Endurancelife CTS Dorset, 2019

A cold and overcast start to the day, but thankfully it was dry with high clouds, and the Purbeck landscape was looking terrific.  The lovely Mrs S and I arrived in good time and the organisation was as efficient and capable as ever.

Awaiting the race briefing

I wouldn't be jumping at the finish

I was here for the loosely-termed half marathon for the second year in succession, but the course was different to last year, with the start and finish away from Lulworth village.  This meant that the race didn't begin with the brutal set of steps, but instead a gentle incline.  I was in 8th place at the start, then up to 6th, and then as we turned and headed east on the coastal path I was overtaken on the tricky downhills at least once and I lost count as we started joining up with the marathon runners.  I was well focused, to the point that I was oblivious to Mrs S shouting and waving as I ran through Lulworth (sorry love).

Classic Purbeck scenery

The first section west of Lulworth was the warm-up; the real excitement happens on the eastern side.  I remembered and anticipated those monstrous hills with some trepidation.  But - despite all the warnings of wet conditions - the terrain was generally firm going and the hills around Mupe Bay and Worbarrow Bay were exhilarating.  Get into gear, hands on thighs, breathe into the steps and up you go; avoid the steps, seek out the grass, small quick steps in a zigzag motion and back down again.  I was loving it.

Then a stretch of gravel track to Tyneham and a long slope back up on the ridge for the journey back west.  I was starting to feel it in my legs but all was good.  I exchanged hellos to Tam, Liz and Em on the return leg and before long saw Lulworth ahead.  Unlike last year, we were diverted downhill to Lulworth Cove for a section of tough running on the shingle, and then onto the final section.

I had failed to observe my own rule of knowing your finish.  I had assumed we'd be heading behind the coastal ridge up to the finish field, but oh no - it was up the long steps, and I was starting to really tire.  I could now see the finish arch to my right - not long now.  Wrong!  We were sent back down to Durdle Door and then up a dry valley for a long climb to the finish with the 10k runners.

I seemed to be moving more and more slowly despite giving it everything.  And then there was Mrs S cheering my on and following me uphill.  I was barely moving, and was terrified that she was going to walk ahead of my feeble running.  100m to go, and Josef, who had overtaken me in the early stages, suddenly bombed past me and I couldn't answer him.  What I hadn't realised was that I'd overaken him just a few seconds before and galvanised him ahead into third place - check out our tussle on Strava.

The endless final hill

So I was fourth place in 2:44:27, and very happy with that - not least as we could get away without waiting for the presentation.  Here are the results, and here are my stats.  A long and full-blooded 28km half marathon with a heartbreaker of a finish... absolutely tremendous!