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2008 Crawley Track
Marathon: 26 October 2008: Report by Smilersid
I have completed many hundreds of
Marathons in my time and still competing at a reasonable level. I have
run 1 lappers, 2 lappers, 3 lappers, and 4 lappers and as many 40 laps,
off road, cross-country, trail, A to B courses, around garden paths,
airfields, tunnels and I am probably the only runner in the world to
have run a Marathon on the M 25 and that is not sitting in a car. But to
run a Marathon on a track is another thing, OK, I am used to track
running in 24-Hour races but this is slightly different because you are
pushing yourself in thinking you can beat your best time on the road.
How wrong can you be, I have run quicker times on the hills at the Isle
of Wight albeit I am passed my prime.
I have got to
praise Pam and her crew of helpers for putting on this event, conditions
were not good, rain throughout the event and what dry spells we had the
damage was already done, with cold winds hitting you on parts of the
track this wasn’t for the faint hearted.
105 laps plus a
part lap run in an anti clockwise direction with no change of direction
throughout the event.
The
organisation was first class, the lap counters were superb from where I
was running, Pam might have had a few hiccups but you will get this
however well the organisation is at the time.
Ian Champion
the race referee did his utmost in blustery conditions to keep everyone
in order and checked all runners on their final lap with the bell.
The lap
counting takes a lot of patience and dedication, just think what these
guys do, they give up their Sunday to check you around in all what the
weather can through at them just so as we the runner like to complete,
so the next time you do a multi lap event spare a thought for your lap
counter and thank them.
35 runners toed
the line, a few speed kings, a few first timers, a few not used to multi
laps and the rest old sweats, a short talk on track etiquette was given
by race referee Ian Champion, ‘stay as near as possible to the inside
lane this will be the shortest route to complete the distance’. ‘Well I
thought that’s reasonable’. Now the fun starts, ‘slower runners must
keep to the right hand side of the inner lane this will allow the faster
runners to overtake on the inside of you’. All sounds hunky-dory but
hang on a minute that’s doing more than a Marathon, don’t worry, what’s
a few hundred yards to us old stagers.
We are given
the order to go, and the 35 runners are on the way all jockeying for
that inside lane, well a few are but not the likes of me. Within about
15 minutes of running the word ‘track’ is shouted by the leading pack
and as ordered we all move over to allow these speedsters through.
Within an hour
the race has settled down to some sort of order, the banter has long
gone and we are beginning talk sensibly the leading pack consisted of
Sam Rigby, Phil Burden both from London Irish AC, Walter Hill Crawley
AC, Angie Sadler Tewkesbury AC was the leading lady followed by Ian
Taylor Bungay Back Dog RC.
The main pack
of runners started to spread out until you could see 10 to 12 yards of
clear space between each individual then after a spell of another 10
minutes you were overtaken again by the leading pack.
If you haven’t
done multi lap racing give it a try, you will have plenty of company and
if you don’t like your running partner speed up to the next runner and
give him/her some ear bashing or slow down, whatever you choose they all
have many a tail to tell. You might get a grumpy sod that has something
to say about his lap counter, ‘my lap counter has said I have completed
15 miles, but my sat/nav shows that I have completed 17 miles’. Yes! We
had a plonker, then he went on to do a DNF.
Considering the
weather conditions it was a good turn out with only three DNF, the feed
and water stations was excellent good all round variety of food and
energy drinks.
Spare a thought
for Mike Storey, he travelled from Gloucester to help Pam out on the day
by putting up all the signs well before we all arrived then if that was
not enough he helped out relieving anybody who needed a break and also
manned the water and food stations, he then had to pack all the signs in
his vehicle and head back to Gloucester, men like Mike are few and far
between I sadly missed his mate Ron this time he was one of Pam’s
greatest helpers. Sadly Ron passed away only months before this event.
A superb event,
nice company, great changing facilities, lovely showers I will return
again for 2009 and what the hell its only 105 laps or even more when you
do the 12-hours.
Smilersid.
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