CORSHAM ST GEORGE’S Day 10K - 2008

The weather forecast all week was dire for the day of the race.  Heavy rain was predicted by the reliable BBC weather forecasting unit, and, well the BBC is always right isn’t it – not like nasty commercial outfits.  So I was relieved that we had 400 pre-registered which meant that the funds raised would cover the costs of tee shirts, trophies and numbers and leave a healthy amount for the charity that was being supported.  We would get hardly any registrations on the day given the heavy rain. 

The morning of the race dawned and from the comfort of my bed it didn’t sound as though it was raining.  I assumed that it would deluge down later – probably around 11 am.  Out for a walk with the dog and the day looked quite promising; not too many heavy clouds had yet appeared – no doubt they were just over the horizon.  Then it was up to the Football Club to set up the finish line and all the other arrangements.  I was armed with umbrella and gazebo to keep Dominic the starter, and more importantly, his equipment dry.  (For the avoidance of doubt, the equipment that we were concerned about was the expensively purchased timing device).   

It was great to see the various volunteers from the Club turn up to do their duties on time and with smiles on their faces.  Tom Fox was already drenched and I was worried that he had encountered one of the early squalls from the no doubt advancing weather front.  But on closer inspection it transpired that he had run down from Wadswick in a record time and was perspiring heavily.  Perhaps a bit too heavily considering it was mostly downhill.  Dominic turned up with his 2 sons who he had coerced into assisting him on pain of being thrown out of the house and left to fend for themselves whilst he and Jenny sold up and found a nice place in the country to move into.  Chance would be a fine thing.

The weather was beginning to look pretty promising – almost as cheerful as Max Luff who had started arranging the registration area ready for the crowds that we hoped would turn up.  She was on children duty to allow her husband Mike to run – a fair exchange for him allowing her to run the London Marathon.  David Bethune came armed with sufficient computing power and technology to send Apollo 13 to the moon, and the Race HQ was duly set up complete with attractive helpers.  He knows how to pick them, that David.

By now the weather was very promising – no sign of the terrible weather at all.  Perhaps Michael Fish had been brought back to do a few forecasts for the BBC.  In fact it looked as though it would be quite hot.  The 3TR radio was setup and music started booming around the area, then came BBC Radio Wiltshire in a convoy of vehicles (actually just 2, but it sounds more impressive to say convoy).  Up went their transmitting mast and links were made to the studio ready for the live transmission of the morning show direct from Race HQ.  Interviews were held with various people who had human interest stories – Emma Rodger from Radstock who was recovering from a brain tumour operation and raising money for a charity that helped her through difficult times.  Another was Graham Sprigg who had recently completed the Marathon Des Sables (153 miles in the Moroccan desert over 6 days).  He was running with his wife and daughter in what promised to be cooler conditions than he was used to in the desert where the temperature was often up around 50 degrees.

Entrants started flowing through the gates and crowding into the Registration area.  Hmmm, it looked as though it was going to be quite popular after all.   An elderly chap appeared complete with walking stick and impressive looking badges on his sports jacket.  It turned out he was from English Athletics and here to ensure that everything was well ordered and worthy of the Permit that had been provided.  He checked all sorts of things and no doubt will be reporting back to EA in due course.  Oh dear!

The baggage area was set up and soon doing roaring business all under the strong direction of Margaret Gibbs who had a couple of sea scouts to help her. 

David Bethune and his attractive helpers in the registration area were soon flat out.  Money was rolling in and applications were heaped around Dave and his mission control centre.  He began to look worried and when that happens I know we are in trouble.  Papers were being moved from the registration desks to the ‘back office’, hushed voices were reading out information to be entered into the computer and fingers were flying over the keyboard.  More helpers were on hand in case they were needed with Jane Bott thoughtfully bringing along one of her own in case, but he/she was not quite ready for the job. 

