‘Michael Page’ NWFPAC 2021 Championship – Race 6: Delamere Forest Runner 10k

Race 6 of the Championship was the Delamere Forest Runner 10k and it involved four members of NWFPAC. It was my first race since learning about the group and so it was good to bump into Dave Simmons and Nicola Boorman before the start. Sam Vincent was our fourth (and fastest) member. Steve Cram, Olympian and World Champion has partnered with Forestry England for these events, was present to offer some inspiration and to lead the runners around the course riding the lead bike.

We were blessed with a beautiful morning. Dry conditions but a little hot. It all felt quite relaxed before the race and the start line was strangely quiet. It was no parkrun bunfight as everyone bunched further back with nobody wanting to stand next to the sub-35 min flag which was positioned near the front! With encouragement from the MC, several runners duly shuffled to the front, including Dave Simmons who then absolutely flew off at the start to take the lead into the first corner.

The rain had held off so most of the course was hard, dry paths and not too tricky underfoot – road trainers would have been ok. It was undulating though with several steady kicks upwards, which didn’t help Dave and myself as we had both just returned from our respective holidays so possibly had a little extra to carry up the hills..... As the race went on, the day started to heat up, so the shade of the forest was welcome to provide respite from the sun.

The course is one big loop and had plenty of marshals were out to offer encouragement and point the way – including the sports commentator Andrew Cotter who was there with his dogs Olive and Mabel. It was all well marked and near impossible to go off course, even for those (like me) who have a tendency to go astray. There was one aid station half-way round for those needing fluids.

At around 8k, there was a switch back section, where you doubled back on yourself and it offered the one time for you to really get to see other runners to compare hurt/comfort levels and offer an empathetic nod. At the end, the finishing line came into view quickly after you turned a corner so there were plenty of frantic sprint finishes as people realised they had a bit more left in the tank.

As for the results, Sam Vincent was only a few minutes behind the winner and had a great run to come in 3rd in 42.00. Dave Simmons ran solo for most of the race and came in after Sam in 4th in a time of 43.09. I finished 10th in 47.13 and Nicola Boorman followed in 58.20, 15th female. Sam was presented with a decent wooden plaque for his efforts and the rest of us a medal with a nice goody bag.

It was a lovely event and course. The field was 128 and, personally speaking, the lack of numbers made it really enjoyable compared to some of the bigger events. The fact that the lack of numbers also enabled me to sneak my only ever top ten finish in a race is immaterial of course!

Really good to do a proper event again and great to grab a social brew afterwards with other NWFPAC members.

Next up is the Great Manchester Run Half next Sunday. Good luck to those chasing places as the Championship reaches the pointy end.