Morning fine harriers,
Hopefully you are ready for another one of my unnecessarily long winded and in depth race reports, but I think it will fit in with your post park run coffees this morning, or if you are being taxid to Danson Park for XC later today…
Way back in February earlier this year when I was in full marathon training for the Edinburgh Marathon, my sister who lives in Edinburgh mentioned a ballot for a 5km race across some old bridge. At the time I was basically in the shape of my life and I thought to myself what are the chances of her being successful in the ballot and if she is maybe I will give sub 20 minutes a crack? Well fast forward the largely average performance at Edinburgh, weeks on the side lines, and a successful ballot it looked like I was heading to Edinburgh just to run 5kms.
As most of you will know all my miles have largely been junk miles in an attempt to fix my achilles that seem to be hanging on by a thread (must do strength and conditioning for more than 60 seconds a week) but having just run a PB at the wet and grey british like Valencia half marathon just a week before I thought to myself, a hangover from hell and a busy 6 day work week was not going to be enough time to train for a sub 20 minute 5km run with an 8 hour drive prior to said run.
So abolish the sub 20 dream (just for now) I am driving my tired backside 430 miles north towards my sisters. I call her on the way ‘Sis, you are awesome, just checking this flying visit for a 5km run is casual, no parents involved are there? i’m not going to run fast, I will stick with you and we can just have a laugh’ (that’s what I was wanting) but it isn’t what I got. I had parents and dramas and the usual family ‘FFS Moments’
So step aside the parents, dramas etc etc, I drive us to a nearby shopping centre where the race organisers have waves of participants being bus driven all throughout the evening to the famous ‘forth road bridge’ where there was 60s themed music and warm ups taking place with some interesting facts about the bridge that we were celebrating its 60th Anniversary.
Forth is an old Scottish word that means ‘slow and steady’ which describes the waters below it. at the it was completed and opened in 1964 it was the largest suspension bridge in the world (outside of the USA) Wow, who knew Scotland was such a powerhouse in the world of Bridge’s? There were other facts but clearly I was too tired to take them in.
So on the start line, all warmed up after listening to some cheesy 60s anthems I said to my sister, the folks have stressed me out, if you don’t mind I am going to give this some beans and see what my tired legs have got in them. Fireworks started the race and off I set running a small downhill on a slip road before a horrid uphill on the slip road to get onto the steady and gentle incline of the famous suspension bridge linking Edinburgh to Fife. My pace felt good following a couple of little initial pains in my heel so I stuck to it and I was in the front pack of my allocated wave. It wasn’t long until we caught the tail of the wave in front of us and we were headed on a gentle decline approaching half way, I let off ever so slightly knowing that the gentle incline would reappear on the way back. Someway past the halfway point my sister running in the opposite direction saw the stripes of the deckchair and shouted at me but I was casually too out of breath to reply and just raised my hand in acknowledgment. I started to close the gap on the runner in front of me and eventually passed him and finished with a time of 23:08…I was pretty pleased with this considering I did no specific training, ran the Valencia half less than a week before and had driven 430 miles less than 24 hours before.
My time gave me an overall finishing position of 147th out of approx 5000 so that will give you an idea of the competition HOWEVER the race winner is a chap named Stephen Malloy with a time of 15:39 who to my knowledge is the guinness world record holder of the fastest ever marathon ran in an kilt uniform (of which he set in the 2024 Edinburgh Marathon) at this stage I am now thinking that when I run in Scotland I am usually in the presence of greatness.
Winning female time was Rona Harrison with a time of 20:37. I don’t have any facts about good ol’ Rona BUT I am sure she is a lovely local lady who attends regular parkruns and enjoys coffee and pastries like we all do.
I would recommend the event if you ever fancied a trip to Scotland’s finest city and bridge offering, however I wouldn’t recommend driving there and back in 48 hours to run for just 23 minutes…surely there is something a bit more local for me?
Well congrats on the parkruns and coffees, mines an oat milk flat while and a cinnamon swirl if you are ordering. Will see some of you at Danson Park XC shortly…
Sam Bridger