Author: Jackie Gooch

The temperature in Yarmouth was about 8 degrees cooler than when I had left home in Lingwood and with a cool sea breeze it promised to be more challenging conditions to race in than for race 1 two weeks before.
I was running this race with a young lad by the name of Rory Fairfoot, who has learning difficulties and attended the same school as my son Chris.
Rory started running with his Dad Monty a few years ago before Monty tragically lost his life at far too young an age. Since then he has really taken to running with support from his Mum Jenny and sister Ellie, who recently completed the London Marathon raising over £7,000 and I’m sure his Dad would be very proud. Mum Jenny can no longer keep up with him, so she was pleased when I offered to run this race with him. Based on what Jenny said I had anticipated that Rory may be able to complete the race in about 40 minutes and set up my watch accordingly. Rory has no speech, but can understand instructions and after making sure he was ok and understood who he was running with Jenny left us to watch the race.
It was cold waiting for the race to start, but at last we were off and Rory set off quicker than I was expecting and I ran alongside him encouraging him not to go too quickly. The first mile was easy with a tailwind, but as soon as we turned at the Waterways we faced a stiff breeze that was unrelenting all the way down to the Marina Centre. Rory slowed down significantly and I offered him some words of encouragement that we would soon be out of the wind and pointed out the mile markers so he understood how far we had run and how far we still had to go.
We turned at the Marina Centre to head back up to the Waterways on lap 2 and the pace picked up until without any warning Rory slowed and started to walk as we passed the 3 mile marker. Running into a headwind must have taken more out of him than I had anticipated and after walking for half a minute I encouraged him to start running again. We did, but then we faced the headwind all the way to the finish and Rory slowed to walk again as we reached 4 miles. After another half a minute recovery we started to run again, but I could tell he was finding it hard as many other runners started to catch and pass us as we neared the Marina Centre again. Finally the finish line appeared and when I pointed this out it definitely spurred Rory on as he made a strong finish.
We finished with a time of 43:17 and after collecting our medals and some water we soon saw Mum Jenny with a big beaming smile. Like me she was a little surprised that Rory elected to walk a couple of times, but when I explained how hard the conditions were it was put down to that. It was great running with Rory and is something I will definitely do again. Now if only I could get Chris to do the same…….
There were some great performances by the other 27 Jags who ran the race, with 10 PBs, age group records for Emma Blake and Nicola Lambert-John and second in age group for Elly Young. Well done everyone and here’s looking forward to race 3!

Phil Henry

On the 6th May Ian Bell and i took part in Berlin’s 25k with just over 14,000 others.It started in front of the Olympic stadium, We got to run through the Bradenburg Gate and the finish was an actual lap of the Olympic stadium which was amazing. It was extremely hot and the drink stations were every 5k which didn’t seem enough for the temperatures.

Once you had collected your medal you left the stadium and proceeded to beer stands people were taking up to 5 pints at a time. It was a very social occasion and a first for Ian and i to be drinking anything other than water!

Angela Bell

On what felt like the hottest day of the year so far it was time to run my first 10k in orange. I was one of 16 Jags running the Kings Lynn GEAR and was made to feel very welcome even though I’m an unfamiliar face and still a bit of a newcomer. 

On the 29th April the postponed Mad March Hare took place on the Coltishall Jags home turf. This was my first official 10k race as a Jag and I was really looking forward to getting my 1st medal. The children’s race followed by the wheelchair race was a joy to watch whilst I was waiting for the main race to start, it certainly helped to take my mind of the Great British weather. The weather was not kind…the clouds were ominous, the wind was threatening and every so often it felt like the rain was really going to kick in but none of that mattered as thanks to the incredible support from the marshalls and the spectators (who must have been absolutely frozen!) I managed to get round and achieve a personal PB. Running round the flat course, I got to experience first hand just how friendly and encouraging our fellow running clubs are, I ended up running alongside two women from the Bungay Black Dogs who kept me going especially when the going got rough on the runway when we were running straight into a rather nasty head wind. After finishing the race… a visit to the cafe was a must.. it was lovely to see the cafe so busy, the volunteers running it did an amazing job all morning.. A cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake later, I left the race feeling I had really achieved something, hopeful for a slightly better PB as without that head wind, I feel I would have been quicker.. I have only been running for six months and when I first started.. never did I think I would run 10k! Well done to everybody involved.

