derail peoples best efforts.

This year they had moved the start and finish to the centre of town and it basically couldn’t cope with the sheer amount of people, never mind the spectators and 20,000 push bikes that appeared too.

5 different start pens all were told they would start at 11:15.  Which clearly couldn’t happen, however, as with so many mass races you have literally thousands of new runners who don’t know this so all got to stand in the mad heat for far longer than was needed.

 At least two pens were left in near midday sun for around 45 minutes. 

Water stations were overwhelmed as people had just gone in any pen that they wanted.  Reports of people having to wait for half a minute to get the cups filled mid race have been told and unfortunately many many people passing out from the heat and effort the race took upon them were to be seen on most corners.

Luckily I had been a keano and got near the front to start so missed much of these frankly dangerous conditions. 

Crowds spilled into the streets, meaning roads were narrowed and the ever present bicycles of Copenhagen provided even more obstacles, with me seeing at least 3 near misses and allegedly two collisions with runners.

Considering this is a well established race and part of the Super Half series ( Cardiff, Lisbon, Valencia and Prague being the other races to be part of this medal series) it’s quite baffling that it failed in so many basics.

These serious issues were also backed up with farcical features, the much-promised free photos and videos show that you get what you pay for.  One photo managed to capture my trailing foot and two didn’t have me in at all. It wouldn’t be so bad if they hadn’t kept emailing me saying how great the photos looked! As you will see here im not the most photogenic of runners anyway 

But back to my race…  The heat was oppressive from the start but the beautiful Scandi architecture provided a lot of shade.

Some smart thinker had also managed to get  some cold waterfalls every few miles which really helped cool you down.

The first 10k went pretty much to plan, I was trying for 1r h26 flat and crossed the half way point pretty much to the second but from 12k on the mental battle really started. 

I hadn’t really experienced this in a half before, normally the legs give up before the mind tells me to slow down. 

I tried as I normally do to think of it one block at a time, breaking it into 5k chunks or smaller but the heat meant I couldn’t convince myself to fall for my own words.  I just knew there was more to come after each chunk. This caused a bit of a slow down but I really dug in to ensure my last k was my fastest and crossed the line exhausted but very happy especially as I had really had to ignore my brain.

The problems I listed didn’t detract from my day or weekend but it was a shame to read so many people who had had their experienced soured. 

I am sure this will all be corrected for next year’s edition and it was all just an amalgamation of the race start and finished being moved, plus the unseasonably hot weather but when you allow spectators and bikes into the start area and you don’t enforce the pens properly what else is going to happen!!

I would go back as the city truly is an oasis of calm ( except race day) and brilliant food  is found on every corner but I hope for all the runners that whoever made that call to get the cold water showers in gets to organise the start of the race next year.

Lake Vyrnwy Half Marathon

Report – Kate Barney

A few months ago I was invited by a family friend to run the Lake Vyrnwy half marathon to mark them completing a half marathon before turning 60.

With the promise of great company, stunning views and a flat course how could I say no?!

I am currently in a training block for the Eryri marathon and initially set out to to get some hill training in and then use the half marathon as an easy run – well aren’t those some famous last words!

My hill training had gone surprisingly well and it turned out I had enough fuel left in my legs to take a stab at a PB. 

As I mentioned, the course is advertised as flat but there is a slight incline that takes you up to the lake from Llanfyllin before you are greeted by the stunning scenery.

I was feeling really good but took it with a pinch of salt as I was completely convinced that for the 1^st half of the race I was running downhill meaning that I was anticipating an uphill on the other side. However, that never came and as it turns out when I looked back at my Strava I had been running on the near enough flat!

No complaints from me.

My legs were starting to tire around mile 11 but I kept pushing because I remembered the downhill that would take me back to the finish.

Almost as if it was planned, Dancing Queen came on through my headphones and drove me across the finish line! I looked at my watch and noticed I had completely smashed my PB from earlier in the year and taken over 6 minutes off to finish in 01:51:38.

For anyone that wants the opportunity to run on a flat course in a truly breathtaking location then Lake Vyrnwy is definitely one to add to the list!

Also, you get an absolute banger of a medal.