Another busy week of running! Thank you to Conrad, his team, and all the runners and marshals that helped make the Eynsham challenge such an enjoyable experience. We didn’t win the challenge but we won the night.
The annual Marathon relay was on Sunday, one of the few times we get to be all together as a club, doing what we all love…..running. Once again won by the Juniors, we were closer this year, but it is just such a good afternoon and has a great vibe to it, we will just have to try harder next year (See the race report below)
A huge hats off to everyone that ran the Race To The Stones this past weekend, amazing efforts all round, shout out and huge congratulations to Andy Green, the first man home on Sunday’s 50k race with a seriously impressive time of just under 4 hours and 40 minutes.
Marathon Relay Report
The Spectators were in, lining the banks down the home straight, the sun was beaming down, 105 laps of this historic circuit to be completed. The team manager and Strategist were on the pit-wall waiting anxiously, clinging to their clipboards. Team Juniors warm up was a synchronised, well drilled, precision performance, Team Seniors……..more of a shuffle, but Matt Lock was on pole, having done a 20 miler to get his shoes up to temperature, we were ready, but “when the flag drops, the bull**** stops” we were off.
Team Senior were off to a flyer and after 6 laps they had opened up a 2 lap lead, despite some dubious baton changes, and were looking good, seamless cruising, but then the fightback began. By some slick pit work, (and fast laps) Team Juniors were back and took the lead on lap 27. By lap 56 they had opened a 5 lap lead, and were seen kicking a football about during stints. Meanwhile Team Seniors had suffered a couple of early retirements and the team manager was looking pensive, time for a worse case scenario meeting. Manager, Strategist and all and sundry were called up, the decision ….go for it. Put on the Spikes, a bold and brave move, lap by lap the lead came down, 5, 4, 3, ,2, 1 , but it was taking its toll, fatigue set in , the back up was called into the fray, but the laps were running down.
Lap 100, Team Juniors were lining up for the mass sprint finish, Team Seniors were looking puzzled, quizzing the timekeeper, but then it was the last lap and by some surreptitious strategy were only 50 yards behind…….the flag dropped, but too little too late, team Juniors once again on the top step of the podium. Team Seniors? Back to the drawing board.
John Mac