Felixstowe Half Marathon: 30 September 2007
All runners
| # | Pos  |
Name |
Time  |
Cat |
Club |
Graded |
Pace |
| 1 | 1 | Matthew Chiles | 1:33:43 | V35 | Serpentine | 64.8% | 7:09 |
| 2 | 2 | John Cullinane | 1:39:56 | V35 | Serpentine | 60.3% | 7:37 |
| 3 | 3 | Riette Oosthuizen | 1:43:17 | SL | Serpentine | 64.3% | 7:53 |
| 4 | 4 | Susan Hutchinson | 1:57:03 | SL | Serpentine | 56.3% | 8:56 |
Report
I've wanted to go to Felixstowe, any town that is signposted in Birmingham must have something about it, but more than that, I once spent 6 weeks in Harwich in mid-winter. Harwich is fairly miserable at the best of times, which don't include January, and is 20 miles away from the nearest town, so there is little chance of an escape. Felixstowe, as the crow flies, is only 2 miles away, but unfortunately this is across the estuary of the River Stour, putting out of reach even for most triathletes. On the basis that anywhere must be better than Harwich, I used to sit in the bar of the Anchor Hotel gazing longingly at the lights twinkling in the distance, wishing I was there instead.
Fast forward 15 years, and the Felixstowe Half Marathon gives me an excuse to visit. And it doesn't disappoint, a pretty Victorian sea front, with a pier, bingo, candy floss and lots of ice cream. Not to mention the only fort in Britain to have successfully repelled a proper invasion force - it has it all.
Being on the east coast, erosion is a constant issue, and the race website ominously pointed to possible floods due to the high tide on Friday and Saturday, which could cause the race to be moved. A visit to the excellent Felixstowe TV website showed that there had been some damage to the Prom, and a lot of shale had been deposited there too - fortunately the beach huts had survived. On race day, evidence of the floods was there, but the threat had receded and all went ahead to plan.
The course starts on the prom, and has a big race atmosphere. An interesting choice of pre-race music was played - "Walk Like an Egyptian" is surely more appropriate for the finish - but with a countdown we were off down the prom bang on time. This is the narrowest part of the course, so passing is difficult, a problem as I started a long way back. At the end of the prom, we turned left up a hill (I had spotted a "Cliff Gardens" photo on the Felixstowe TV site, so all hope of a really flat course had long gone), but that was over quickly, and we moved out towards the golf course before hitting the countryside. Another hill after three miles was a surprise, but I was going quicker than I'd expected and the slow start meant I was now moving through the field. The second half of the loop took us away from the fields and into a residential area, expertly marshalled at the road crossings, before going gently downhill back to the prom. Tempting though it was to stop at the cafes (where everyone seemed to be clapping continuously - hope their coffees didn't go cold), the second lap called, so it was back down the prom, wondering whether that yacht had got stuck on an sandbar or whether I was hallucinating.
The second lap was tough, especially the last few (mostly downhill) miles. Still, I was on for a sub 1.40 getting back to the prom, for a fantastic seaside finish. I had to hustle a bit towards the finish, I'm hoping that FTV didn't get my attempted "sprint" on camera, but made it with a few seconds to spare. Having my name and club announced to the crowds was a nice touch too. All in all, this is a potential PB course - especially when the wind is light - and this was confirmed with Susan Hutchinson's excellent 1.57 PB, her first time under two hours. Definitely worth the relatively short trip from London if you fancy doing a half marathon at this time of year and, while entry is easier that the Great North Run, it was oversubscribed this year, so get your entries in early.
Report by: John Cullinane
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