View from the inside
Caldervale 10 miler was the next installment on the championship calendar and travel problems caused chaos for Red Rose with some missing out completely and quite a few late comers
However down to business and head to the start line and as per usual scan the field for fellow seniors I must say they were hard work to spot as the sharp end was full of red vests as was the middle and the rear which is a marvel to see
The safety briefing was indeed brief and the start was almost a shock to a few but off we hurtled at quite a pace On this one we are lulled into a false sense of security as the first two and a half miles are quite pleasant and quite fast maintaining sub 6 minute pace was comfortable however things were about to change
Around 2 and a half miles this race tends to slap you around the head and tells you to slow down an hits you with a massive hill up to around the 7 mile mark
You climb and climb and when you feel you can climb no more your faced with an almighty steep section bursting with keen photographer’s (boy its hard to look good sometimes ) when hurrah you hit a down hill bit
Wobbly legs meant picking up the pace was rather challenging but off we went hurtling down and down heading for the obligatory sting in the tail A sneak preview of this was afforded if you looked to your left you could see runners through the hedge climbing Just after the water station there was a sharp left turn and bang the it was one almighty sting in the tail a hill to end all hills so with heavy legs and heart it was head down and push on and on around the nine mile mark the race let’s you off the hook somewhat and its a push to the finish you are rewarded with a large crowd and a down hill finish
With one last push on very heavy legs I flew to the line well under 70 mins and what a sight it was Plenty of red vests already there
Its always been a blessing to see red vests dominating the field with our large turnouts but now we are starting to bother the leaders which is a credit to us all although the red and white hooped socks were a little sparse which I hope we can rectify for the coming inter clubs
Team prizes for both the men and the ladies caused quite a bout of cheering and pie an peas slipped down with ease
A big well done to all donning the red and thanks to our supporters too
Stu Cann
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Good article!