Romsey relay marathon, 2019

My goodness, how this event has grown and caught people's imagination. This year there were 161 teams of 10 runners taking part.  It was beautifully sunny morning and Broadlands was looking at its best as the lovely Mrs S and I arrived to a hive of preparation.

Having run for the victorious Romsey team last year, I had promised to run for OS this year. Well... I somehow ended up agreeing to also run for Romsey B team and the Hampshire Hares.  I was determined to give the first leg my best shot and was looking forward to seeing how well I could match my time in subsequent legs.

The Hares basking in the morning glow

I was running Leg A for OS.  The first leg in a relay is unlike all the others because you all start together and it's a straight race. I was next to Matt Hammerton on the start line. The gun went, Matt glided ahead and a few others rushed off but quickly faded.  I went off a bit faster than I intended, and worked hard to fend off some early challenges to second place in the first km.  I was on my own as I ran through the tunnel of spectators at the north end of the park.  Everyone was shouting like mad, and it was quite an intense experience.  The second lap was quite tough, with no one to chase and feeling the burst of initial adrenaline fading. I finished Leg A in 14:18 (with laps of 7:05 and 7:14), almost 30 seconds up on last year. Here are the stats.

The OS team

About an hour later I ran Leg F for Romsey. It was mentally a much easier run, with plenty of folk ahead to chase.  I eased into the two laps, clocking 7:27 and 7:13 for a 14:40 overall leg.  My stats.

Bringing it home for Romsey

And after this I ran the Leg K, the final hurrah, for the Hares.  I ran 7:26 and 7:19 for a 14:45 result.  My stats. 

An excellent day out with lots of friends in warm spring sunshine.  The final tally: Romsey A took the top spot, OS 2nd place, Romsey B 5th and the Hares 65th out of 161 teams.