21 Jul CLUB SUMMER AWAY DAY
We love a summer away day at Ludlow Runners. What’s not to like after all? A great race, good company and plenty of seaside fun. This year we headed south again, back to the Welsh coast, but this time to Porthcawl.
Porthcawl is not a seaside resort many of us had ever been to before, but it was a great venue for a 10k race. The event is advertised as flat and fast so attracted PB hunters in their droves. Being amongst over 5,000 runners was certainly an experience – and for those of us spectating it was wonderful to witness the sheer breadth and depth of the running community. From the superfast winner Omar Ahmed, who finished in under 30 minutes, to the recreational runners that took just over two hours, everyone deserved their medal.
So how did Ludlow Runners get on and what were the best bits of the day? Read on to find out, with full results at the bottom of this report.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE IN THE YELLOW START PEN
In fact, all runners had to be patient as the start was delayed due to the sheer numbers being herded into the start. Once the gun was fired it was still a snail’s pace creep to get to the start line. It took the yellow pen runners almost 15 minutes to finally get going. Then it wasn’t long after the last runners had set off that Omar Ahmed, and the chasing pack of speedsters, were on their way back past the start after the first 5k loop!
GETTING TO KNOW THE LOCALS
The delayed start meant that there was plenty of time to get to know the locals. Naturally, the event was dominated by Welsh clubs as South Wales has a vibrant running community. Everyone is very friendly too. Jan discovered this as she chatted to a South Wales lady in the toilet queue. This new friendship is obviously made to last as a week later at Llanishen parkrun in Cardiff Jan heard someone calling to her across the crowds. It was the same lady! What are the chances?
Of course when making friends it always helps if you speak the same language. Back at the Porthcawl 10k start, Paul R, surrounded by Welsh club vests, decided to chat to a woman runner from Bridgend in his native Welsh tongue. She promptly looked at him like he was from Mars! Better luck next time Paul!
HOW LONG UNTIL BEER TIME?
And then they were off… but are Warren and Paul really checking that they are on target for a PB? Or are they calculating how long it will be until they can collect their medals and get to the pub? Warren you’ve only just crossed the start line!
BEST WAVE FOR THE CAMERA?
Further down the field there was no checking of watches. Instead it was great to see enjoyment on the faces of Sarah, Karen and Jan. Only 5km to go ladies.
CROSSING THE LINE TOGETHER
It’s hard to enjoy the event when your body is telling you that perhaps you ought to stop. That’s when clubmate support comes to the fore and this professional photo at the finish illustrates this perfectly. In the words of Paula (second from the left):
“I cannot thank these three enough for sticking by my side all the way yesterday after my back gave up on me just before 2k. I honestly thought I’d have to drop out, but not once did any of them think of leaving me. They offered to walk with me if needed and kept me going the whole way. Managed to run the whole way with their support and encouragement so a massive thank you to them all.” Well done Sam, Adam and Paul B for helping Paula finish the race. Great photo too!
SAMPLING THE LOCAL CUISINE
What better way to recover and enjoy the post race atmosphere than by sampling the local cuisine. Here we can see Richard tackling his seafood lunch very delicately using the supplied cutlery. Obviously we have one club member who was ‘brought up proper’!
Outside the pub Sandy struggled through a heap of chips eventually imploring Dan and Colin to help him out. Unsurprisingly, they were only too happy to finish off the leftovers, even though Dan had feasted on an immense fish finger sandwich beforehand! Rumour has it that a full Sunday lunch could be found at the other end of the bay but Sam opted for a beef burger instead.
TAKING THE WATERS
The dip in the sea has become a ritual part of our away days and certainly cools you off after a hot 10k run. Karen, Clare and Helen S opted for a genteel paddle. However, as the rest of us were wending our way back to the coach, Paul R and Ian could be seen racing down to the water’s edge for a last minute full swim. Good job the sun was still beating down as they could drip dry on the way back to the coach.
A WOMAN ON A MISSION
It’s always an advantage to have an assertive club member on your side, especially when you haven’t been able to run and you would still like to collect your tee shirt. If this is you, then Jan is your woman. She’ll march you past the yellow-vested security guards and get you to the tee shirt tables in the blink of an eye. There may only be teeny weenie or giant-sized tees left but at least you get the QR code to put in your order. Phew! Let’s hear it for Jan! Here she is (second from the left) relaxing after all that hard work.
And here are the full results plus a few more photos with apologies to anyone the photographer missed!
Well done everyone and here’s to the next away day!
Dan Cutting 42m 47s
Ian Hadley 46m 32s
Paul Roberts 52m 39s
Clive Richardson 52m 48s
Richard Ingram 55m 34s
Warren Hollingsworth 56m 04s
Sarah Turner 56m 09s
Tom Boog-Scott 57m 41s
Helen Baillie 58m 16s
Georgina Lewis 1h 01m 33s
Karen Thompson 1h 04m 30s
Sandy Ross 1h 05m 36s
Helen Shaw 1h 06m 37s
Clare Broome 1h 07m 45s
Charlie Lewis 1h 08m 04s
Colin Lancaster 1h 08m 06s
Sally Toye 1h 08m 06s
Juliet Morgan 1h 11m 03s
Sharon Bowers 1h 11m 04s
Jackie Derricutt 1h 12m 07s
Jan Benjamin 1h 13m 28s
Paul Baskeyfield 1h 16m 01s
Sam Williamson 1h 16m 52s
Adam Williamson 1h 16m 52s
Paula Giles 1h 16m 53s
Jess Morris 1h 33m 18s
