From Hilda Coulsey…
What an amazing experience.
Daniel Mateiko ran the fastest half marathon time in the world this year to win this race in 58:36, a record obviously for the race and also breaking the UK all-comers record, with Mestawut Fikir winning for the women in 66:46.
It is a fast course, fairly flat around the town of Larne then north following the coast road, a circuit of Ballygally castle and back in towards the docks in Larne to a park with entertainment, food and drinks. It attracts annually a significant field of elite runners and over 2000 of the rest of us.
Having seen the media interest in it in the last few years (Mo Farah won in 2020) I thought why not enter and organise holiday travel to suit. So my weekend consisted of volunteer marshal at the Portrush 5-mile race on Friday evening, a very stormy jaunt along the coast from Portrush to Portstewart and back, which I’ve run several times previously, the Portrush parkrun on Saturday morning, topping the age grade % table, breezy, to Larne early on Sunday to meet Jo Pavey – that was my aim to get a prize – no pressure then!
As you can see therefore I didn’t have the best preparation for a race, I just felt grateful that I was part of and could enjoy the whole running vibe.
The organisers corralled us in at 8:30 to walk about a kilometre to the start then wait more than half hour for the faster runners and elites to join at the front, presumably taking their time for their warm up exercises etc whilst we were standing, a little cold and stiffening up. It took me a while therefore to get into some sort of rhythm and struggled too to keep focussed in the middle of the run out north away from the start and finish, a little bothered by the breeze which obviously was of no bother to the elites. There is no doubt it is a fast circuit and I’d recommend it.
Presentations followed much later and I’m never sure if there are prizes for the oldies so it was a pleasure to get called up. Oldest prizes were last so I had a lovely chat with Jo. I knew she had run it before competitively but hadn’t realised that she had been the 2-hour pacer today, a brilliant ambassador.
I was delighted to run, meet Jo Pavey and have a thoroughly enjoyable weekend.
1 Daniel Mateiko – 58:36
822 Hilda Coulsey – 1:57:13