Sunday 11th of May 2014, the third Gran Carrera Atlética del dia de las Madres, the Oaxaca mothers day race. This would be my last race as a resident in Mexico and a tough run to finish in second place over the seven and a half kilometers. My most competitive race in Mexico to date and my best overall placing. Despite running (officially) unregistered and without a number, this was a great occasion and a fantastic day out in the Oaxacan sunshine.
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Thailand, the land of Buddhist monks, bar-streets and kick boxing. Also a perfect holiday destination. Whether you’re there to look at the pretty ladies, to walk on the sandy beaches or visit ancient temples, you’ll find Thailand has just about everything for everyone. Me, I had two weeks off for Chinese new year and wanted to enjoy the fresh air and run in some exotic places. Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, back to Bangkok for the Don Bosco 10k and then onto Hua Hin and the beach for some rest and recuperation.
Yangcheng hu is a large freshwater lake located to the north of Suzhou famous for its delicious hairy crab. On the 13st of September 2014 the lake hosted the second annual Yangcheng Lake run. This would be my first race in China covering 10k, getting lost to cover a few extra twists and turns (about 1k worth), before a surprising finish in first place.
This week’s post looks back to 27th April 2014 and the inaugural Carrera Atlética “Andrés Espinoza Pérez” 5K in the center of Oaxaca. This was a classic case of crowd weaving almost right until the end of the race with most of the runners waiting in front of the start line at the beginning of the race. So a crawl out of the traps at kilometer one with each subsequent kilometer a bit less crowded and a bit faster. 600 runners registered for the race and I think I passed around 500 of them.
A medal can make a nice souvenir at the end of a race. It’s something to remember the day by. A tangible reminder of the effort you make to get across the line. Something you can hang around your neck on the day of the race and put up on the mantle-piece to show off to your friends and family. Medals can also be a bit heavy, and when faced with a move halfway across the world from Mexico to China I had to make a difficult decision. To take the medals or leave them, and I just had too many to take them all. But I couldn’t leave them without some sort of record. So, here are some of the photos I took of my medals before leaving for China.
This article looks back to Saturday the 18th of October 2014 and the first official Shanghai 10 Bridge Half Marathon. This started off in Hongqiao, ran along the Wusong River finishing on the Bund on the banks of Huangpu river in the historic center of the city. Quite an ambitious route considering that no roads were closed for the race and Shanghai is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Thankfully the route was well marked and no-one got lost. It was also a great day to be out running with pleasant weather and clean air (this contrasted heavily with the scenes beamed back from the Beijing marathon with thick smog and record pollution levels). I finished well in 2nd place but left with a sprained foot for my troubles. Two months later and I’m just back in training, but I’m really glad I managed to catch this race before my enforced time-out.
I’ve ran along the banks of the Seine in Paris, through the black forest in Germany, in the gritty Streets of New York and over the bridges of old Shanghai, but the somewhat less glamorous sounding Southill just outside Biggleswade in Bedfordshire will always hold a special place in my heart. This would be the scene of the inaugural Southill Sponsored ‘Walk, Jog, Run’ 5k or 10k and the site of my first proper race win. The course cut through some classic English countryside and the funds raised helped the local community raise cash to install a defibrillator in the disused Southill phone box. A good cause and a great run.
Last Saturday, the 19th of July, I ran the Race to the Stones 100k ultra along the Chiltern Ridgeway in the south of England near Oxford. The Ridgeway is an area of outstanding natural beauty and has been a route for travelers in Britain for over 5,000 years. For me, it would mean extending my previous record running distance by over 30k on a hilly course with mixed terrain. While the course didn’t cover anything you might consider as a serious climb and the weather wasn’t anything too extreme, the sheer distance proved to be quite a test, both physically and mentally.
The 5th of July saw another edition of the North Herts Road Runners’ First Saturday of the month 5k, a two lap course on Norton Common in Letchworth Garden City. As I’m passing through England on my way to China I thought I might give this race a try before heading off to the Sonisphere music festival at Knebworth park later that morning. It turned out to be a really nice course and a great start to the day.
Last week I ran the 5th Annual Traprock 50k trail run in Penwood State Park in Bloomfield, Connecticut. This turned out to be a very tricky technical trail-run over sharp rock and dirt. It was brutal and tough. I fell three times and crossed the line in 5 hours 48 minutes in 23rd place. (more…)