Race Reports - November 2019
24/11/2019 - Silverstone Half Marathon
Race Report by Darren Sayer
Silverstone half marathon used to be run by London marathon and was the official warm up to the London Marathon, but back in 2017 they changed their warm up venue to the
The Vitality Big Half, so no longer used Silverstone, so when this was released earlier this year by The Race Orgainser I was over the moon, as I had run Silverstone 7 times previous and was one of my favourite events
This year The Race Organiser also added on a Family race, 5k, 10k to the half so there was an option to suit everyone
For those of you that don’t know Silverstone Circuit is built on the site of a World War II Royal Air Force bomber station, so is very open and it was quite cold so everyone was faced with the what shall I wear dilemma, is it going to warm up as the day goes on ? should I wear a base layer, gloves and hat or not decisions, decisions ???
We had all arranged to meet in the Paddock, this is where our Coastie tops come into a league of there own as you can spot them miles away, once we was all there the traditional pre race photo was taken, bags were dropped in, last minute wees were had and we all took our places on the famous Silverstone Start grid, the grid was split into various timed pens to suit your ability, at 10am after a short spout of fireworks the race started, the course took you around 1 clockwise lap of the circuit which was approximately 3 miles before veering off to the various service tracks that weave all around the circuit you then re-joined circuit in a anticlockwise direction for the final 2 miles.
The course is reasonably flat with a few shallow inclines here and there, with the biggest inclines being over the Bridges as the course took you out to the parking areas but these were only very short hills. The circuit itself is probably one of the best running surfaces you will ever run on as it is dead flat tarmac and the service tracks really weren’t too bad either.
The only crowd support around the circuit is by the start and finish areas, other than that you are pretty much on your own with the other runners, however as this event doesn’t go on any roads headphones are allowed so you can plug yourself in and have a jolly good old sing song as you go round.
Our team of 8 Coasties all completed their races and results were as follows
Half marathon Results:-
Darren Sayer:- 1:32.03 PB
Andy Lewis:- 1:40.58
Janine Deniz:- 2:22.16
Kate Sayer:- 2:42.10 PB
Jenny Baker:- 2:46.47 PB
Mark Baker:- 2:46.55 PB
10k Results:-
Kerry Bolton:- 1:17.27
Louise Reed:- 1:24.12
A Big Well Done to everyone that took part is was an awesome weekend
Would I recommend it, definitely !!! it is a fast course and a really well organised event and great for PB potential
Really glad that The Race Organiser decided to resurrect this race
Race Entries are now open for next year Sunday 15th November 2020
See you there
24/11/2019 - Movember 1.5/5/10KM
Race Report by Robert Darg
The annual Fund raiser for Movember Men’s physical and mental health charity. This is a very popular event with Kent based Clubs and individuals, with 98 runners in the 5km and 375 in the 10km races.
Magnificent moustaches and fancy dress abounded, my favourite being the young guy dressed as “Running Forest Gump”, complete with bushy hair and bears and 70’s running kit..uncanny resemblance!
The day started with the Kids 1.5km race which is a really great way to encourage youngsters into running...lots of smiles as they got to the cheering crowds at the Finish Line and their medals. This was followed by the 10Km race (A special event for me as last year this was the first 10Km race I had ever entered); the start of the 10KM was followed shortly after by the 5Km race.
Coastal striders were well represented in both the Adult events :Anne Waldie & Suzie W-Temple in the 5KM and Debbie McLening, Mandy Smitherman, Natalie Hewitt-Zarb, Paul Bonner, Ryan Dargan, Elvis Cooper also representing the Club in the 10 KM race ...Apologies if I’ve inadvertently missed any Coasties off this list- not everyone made the photo call, as the queue for the Loos was epic!
The 5KM course was flat and quite fast, with the First male crossing the line in 18:36 and the first Female in 22:18. In the 10Km race, First male crossed the line in 38:31 and first Female in 42:58. The 10 KM course was also mostly flat and followed the sea promenade from Hampton Pier Recreation ground Westwards along Studd Hill Beach, Swalecliffe Beach to Tankerton beach, with a short, steep uphill section to the turn around by the Bubble cafe and the return to the finish line.
The weather was perfect, not too hot or cold and very little head wind. The challenge with this race is to stay focused, as you can see far ahead on the long, long straights, so you dont feel like you’re getting anywhere very quickly! The 10km start was quite congested, so my Coasties run buddy Paul B and I decided to start quickly and get clear of the pack and then slow down...a cunning plan, except I then got lost in the showbiz of the event and kept going at that pace...
Paul stayed with me all the way, but I’m not sure he’s forgiven me yet! There was lots of encouragement from spectators, dog walkers, bemused Tourists etc. along the route which really lifted everyone as they pounded along the concrete. I definitely felt the benefit of the physical and mental stamina built up on Coasties run nights, as the final 2KM seemed to last forever and I had to dig deep before the crowds lining the route towards the Finish line came into view and then I even found enough for a sprint finish as well.....which was nice.
Very pleased to have knocked over 7mins off last year’s time and get a new 10Km PB of 52:44.
A huge Well Done to all the Coasties that took part, had loads of fun and raised the Club profile; a special mention for Ryan Dargan, who still finished the 10KM despite nursing a bad calf injury and for Elvis Cooper, our fastest Coastie on the day, who finished 50/375 in 49:59 (must be the new tattoo).
