Club Handicap Results

Congratulations to Steve Pepper on winning the 2011 Club Handicap Race!

Full results are available here

Sunday 25^th September meant it was time for the much anticipated Sandbach Striders handicap challenge. 

A simple concept really, well, sort of simple, but let me explain how it worked. A couple of Wednesday’s back, I was asked along with other club members, to run the 10k race route as fast as I could. Simples? after all we are a running club, and running is what we do, so, so far so good.  Then, when having completed the run each runner had his/her time recorded and we could get on with socialising whilst the organisers amongst us namely Catherine and Claire pulled out a lap top and started entering data. 

10 days later, on a wet Sunday morning we arrived again
at the club to actually carry out this handicap race. On arrival the organisers Catherine and Clare had began cooking bacon for bacon rolls. I’m not sure if they knew, but I think they thought that having a club smelling of gorgeous bacon on a Sunday morning might make people run back faster to sample said bacon, a ploy sadly in my case that would not work, but in the case of Martin, Giles and Mr Pepper seemed to work just fine.

Now on to the race itself, me being me and training for my inaugural marathon in just two weeks at Chester (along with many others in the club) now runs even slower than I did before. Something about not turning up to Mik’s speed training sessions, and trying to just pace myself at a speed for 26 miles whereby I won’t blow up meant I was tasked with setting out first.

This was sort of a Hare v Tortoise story, only with differing results.  I started off first as I was err… last 10 days ago. Then, when the next person’s allotted time appeared on the clock they set off after me. This would mean that I would have a 6 min head start over Evonne who was due out next, and a whopping 17 minutes over Martin, Giles and the other quicker runners. This did seem a little unfair and a bit biased towards me but hey ho, I would run with it, finish, pick up my prize, eat all the bacon and be sat on the sofa watching the Grand Prix by Mid day.

The course is mixed terrain, across fields through a couple of gates and then on to the road. It then follows a huge loop which gives the impression that you are running miles away, before you actually head for home. The course we used for the event is nearer to 7 miles and not the 10k that is used for the club race.

As I continued, I couldn’t help think how lonely I was. I was putting in some decent times (for me) and clocking up about 9-20 MM. As I reached the end of mile 1, I looked around and there was no one in sight. I carried out this tactic for the next 4.5 miles quietly laughing to myself and planning whether to have red or brown sauce on my Bacon buttie along with eating an extra one or two whilst I awaited the others.

Sadly for me though, something happened at about mile 4.5-5. I looked behind to see that both Evonne and Liz were actually now only a few hundred yards behind me!! How on earth did that happen? All I could think of, was that if they arrived back before me the bacon would be gone. A sad reality as one by one over the next mile, they all came past me. First though was not Liz or Evonne but Mr Pepper whom appeared well on his way to a club handicap victory. Slowly but surely, (very slowly in my case) the runners came streaming past me. However I did manage to hold a few off and enjoyed watching the sprint race between Bob Kettle and Chairman Terry at the end. The Bulley couple (that’s by name not appearance) brought the proceedings to a fine end and allowed us to then go in to the club to see the results. Having picked up the results I then was given my treat by the two organisers whom had roped in Clare’s young daughter to feed us all those lovely bacon baps and pour out some much needed fresh Orange juice.

So for next year, note to self, attend speed training more and do not go out for a big meal the night before the race and I might just might not be the tortoise.

Till next time, The Chester Marathon in 2 weeks!!! EEK

Paul