So once again due to circumstances beyond our control the 10th training race went to Normanby Hall country park.
I have this time decided that the write up should start by focus on statistic’s, as I know a lot of our members love their facts and figures and their data collection so:
- So far this year a number of people have taken part in more than one training race, with a few only having done 1 so far
- There has been more men take part than women
- There has been more men DNF then women
- The lowest number of attendees in one training race is not as high as the most athletes who have taken part in one training race
- All the events have started with a run.
- The middle event has been the cycle ride
- The final event in each case has been a run (sometimes the same distance as the first other times longer of shorter).
- So far no athlete has got 11 training races in.
So let’s move onto the 10th training race. As I have already stated our friends at Normanby Hall country park once again allowed us to use the stately home grounds, car park and toilets (with one or two of the “ladies” still preferring to use the bushes, and athlete number 90 banned from carrying out his survey on the mini roundabout in the car park).
So all athletes divided into their four waves (with one of the athletes questioning why he had been moved from two to one, well the honest answer is the other athletes in wave two had paid me good money to move him, not because he is not a nice guy but because he never stops talking, the only man I know who can breathe through is ears so he can talk constantly.
The first one ish mile run (due to the fact that the organiser could not be bothered to put a sign out which goes to show it’s always far more organised when the club Scarlet Pimpernel is there) was into the grounds following the gravel drive passed the house (staying to the left, err well that was the plan) all the way down to the chuffer train turn round point. Round the layby and all the way back again staying to the left (may be next time we need to right L and R on the back of a few people’s hands).
Into transition, which for some could be an easy way of improving on times by spending a little time training this part of the event, as standing back and watching made me realise that I had missed a great opportunity to send this into the TV and claim my 250 English pounds, it also did make me realise that when asked “does my bum look big in this the answer should be yes” (you know who you are).
Out on to the public roads ensuring we abide by the rules of the road, not crossing the white lines and going all the way round the roundabouts for the two 7 mile loops not endangering ourselves for a second or two off our times. The route took in the scenic village of Thealby, the pleasant village of little Normanby and oh yes Burton, before returning the 28 riders safely back into the Country park.
Once again into transition with the precision of well-oiled machines (well more like well-oiled bricklayers) the shoes where off, the helmets laid gently on the ground and the trainers back on ready for the final mile ish run. Transition was going well until the athletes realised that they had not restarted their watches, so they ground to a halt, check watch, check heart rate, reset watch, ok let’s go (after all the club does not supply the athletes with the correct data which can be uploaded to Strava and we all know “if it’s not on Strava it did not happen”).
The time as obviously been that long between the first and second run some athletes requiring directions, with the race brief clearly stating “repeat the first run” only some 50 minutes previous we still hear the shouts “which way which way”.
All 28 athletes who started completed the training race (who are we kidding race) and the series points have taken a real twist over the last few weeks, as with a lot of things in life it’s how hard and how often not how hard (you race) or how often (you race).
Training race 10 results, click to open
Many thanks to all our Marshals for positioning themselves at strategic points to make sure our “oops I went wrong again” athletes did not take the wrong turnings.
Many thanks to all our time keepers (they don’t like to be called Marshalls anymore, think it’s a status thing) for taking the times that the athletes can check their watches against.
Many thanks to Wayne for calling in to make sure all the time keepers new what they were doing.
Many thanks to the event organiser for once again putting on another amazing race.
Race 11 will be starting from Flixborough Industrial estate( it’s the final Handicap) and will be two new run routes and a brand new ride route which may or may not include hills, may or may not use the back lane and may even include off road (cannot wait to see Malc and Tony turn up with three bikes just in case).
Kind regards,
Jeff Chappill