17/11/2019 - The 666 Trail Run
Race Report by Helen Tremble
This race takes you through the heart of the breathtakingly beautiful Kings Wood, Challock. It’s 6.66 miles long and aptly described as a ‘devilishly good distance over a slightly wicked terrain’; in fact I would go so far as to describe some of the hills as savage! Whilst the course was extremely muddy, with a good many steep inclines and at times technically very challenging it was an immense amount of fun. The fact that there were over 40 marshals on the course gives you some clue as to the difficult nature of this relatively short race. The memory is fading now but the terrain got progressively harder, peaking in the last 2 miles.
The weather was perfect as was the atmosphere. I’ve never done this race before but it had that ‘feel good’ factor akin to the likes of ‘The Harbour Wall Banger’, ‘Whitstable 10K’, ‘Oysterman Tri’ and ‘Hythe Tri’. With a small field of under 200 competitors it had that very low key personalised vibe which I really enjoy. The organisation, marshalling and race administration were without fault and Ashford Tri are to be commended for putting on such a great event.
Trail running was completely new to me so after donning an old pair of trainers with no tread I probably didn’t give myself the best chance of an epic performance (I don’t think trail shoes would have made any difference anyway). But to be honest I was pleased to make the finish without being covered head to toe in mud as were quite a few competitors. We did however have some stellar performances from some of our more seasoned trail club runners, including Maura Wood, Sophia Joy, Ian Dodds, and Mark Roberts.
This is a race that I would recommend to anyone who doesn’t mind getting filthy dirty whilst being challenged to the limits of their stamina. Would I do it again? Most definitely yes, but notes to self; 1) buy a pair of trail shoes, 2) don’t arrive at 8am for a 10am start (no queue for the Loo though!) 3) stop avoiding Darren Sayer’s hill sessions!
03/11/2019 - Deal Castle 5 Mile
Race Report by Kerry Bolton
It was a wee bit chilly on Sunday morning when Mark and Jenny Baker picked me up for the Deal Castle 5 miler. Unfortunately commiserating England’s loss the day before, started to kick in and I wondered if I’d actually make the start....
Race numbers collect and several layers removed we caught up with Nicky B, Elvis, Clare and John for a pre race photo. We made our way to the start doing bit of jogging on the spot to keep warm with one eye on the filthy black cloud in the distance over the sea. Jenny, Clare, Nicky and I hung around at the back and then we were off. Jenny and I jeffed 30:20 and we were joined by a few others run/walking.
A lovely flat route but got very congested around the 2nd mile and I lost Nicky and Jenny as they nipped around other runners whilst trying to avoid the faster runners coming in the opposite direction.
The sun came out and as many of you know I do wear too many clothes - off came the neck warmer, gloves and arm warmers! The water station at mile 2 was the turning point back to Deal centre and by now it had started to thin out. I spent the next mile working out how many pints of cider I had consumed the day before and vowing never to drink again (as you do), but it did pass the time!!
Back along the seafront and towards the pier the support got better. I passed Elvis and his family, he’d just finished and as had Stuart. Mark passed me up by the pier as did Jenny and Nicky, Clare wasn’t far behind me. The great thing about jeffing for me is the speed seems to increase in the second half of any race. I then had half a mile to go and mentally started to feel stronger as I targeted runners in front of me and passed them. As the last of yesterday’s cider coursed through my veins I sprinted the last 400 yards and over the line. The orange coastie shirts from Nicky and Jenny not far in front of me.
After about 8 cups of squash, my heart rate had come down enough for me to see I had a PB of 58 minutes. Not sure if it’s having a new pair of hips, the serious cider session the previous day or the jeffing method of running but I’m improving with every race and it was great to see Mark, Jenny, Nicky and Elvis all coming in with PB’s too. A great race for a fast PB, lovely and flat, very well marshalled and organised and it was lovely to see runners coming from all areas of Kent. Many thanks to Graham for his photos too.
03/11/2019 - Howletts 5k and 10k
Race Report by Mandy Smitherman
I woke up nice and early, surprised to see a sunny but cold day as the day before had been a complete washout.
I arrived with 45 minutes to spare, worried about the parking which I needn't have been as the race car park was huge. Registering was easy and took no time at all.
About 10mins before the race two very energetic women started to get us all involved in a pre warm up. I'm afraid that didn't quite go to plan as all 410 people (it was a sell out) were crammed quite close together and so had no room to join in unless you wanted to end up smacking someone in the face next to you that is ?!!
Anyway, the race started at 9.30 and the course took us into the zoo past an array of animals ??? and if you wanted you could stop and take pictures.
The course itself was largely flat and included quite a few slopes so you could run that little bit faster, also it took us past a lot of the animal enclosures so if you're an animal lover that's an extra bonus.
I did manage to see a couple of coasties along the way, even giving a high 5 to one on the way round ✋. I must say that the monkey's were the star of the show as they were up in the tree's making very loud noises which somehow spurred you on!
The race itself was great and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try and get a PB for 5k to give it a go.
To my surprise and amazement, I even managed to get the fastest female in my age category ?.
At the finish you get a great medal, free massage and fruit and water if you want it.
I will definitely do this race again next year!