NWFPAC ‘Michael Page’ Championship 2024 – Race 6: Alderley Trail 5 Mile

After a day of dodging sneezes at home, courtesy of Charles and his ‘man flu’, I embarked on the journey to Alderley Park, navigating a driveway that seemed to stretch for a marathon rather than a mile. Marshals cheerfully waved me down to race HQ, and I was parked up with a luxurious 45 minutes to spare before the 7:15pm start.

Race number collection was a breeze, thanks to the well-oiled machine that is Run North West. No sooner had I pinned my number, than I ran into Aisha, who joined me in the pre-race ritual of reciting every excuse in the book, particularly the difficulty of knowing when to eat for an evening race. Our moment of fame arrived when the Run North West social media team swooped in, eager to capture our time goals and shoe choices. As we did mental math converting the 5.25-mile distance into kilometres – I boldly declared a 40-minute finish. Stay tuned to see how that panned out! The great shoe debate had me second-guessing my choice of trail shoes, especially when Aisha, citing her allegiance to her Vaporflys, dodged the social media interrogation. Turns out most of the group had opted for the ‘supershoes’ – perhaps Aisha was onto something…

A brief warm-up and a few more exchanged excuses with Josh later, we assembled for the race briefing. The director’s call for a ‘logical order’ based on 10km times had us shuffling into position. The sub-40-minute 10k elites were called upon first, with Aisha, Daria, Dan, and Chris, strutting to the front, likely joining the ranks of Steven, Stephen and Byron, while Josh and I lurked just behind.

3, 2, 1, GO! We bolted from the business park, up a teasing incline into the heart of Alderley Park. The course promised a scenic 2-lap adventure over 5.25 miles, boasting an impressive lake and the park’s hidden beauty. In reality, I was too busy playing a game of ‘don’t trip over nature’ to admire the view. The race kicked off with a deceptive downhill through the woods, lulling us into a false sense of security before throwing us onto grassy terrain. Aisha quickly became a distant speck after the first 100 meters, leaving me to find my rhythm and fend off the looming threat of Josh’s potential ambush. The third kilometre’s flat expanse had me cursing my shoe choice, but the fourth kilometre’s return to trails was my redemption as I weaved past the slowed ‘supershoed’ runners. Halfway through, it seemed I’d been pacing for Alderley Parkrun rather than the actual 8.4km distance with little left in the tank. By 7km, ‘the wall’ and I were on intimate terms, but surrender wasn’t an option. I persevered, crossing the finish line within my target time (albeit a few positions lighter).

The post-race chatter echoed a single sentiment: Alderley Park’s beauty couldn’t mask the difficulty of the course, especially in the unfamiliar 21-degree heat. It was a tight race, with Stephen, Byron, and Dan finishing within the same minute, and all 9 of us finishing within an 11-minute window. Hats off to Steven for snagging the coveted 20 points!