The Littleport 10k 2016

After I ran the 10k Race for Life, I decided I wouldn’t do the Littleport 10k, which was the following Sunday. My friend said I’d change my mind by the Tuesday. I was resolute.

By the Tuesday, my resolution was wavering. My friend took the opportunity to tell me she told me so. On the day, my resolution failed altogether: I decided I would do it.

Colin said he would do it as well. This meant that we couldn’t cheer each other on. However, my mam was visiting that weekend. She was therefore put on cheering duty and photographing duty.

Littleport has its very own informal running group, the Littleport Runners. We had running tops made for us by local company Sigma Embroidery and Printing specially for this event. Colin and I donned our respective tops and headed off to the Leisure Centre to register.

We found a few of the others in their Littleport Runners tops on as well. We all looked excellent, if a bit hot. It was one of those summer days that should be spent drinking Pimms by the river.

Not all of the Littleport Runners were running: some were marshals and others were providing much-needed support and encouragement.

The time to start arrived, and we all gathered behind the line. Apparently, the club runners like this route because it’s flat. Don’t they know you have to run up Padnal?!

We set off; I was overtaken by many, many people, and was left to languish in not quite last place. I found a fellow Littleport Runner to follow, and almost caught up to her on Padnal; she was my pacemaker, and I was very grateful to have her there. When we rejoined the proper road, I caught up to her on the downhill section, eventually overtaking her and finishing a few seconds ahead.

There was a presentation ceremony for the winners after the race, with pictures being taken for local newspaper the Ely News. Colin and I were in the pictures of the prize-winners in the paper. Not because we won, but because we just happened to be in the background of the photos of those who did.

I completed the course in an official time of 1:05:49, my new personal best. I was really pleased with this, and I even made the top 100: I was 100/115. In the women’s race, I was 19/39.

Super-speedy Colin made it round in 0:52:08, finishing 55/115 overall and 51/76 in the men’s race.

So now I have two running medals.