Angela

With Stirling Marathon organizers deciding to incorporate a Marathon and a Half Marathon to run for the first time on the same day finishing together, the three Jaguars who went up there including myself obviously never imagined how the finish would unfold. With myself and Rod Bye doing the Full Marathon starting at 8-30am (nice start time!) and Jackie Bye doing the Half starting 1 hr later at 9-30am start. The morning could not have been better weather at a fresh 5 degrees at 8am with only a mild breeze and broken cloud but sunny spells. The start of the Marathon was on the Main A84 Road with a backdrop of Stirling Castle! running though Doune, Dunblane and almost touching distance of the Wallace Monument not to forget the outstanding Scenery along the way. With Jackie standing on the sidelines waving me and Rod off in readiness for her own Challenge myself ad Rod set off Knowing the first 5 Miles were flat before the 7 Mile Hill challenge having driven the full course the previous day. With that on my mind before Mile one Rod had already pulled a gap from me, because of the Main Road the field opened up into a nice comfortable personal pace by the first Mile where i have found many previous big Prestige Races have restricted me for many Miles! As with all Marathons you carry your own remedies which you feel will personally get you through this challenge and at Mile 3 one of my gels fell from my belt and i had the split decision do i turn and collect looking backwards at it laying on the floor soon to be trampled by a marauding stampede of feet i thought bye bye gel ! For the next few Miles up to the hill my thoughts were lets keep this steady pace going and by mile 4 was steadily into a nice rhythm with many other runners it was at this point i caught the 3-30 pacer and thought Jesus i’m doing 7-30’s hes too fast but slowly drifted by him and a train of runners in behind. 5 MILES here we go stick in there i thought only to find each mile came and went on the climbs nicely and noticed with the Hill training i had put in slowly passing fellow runners. At Mile 8-9 i now had Rod ahead and slowly closing towards each other, also thinking to myself Jackie has now started!, at mile 9 was glad to be reunited with Rod and we ran almost together for next two and a half miles again passing odd runner here and there. By Mile 12 i realized Rod was no longer besides me and i was back in my own private battle again this time from Mile 13 down hill at speed i felt with a group of about 7 runners, myself and Rod both knew that we had Stirling University grounds to run around at Mile 16 and a roller-coaster type terrain to get through knowing it was reasonably flat until withing 2 miles of the end after coming out. For me it couldn’t have worked better i was running now besides two guys who were saying they were still on for a 3 hr 15 finish, i briefly commented i was trying to beat my 3-34 pb but at this stage it did not compute i was way inside this time! At Mile 18 we came to a roundabout just after passing Wallace Monument and turned left to go around a right handed almost  4 mile square course and it was here we were joined by the tail end of the Half Marathon runners and as my pace was close to 7-30’s was going past a lot of runners, almost at times having to shout runner behind on the narrow parts as 4 abreast filled the lanes. At Mile 21 i felt my first worrying niggle which was a similar feeling to Wymondham 20 only 4 weeks earlier of cramping left hand foot! Within about quarter a mile of slightly slower pace it had passed. At this point in all my previous Marathons i have always cramped somewhere and had to walk some and now thoughts of this started to plague my mind along with i wonder how Rods doing? Next 2 miles i just dug in and then at 23 my right hand calf muscle started going tight again dropping pace slightly rode the storm and then from 24 Miles realized i could actually do sub 3-15 GFA qualification for London Marathon! only to be caught out by hills in last mile and forgetting the 0.2 and extra bit you run in a Race. Just 50m from the finish i heard and saw Jackie bellowing at me come on Mel! That pushed me to the finish line looking at the clock it saying 3-17 something and still not sinking in! i collapsed over finish line only for British Red Cross to take me to recovery tent and overlook my recovery, it was at this point unknown to me Rod was finishing in 3-18-23 achieving a Pb, Diamond Standard and GFA Qualification for next years London Marathon (subject to time qualification). When out into holding pen area and chatting with Jackie she was only just outside her pb, but achieving also a Diamond Standard and brilliant 1-52-20. My final time was 3-16-51 which was a pb by 18 minutes! All three of us agreed that it was a superb event thoroughly recommended for all.

Mel