Sandbach Striders

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Race Report: Welcome Tavern 10k 25/01/2015

by Sandbach Striders on Sunday 25th January 2015
The Welcome Tavern 10k is an annual event starting from a pub in Walton Le Dale near Preston.
Denis Culloty at the Welcome Tavern 10k
Unfortunately the pub is currently closed for refurbishment so the race HQ and route were both revised this year. This year the race HQ was based in a car park a mile from the start at the Capitol shopping centre and this resulted in a good number of people having to make a last minute dash to the HQ to collect race numbers.

Prior to the start the race director stood on a wall and entertained the crowd with his pre-race instructions, “Please don't take any pictures of me - I'm on Disability Benefits!",
"If your feet suddenly get wet - you've run into the River Ribble - get out quickly"

The course initially meandered several times around a housing estate for the first 2km, then followed a downhill section to the river. The route then went over the river then through Avenham Park, returning across the river and back up a couple of decent gradients.
What the route should have been - 10k!
I started off quickly - no surprise that the first km was 4.56!!!! Then I managed to hold a steady 5.20ish pace. I made the 10km point at 53.22, but the course continued to weave round a number of trails before the finish line at 10.6km and 56.38.

The finish was pretty well organised apart from runners milling around moaning about the 10k that wasn't 10k. Mic Escolme, did you have anything to do with planning this route??

All in all a decent race and a half decent time!

For more information on the race, visit this website.

Denis