I entered the Run Dorset Christchurch 10K (Sunday 18th Oct) in Bournemouth while down south on holiday. There was a choice of 5K, 10K (11.5K as it turned out! – more about that later) and half marathon distances. The morning got off to a bad start when the lights blew in the house I was staying in and I had to get dressed in the dark. Not wanting to wake the rest of the family that early on a Sunday morning I dressed by the light of my phone.
It was a 30 mile drive to Christchurch. I had the postcode for the venue entered into the satnav so set off from Milborne St Andrew to get to Christchurch. Thankfully I’d allowed some extra time as the postcode provided in the information from the organisers directed me to the middle of a housing estate about a mile from where I was meant to be. Falling back on an old-fashioned map and a helpful newsagent I found a car park in the middle of town and walked 10 minutes or so to registration arriving 20 minutes before the start. I had a warm up then took off my fleece to find I’d put my running vest on back to front in the dark!
Once that had been rectified I watched the start of the half (or the 14 miler as it turned out). The competitors assembled for their briefing then off they went round Stanpit Recreation Ground. It became apparent quite quickly that things were not going well. Rather than exiting the field two-thirds of the way round the runners were coming round the field again and back to the start. There was a bit of discussion then they all headed back off on the correct route adding perhaps 500m or so to their distance.
So next up it was the 10K. It was made clear in our briefing that we should exit the field over in the corner and not come back round to the start.
The first few ks were flat then we headed up onto the cliffs and through a nature reserve on trails before descending a zigzag path back to the prom. We then climbed again into the wind then descended again before turning for home. It was nearly 6k at the turn and I thought it would be fast and flat back avoiding the hills. Fuelled by juice and some sweets provided at the refreshment point I sped off back along the prom.
However, we were directed back up the same hills as on the way out. I managed to keep running on the hills and resisted the strong urge to walk. The race returned on exactly the same route on the way out so I quickly approached 10K and was nowhere near the end. I pressed the lap counter on my watch at what I thought was 10K (46:09) and ploughed on although I had nothing left to give as I had run to 10K and my legs had gone.
I crossed the line in 53:54 with the watch saying I’d done 11.4K. A quick discussion with a number of others revealed distances between 11.4 and 11.5K. I finished 24th overall and was first (and only) Moray Road Runner.
So it was a nice day for a seaside run past some lovely beach huts. The support from the public was great with many residents in their gardens cheering us on. The marshalls were good and offered encouragement. However it was disappointing that what was touted as a 10K turned out to be much longer. At least I wasn’t doing the half which was nearer 14 miles and surrounded by chaos and confusion at the start. So on with the holiday and looking forward to a 10K (rather than a 11.5K) next week at Culloden. The midweek training sessions are certainly improving my fitness.
Report by: Chris Smith