Great Eastern Run
16th October 2022
The Great Eastern Run is one of the largest Half Marathons in the UK with 2,300 odd finishers this year. There was a good turnout from Werrington Joggers with at least 42 runners including pacers, several marshals and a good few supporters. We met outside the key Theatre at 09:30 for various club photos both with and without purple dinosaurs!
The previous time we had met for the Great Eastern was in 2019 when it had been grey, wet and horrible and we had waited around in the rain and then gone home or to the pub. This year was much nicer; not hot or cold, bright, slight breeze and crucially- dry. There was a lot of waiting both on the grass and later in the starting pens and at 45 minutes after the advertised starting time, some of us were beginning to mutter that it all seemed a bit familiar. As a GER debutant, I was interested to see how it worked. There are 2 pacers for each pace from 1:30 to 2:30 and 2:45 who run a completely flat consistent pace from start to finish. We sorted ourselves into our starting pens, which were the pre-start, according to expected finish time. Runners from the fastest pen went to the start on the road for the starting hooter, then the next fastest pen, then the next. The race is chip timed so does not start until each runner actually crosses the start line.
I slightly stuffed up my start as I was faffing with my watch so ended up a little too far back. As warming up had been tricky in the crowded waiting areas, it was probably no bad thing to go through mile 1 slightly behind schedule but I was able to ease my way through the field and was soon where I wanted to be. Broadly speaking the course started near the Key Theatre, early section through Market Square, went towards Werrington and then back finishing near the start. I particularly enjoyed the Werrington section as I had run much of it many times on a Tuesday evening and there was a good level of W J support. The route then turned down Fulbridge Road and back towards town. It is a fast course that is flat enough for wheelchairs although there is a hill which wheelchairs do find quite tricky. The water stations were well staffed and I did not have to wait at any of them. I had not been looking forward to turning round a traffic cone near the end but turned out to be fine although I can’t speak for anyone else.
Okay, let’s talk about the Elephant on the course. Most GPS watches recorded 13 miles as opposed to 13.1. However, I maintain that the course is more likely to be accurate and the out and back right near the end would have confused GPS watches. It does at least count for club standards so that’s good enough for me. Many of us went to Charters afterwards for a well earned post race pint, which seemed like a good way to finish off.
(Editors comment - many reports of the course not corresponding with GPS were mentioned but the course has been accurately validated, the likely reason is GPS innacuracy, which would affect all watches in the area, or the course line not being followed during the race - its often not the 'racing line' of least distance around a course.)