Benidorm 1/2 Marathon

Race report by Gareth:

Where to start…?….As captains we always try & keep races local to encourage as much participation as possible so obviously the best turnout of the year was in Benidorm on Saturday lol. An incredible 22 Lostockers took part in the Benidorm HM & 10K 😊.

After a very sober Friday night which absolutely did not involve an 8 hour drinking session, singing, dancing, pole dancing, betting on random horse races, getting lost & generally staggering about the place we were all in tip top shape for the race on Saturday evening. Unfortunately one or two of us cheated & were seen drinking 0% beer….no names necessary, hopefully the shame will last with you for an eternity..🤣

With a 5pm start for the 10K & a 6pm start for the HM there was plenty of time to chill before the start, Paul, Rachel, Greg, Hazel & myself had a lovely swim in the sea which definitely helped to wake us up a bit & the sight of Greg stripping down to his boxers & running into the sea will live long in the memory lol.

It’s been a few years since I’ve done a mass participation event & I’d forgotten how much of a buzz they are! With 3578 in the HM & 4135 in the 10K it really made for a special atmosphere. The separate start times meant we were able to watch the 10K get underway & it was great to see Ste, Gill & Markus running together in the pack & Lynda bravely walking round with daughter Grace despite her ongoing injury problems. They all did so well, Markus in his first ever 10K, Gill in her first 10K in Lostock colours & Ste who told me in the bar afterwards he’d only ran 34 miles all year, all of which are in races! Well done guys, you did yourselves & the club proud.

Then it was onto the HM….this is a great course for a good time, a few up & downs in the first few miles, nice wide streets & long flat sections to really get into a good rhythm. Greg, Andy, Brian, Hazel, Chris & myself were all in the same starting pen & we were off bang on time, starting off on the dual carriageway we were soon heading uphill & were joined by Paul & very quickly passed by club superstar Janet on her way to finish an incredible 45th woman out of 1092 & 7th in her age category. Greg soon kicked ahead of us & stormed his way round to a really impressive PB, Tony Marlow barged his way in between Andy & myself, never to be seen again, showing the road runners how it’s done to record a super fast time & finish 16th MV60. Chris, Brian, Hazel & Paul kicked on early whilst Andy & me kept each other company for the first 5 miles or so.

After a bit of up & down for the first 3 miles you end up on the prom, right alongside the beach & bars for a good few miles, with plenty of loud music & encouragement to keep you going, then you head uphill a little bit on the first of 4 (I think) out and back sections, these are great for seeing your club mates & encouraging each other. Bev looked great throughout & was always in front of the 2 hour pacer to run a great time & PB (apologies If I’m wrong) & Heather was always close behind to run a terrific time & narrowly miss out on sub 2. Sally, despite running in agony with a broken collarbone just 3 weeks ago deserves a special mention, how she managed that I’ll never know. Mike was bang on target for sub 2 at halfway & looked great but it got away from him a bit in the second half of the race. It was great to see the 2 Rachels & Terri (all taking it easy after Friday night lol) & Sheila running close together & clearly having a good time, Sheila was another star performer finishing a fantastic 6th in her age cat. Another special mention to Matt who despite not being able to run for 6 weeks prior due to illness put in a strong performance.

The out & backs continued over the next few miles & were a great motivator & I managed to catch up with Brian at mile 10 who had a stone in his shoe & a nasty blister, then Chris who despite looking after his hamstring over the last few miles managed a great PB, then Paul at mile 11 who ran a blinder to get sub 1h 50 for the first time in a while. Hazel had steamed ahead from Paul late on & produced an outstanding performance.

Finally off the out & backs the last mile or so is fantastic, loads of loud music, cheering crowds & encouragement from the 10K Lostockers who had finished earlier & from Tony Maxwell(sadly injured & unable to run) & Joanna who did a sterling job with hoodie holding & race photography. There’s a little sting in the tail for the final 100 metres or so as it kicks sharply uphill & knocks the wind out of your sails a bit, but what a race! Well done everyone, a trip to remember!

For the record:..

10K (out of 4135)

Gillian Baker 1:05:10 (2881)

Stephen Hancock 1:05:15 (2895)

Markus Stevens 1:08:24 (3181)

Lynda Hardman 1:28:20 (4051)

Half Marathon (out of 3578)

Janet Rhodes 1:36:37 (617)

Greg Kilshaw 1:43:51 (1019)

Tony Marlow 1:46:16 (1248)

Hazel Hatfield 1:47:32 (1292)

Gareth Pratt 1:48:08 (1355)