Great North 10K 2016

Race no. 72     ....and the winner was, unofficially....Me!

Away they go, with me on their heels.

Sprint finish with a Gurka chasing me!

On the way back

 Sorry about the blurred photos, it's what happens when you don't pay for a £19.99 download.


My lad, Chris, had asked if I would like him to get me a race number, from a pal who couldn't do the Great North 10K. "Yes", I replied, " I love the atmosphere of these big events".

So it was that we used the Metro to travel from his Gosforth home, down to Gateshead International Stadium, for the start. £2.80 for a Day Saver ticket, that's value.

My race number was actually for the second wave runners,  8 minutes after the 10am start. Not for me, thought I, to make it the third minor misdemeanor of the day - no passing on of numbers, no starting in the wrong wave, no unpaid downloads. Hiding my 'wrong' number under a tee shirt I joined the first wave runners on my own, having lost Chris in the crowd. As I got into race mode I realised that I was actually with the so called 'elite'  runners, rather than Chris's Orange wave. No problem, have you seen me start a race?

Away we went at a comfortably fast pace. A slight downhill was followed by an uphill stretch, before plunging down to the quayside. Sudden pain in my upper leg told me that something had pulled, but, after  twenty years of hamstring problems, I made the quick decision that I could run it off.

The first mile passed in 6.40, then it was an average of 7.00/7.30 pace before the climb back up from the riverside to the Stadium. For the first time I was over 8 minute miling, 8.06 actually, on a very steep hill. Then we turned onto the track and headed for the line as I summoned up something like a finishing sprint.

46.55 said my watch as I took on board a sports drink. Ow! That is painful, as I tried to walk away from the finish.  Oh dear, I am in trouble. After six months of freedom from injury, I may be in trouble and with my favourite race, the Tynedale 10K , coming up on Wednesday.

Looking at the results, I see that I was 514th out of 5,000 runners. Chris was 308th in 44.32. I also notice that I was actually 1st V65 - the official winner was Sid Astbury, South Shields Harriers, who finished in 47.40. No point in looking to see if there was a prize, never mind, a moral victory, but at what cost?

It is ice, rest, massage and hopefully, recovery for me.