The Lancaster 3 (or 2?) Bridges 10k (or 5.97M?)

(Or should they have named it:

the Lancaster two bridges under 10k?)

Sunday, 9th April, 2006

 

Martin’s Race Rating

Overall score              : 5.66

Scenery                       : 8

P.B. potential              : 10!!!!

Atmosphere                : 5

Organisation               : 1 (Sorry Billy!)

Value                           : 5 (£7 to enter and T shirt at the finish)

Beginner Friendly      : 5

            

I’d had a hard/crazy week:

Monday: Handicap

Tuesday: Speed session - 10 x 800 metres

Wednesday: Interclub race

Thursday: Timed mile – Stanley Park Track

Friday: Speed session - 6 x 700 metres

 

Tony Airnes, (NF coach), advised me to have a rest – “You’re getting older and need to give your muscles time to recover.” Sensible advice. I don’t care if I’m ahead in Richard Davies’ mileage competition, Peter Cruse, (2nd), isn’t racing either……….or is he???? It wasn’t until Steve Littler phoned late Saturday night, “Are you doing Lancaster?”

Me: “Well I was going to have a rest”

Steve: “I thought you were a Seasider!”

Me: (I couldn’t let Simon Grayson down - Blackpool F.C. Manager).  “I’ll be at your house for 9:15!” If I hadn’t gone, I couldn’t have looked Ian Rawcliffe/Ian Sharples/Johnny Burns in the eye again.

 

I rang Billy Gardner to make sure it was on because I hadn’t seen any forms and there was nothing on the internet. (I did this anonymously as I had nicked one of his closest friend’s girlfriends in the not too distant past and I was scared.) It was on. The forms were late coming back from the printers.

 

We dove past Gary Pendlebury and Trevor Rayner running down Garstang Road and both looking in fine fettle. We arrived to a semi deserted Car Park, but noticed an unusually high turnout for NF. I saw Wrinkly Boss, John Whiteman looking at some trainers and told him he was too old to be looking at new trainers! I had to scrounge some safety pins from Peter Cruse and Steve as there wasn’t any at the registration.

 

A minute’s silence was held at the start; a Lancaster stalwart had passed away and his widow started us off. The route had changed this year. Billy wasn’t sending us up the steps this time, but he’d found some different steps to send us up! (Alongside the railway). We started on the track and ran alongside the usual cycle path by the River Lune, under the road and then turn round at the 3 mile point and back.

 

The organiser said the canal had been drained, but I wasn’t sure if he was joking! I wasn’t wearing my racers as I thought we were running down the canal. As soon as we set off, I thought to myself, Tony Airnes was right, but what the Hell! The people I beat on Wednesday had left me for dead! As soon as the finish came into view, I knew it couldn’t be accurate – I finished in 37:17 and I wasn’t running anywhere near as good as that. Spoke to a few runners at the finish with GPS watches and estimates varied from 5.7 – 5.97 miles. I enjoyed the run, but with hindsight I wish I’d opted for Burnley.

 

 

 

1st Michael Aspinall (Lancaster) 29:55,

3rd Steve Littler 31:03,

10th Paul Dunkerley 34:54,

13th Peter Cruse 35:52,

23rd Martin Bates 37:17,

59th John Howorth 43:31, 

63rd Steve Wilkinson 44:03,

84th George Flanagan 46:00,

91st Nigel Shepherd 46:36,

105th Keith Gresty 48:50,

127th Boss Wrinkly 55:10,

139 finishers

 

 

Written by: Martin Bates (with contributions from Michaela)

Submitted: 9th April 2006-04-09

Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRR website/Magazine Editor