Living near Horsham it is a very local event and I had heard good things about it so I was really looking forward to the event, I am usually up early on Sundays anyway as it is my usual morning for running listening to Heart Sunday Breakfast with Jenni Falconer. So getting up early was not a problem. I was a bit concerned about getting to Crawley and finding that I couldn't park, however I arrived at The Hawth where there was an agreement through the organisers to use their car park for a charity donation and there was plenty of space, it was really convenient with a footpath through the woods at the back straight into Southgate Park and the event village. I had planned on getting the train to Crawley rather than drive but the engineering works meant that trains were not stopping at Crawley.
It was slightly misty morning when I left home but by the time I arrived at Southgate Park it was a glorious morning with sun shining, so good in fact that I was changed and ready really early so I could deposit my bag in the marquee and wander freely around the village, a nice coffee to drink and soak up the atmosphere.
I was allocated a number in the Purple wave as I was hoping for a time between 1:45 and 2:00
During my wander around the village I bumped into Anna, amazing how many people you regularly bump into at events around the country, it was only brief as she was a pacer for the event and had to check in and collect her flag. I also nearly bumped into Nicola and Jack from Heart but they were getting a coffee and I thought it would be rude to interrupt their morning coffee, Nicola since replied to an Instagram post that I should have asked for a photo, I wont be so polite next time :-)
After a couple of trips to the loo, between which I returned to the stage to listen to Colin Jackson, Dina Asher-Smith and Helen Skelton talk about the event, it was time to line up in our start pens for the event. There was a bit of a delay to the start, something about a motorist on the course but soon enough we were off. I was a tad confused about where the actual start line was as we went under an arch that seemed to have timing equipment around it but then seemed to go under another one a little while later. I started my watch at the first one and it was telling me each mile was a little way before the mile markers so I guess I chose the wrong one.
The course was great and the mile markers quite quirky in that they were signposts to other destinations, its a small thing but it kept me amused as I ticked off the miles, at one point I heard a couple of other runners talking about a hill between 8 and 9, now I don't like hills so I wasn't looking forward to this. As it happens the hill wasn't too bad for me, I was actually running up it faster than some of the people who had passed me on the flat just before.
Before too long I was into the final mile and heading back to Southgate Park and the finish, as I crossed the line our names were being called out and I had passed the finish before I realised that the person on the mike was Susie Chan, thanks Susie for welcoming us back across the finish line.
I collected my medal, shirt and banana and made my way back to the village for a bacon butty and a wander around again to see what was happening, there was quite a buzz around the park the weather no doubt helping!
Just as I was about to leave to head home I bumped into Anna again for a quick chat and it appears that I wasn't the only one who was confused about where the actual start was.
All in all it was a great event and I am really pleased that I took part, I had hoped to get under 1:50 again but realistically was aiming for under 1:55 so my official time of 1:53:39 was about where I expected to be.
The marshals all around the course were fantastic, full of cheer and motivation so thanks to all of them who really helped us all around the course.
The only 2 comments I would have on the event that could have made it better are:
1) The confusion around the start line, is it possible to make it more obvious which line is the actual start line? this may have been something to do with the 5K that was also being run on the same day.
2) The loos, there was quite a queue for them but I did notice that the Urinals were mixed in with the rest of the loos and were not getting used very much. It may have been better to place them separate and make it more obvious that they were there to lessen the queues by taking those who could use them out of the main queue?
Overall the event was fantastic, the course was great and the weather certainly helped make a great day for running, thanks to all that made it possible.
