LADIES DAY AT HUNTINGDON RACES
Pre-race I tend to mull over ideas for these race reports, I try to make them a little more interesting than ‘we ran around a field, it was windy’. But normally whatever idea I have come up with is totally changed by the events on the day, today’s race was no exception. Much like Bourne Woods last year I thought the narrative would be the club championship inspired big turnout, but it didn’t really happen. What did happen was that the ladies brought their ‘A’ game and in so many ways.
You’re greeted at Jubilee Park with the smell of bacon cooking, which is awesome. Plenty of room indoors at the clubhouse so no need to be stood in the cold. The course was about as straight forward as you can get. On grass all the way, some manicured, some more rough with occasional patches of mud. Miles one and two were downhill with the wind at our backs, but every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so miles three and four were uphill and into the wind. The hills were only gentle in reality the wind however was a beast and out there we were exposed to the full force. The fifth mile we turned for home and mercifully the wind was on our backs again. One last kicker was that this five miler turned out to be closer to a five and a half miler, caught a few out. Fantastic support down the finishing straight, across the line and off to the canteen for a hard earned bacon roll and coffee.
The Holy Trinity of Ellie Swire, Sadie Boor and Ann Wood were joined in the scoring zone by Kelly O’Donaghue, top running and the inspirational ladies don’t end there. Wendette Christian, twenty four mile run on the Saturday, turned out for Frostbite on the Sunday. Sarah Wynne, who told her Mum she would run all six races and despite everything that has happened did just that. And let’s not forget the tail-order, those ladies that turn up for these runs time after time, knowing that they will be last home, that really takes guts, Jo Platten, I’m looking at you here, inspirational. And the day started with great runs from the young ladies in the junior race, it was fantastic to watch.
Frostbite is the only event where we come together and compete as a team and for me that will always make it special, but what the ladies have shown today is what you bring to the team can be so much more than quick times. Bring your humour, your stories, your memories, your advice and wisdom, your Welsh hat if you must, bring cakes if you can bake but most of all bring yourself and be part of something bigger.
As well as the ladies mentioned above, the other scorers were Jeff Lucas, Phil Hamlyn, Malc Jacklin, Chris Phillips, Rodney Hall and Jeremy Green. We finished 9th on the day and 7th overall.
By popular demand the list of runners who completed all six races this season are Sadie Boor, Simon Gilbey, Ian Humphries, Julian Huckle, Ros Hamlyn, Mark Turner, Mark Crookes, Sarah Wynne, Denise Fassler and Carol Cook. (If you think your name should be on here but isn’t, apologies. This is an unofficial list, I could’ve made a mistake)
Tim wants your nominations for Frostbite runners of the season.
And that’s it, the whole thing kicks off again in October, I’ll be there…unless I’m in Loch Ness, its Julian’s 60th birthday run. Oh, you already know about it? Not sure how, he hardly ever mentions it.