Outside it was a different world.  The sun was shining brightly, the smell of a lovely spring day punctuated with the sharp smell of Ralgex, athletes (and others) getting prepared for their big moment.  Queues for the toilets and a general milling around – yes all the signs of an impending race were there.  So, on with the brief and out to the road for the start.  A countdown by Sandy Martin from BBC Radio Wiltshire for the start “5, 4 3, 2 1” and they’re off...oh no they aren’t, it was just a practice ready for the start which would follow the end of the news bulletin.  This time for real, and off they went.  All 629 of them.  We had around 250 entries on the day – an enormous number and probably too many to handle.  David was still bashing away on the computer for all he was worth, oblivious to the atmosphere and excitement outside.

Around the course there was great support from nearby residents and the Rotary Club marshalls were as efficient as ever.  Smiles and encouraging words for the runners was their job as well as managing the traffic to avoid close encounters of a painful kind.  The water stop was at 5K and manned by the Sea Scouts with cheerful efficiency – commented upon by many people at the finish.

A Kenyan on the start line had caused flurries of excitement – who was this mystery man and would he set a record for all time?  Was the record of 32:06 to be smashed?   Dominic was on hand when the lead car was in sight.  His thumb twitched nervously over the button on his timer as into the Football Club sprinted Paul Synott from Team Bath in 35 minutes and 30 seconds a clear 27 seconds in front of Francis Okumu from Kenya via the Army.  So no records today but Dominic’s thumb was now twitching furiously as the other athletes started to flood through the entrance.  His furrowed brow became even more furrowed as he coped with the stress of timekeeping all 629 participants.  At the entrance to the funnel was Richard Mann who was busily keeping people in the same order that they crossed the finish line.  It seems that all the ladies needed a gentle touch on their shoulder to keep them in their place whilst the blokes were fine.  Not too sure I understood the reason for this, but I’m assured it was entirely necessary.

Further down the funnel were Mary James and Tom Fox who were busily noting the race numbers of the finishers (this is a good job!) and merging the information with the finish times which were then run into Race HQ by Jack and Sam to be processed by the patient and calm team led by David. 

After 48 minutes there was a dramatic collapse in Lacock Road and some well meaning fellow runners picked him up and helped him across the finish line – looked for all the world like the finish to the London Marathon in 1908.  We graciously decided not to disqualify him for being assisted.   Once across the line the collapse became complete and he was taken to one side and attended to by St John first aiders and a Doctor who had been running.  This was in full view of the remaining runners for whom it probably added a sense of achievement despite the odds and drama to their race.  He and another collappsee were carted off to the RUH for more detailed attention, but fortunately both were soon discharged.  The heat of the day was probably the culprit that caused the collapses, and it was good to have the assistance of the valiant St John’s team on hand who took care of those situations.

 There were 675 entries with 629 finishers of whom 63% were males and 37% female.  Of the total entries 61% were affiliated to Athletic Clubs.   Within 1 hour of the first finisher the team in Race HQ had managed to draw up the prize list ready for the presentation that took place at 12.45pm.  Considering they were still entering registration date for 15 minutes after the first runner completed the course they did a fantastic job and deserve much of the praise for the overall efficiency – especially so because they were secreted away in Race HQ and unable to be part of the buzz of the event. 

All in all it was a great day with everyone being winners for having completed the course but the winners of the winners were:

                                                              Paul Synott                            Mens                                     35:30

                                                              Georgia Wood                        Ladies                                    38:30

                                                              Paul Synott                            Mens Vet                               35:30

                                                              Jenny Carter                          Ladies Vet                              40:41

                                                              Paul Dodd                             Mens Supervet                        37:00

                                                              Alison Vuagniaux                   Ladies Supervet                      43:21

                                                              Alex Hoccum                        Junior Boys                             38:18

                                                              Naomi Webber                      Junior Girls                              49:10

                                                              Team Bath                            Mens Team Event

                                                              Team Bath                            Ladies Team Event

A massive thanks to all who helped on the day and before to make it an astonishing success.  Entries were up 20% on last year and we have to look at ways of managing the start and finish to make them less congested.   This has become a very popular race and we need to build on the success.  Next year we hope to have the Corsham Wind Band at the War memorial to add an extra lift to fresh legs on the way out and weary legs on the way back.   Any other suggestions for improvement will be greatly appreciated and should be passed to me as soon as you can.

 Alex Fogwill

Race Director