Edgehill Half Marathon- 14 July
The Edgehill Half Marathon, now in its second year, took place in the stunning setting of Compton Verney, Warwickshire (which is not only gorgeous but, more importantly for race entrants, has amazingly luxurious toilets). The race followed a picturesque and challenging route through the villages of Kineton, Little Kineton and Radway. The only downside to the race was that it took place on a scorching hot day, without so much as a breath of wind to cool a sweaty brow.
The organisers had laid on bottled water every two miles, and local children welcomed runners with hosepipes and water pistols; but there was no escaping the brutal heat.
Shona Crombie–Hicks somehow kept her cool, finishing 9th overall and first lady in 1:27:03 (spookily, her watch showed that she had run exactly the same time, to the second, as she had for the Hilly Half).
Nigel Frith also withstood the conditions and was 18th in 1:35:00.
Susan Hunt got her hydration strategy badly wrong – starting at the first water stop, where she mistakenly emptied a cup of energy drink over her head. She quickly succumbed to the heat and the hills, finished in a disappointing 1:55:54 and spent the rest of the day lying, unwell, in a darkened room and questioning her decision to race on the hottest weekend for years; rather than “waste” her entry fee.
Wales Marathon, Tenby - 14 July
Steve Edwards also endured a tough hilly course in baking hot temperatures of over 30 degrees at the Wales Marathon. He reported that it felt even hotter “like an oven” running through the mostly quiet country lanes.
Once again, Steve dug deep and finished in 8th position overall (out of over 300) and 2nd V50 in a time of 3:26:50.
The brutality of the conditions were illustrated by the fact that many DNF’d, the race winner ran a time of 3:09 and only 8 runners broke 3:30.
Steve claimed that three things had kept him going:
- Having never DNF’d in a race I didn’t want to start today!
- I was desperate to keep my unbroken run of sub 3:30s going, currently 77 on the bounce averaging 1 every 11 days for the last 128 weeks.
- So close now to the 600-marathon landmark, this one was 597 and they don’t come much tougher!
Highlights
Shona is first lady at Edgehill Half Marathon.
Nigel Frith and Susan Hunt also brave the heat at Edgehill, achieving 1:35 and 1:55 respectively.
Steve Edwards notches-up his 597th full marathon at Tenby, finishing in a very creditable 3:26 in “oven-like” conditions. Just 3 for the 600!
Other reports may be found on our recent race reports page.