Race report by Janet:
Yesterday, Dan Wood and I took part in the Jubilee Bridge half marathon. Both hailing from Warrington, we were very excited to have the opportunity to run over the original Runcorn bridge, twice, without paying a toll! The Jubilee Bridge event, consists of a closed road 10k & Half Marathon which both start and finish on the Silver Jubilee Bridge with over 2000 runners. For any Pontists (bridge lovers amongst us) the Grade II listed bridge was opened in 1961 and connects Widnes and Runcorn, crossing over both the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal. I could also explain about its cantilevered footway but I sense I may be losing my audience and pushing my luck.
Anyway, onto the main event. The start was a little wet and blustery but it soon cleared as we set off. Surprisingly, the course was lovely, mostly run on rural roads, out towards the thatched village of Hale (famous for its 9ft giant who slept with his feet out of the window).
It was arguably flat, according to Dan. We discussed this at the finish line. Dan is wrong. 110 metres of elevation does not feel flat when it is mostly in mile 12! There were a few long inclines, an uphill start and a sting in the tail with the final half a mile up and over the bridge. Dan was pursuing an improvement on last weeks half and I was aiming at strong and comfortable, a tiny bit faster than marathon pace (or running like a normal person according to Hazel Hatfield). We both accomplished our goals. Dan ran really well, maintaining a consistent pace and finished two minutes faster than last weeks half in 1.51.12 and 8/25 in V55 and I finished in 1.40.55, 1/18 in V50 and 9th lady overall. It’s also worth mentioning that there was an impressive range of free snacks on offer at the end, plus free sports massages, a running merchandise stall and a burger van all on the bridge!
