Sunday, 7 June 2015 - Thanks to Matthew Bowden for letting us use his race report.
Crewkerne 10k 2015- Matthew Bowden - Minehead Running Club
Five of us (Me, Jo, Jackie B, Hazel and Martin) travelled today to take part in the Crewkerne 10k, very much an undulating course with several climbs adding up to over 500 feet of ascent through country lanes. Martin was disappointed to learn on arrival that he was not too late to sign up, and in scorching weather we set off to the start line, a few hundred yards from the town hall which acts as race HQ.
The race begins with a short but very sharp climb, at which point there is a prize for first man and lady to this point. I had no chance, but Jo put her climbing legs to good use to secure herself a bottle of wine, which was fortunately handed out at the end, otherwise it may have been a tempting handicap at this point. The course then drops down to the drinks station, before heading right and beginning a loop of Merriott and Hinton St George. This really is one of those races where despite it starting and finishing in the same place you feel like you do far more climbing than descending, and the long drag to Hinton is fairly soul destroying, as the heat begins to tell. I was overtaken by three people on this climb, but managed to overtake another on the descent (and subsequent climb) back to the drinks station.
All that was left now was the arduous ascent of the other side of the first hill, which was now made more difficult by 5k runners filling the road, indeed at one point I nearly knocked over a small girl, obviously my light-footed tread meant she was unable to hear me! A short sharp descent back into Crewkerne meant a swift finish, I finished around ninth (results not yet out) in about 40:10, which when you consider that I went through halfway at 19:30 shows how tough the second half of the race is! Jo was unfortunately overtaken near the end so was second lady, with Hazel winning her age group by knocking two minutes off last years time in 46:18, and Martin and Jackie finishing shortly afterwards.
Then it was time for tea and medals (and some magnificent cakes), as the ladies managed to pick up the team award (after a stewards enquiry - needless to say it was Hazel's fault!) to take away a fine haul of bling from the race. Everyone ran a great race, and thanks also to Burnham Harriers for questioning their own victory in the team, bravo! We all picked up a nice engraved glass, although I believe the ladies are all having to have structural work done at home in order to be able to display all of these trinkets that they keep winning!