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| Steve crossing Town Bridge on the way back into Hanley town centre |
For those who aren’t aware, the Potters ‘Arf gives out ‘special’ medals for gun times under 2 hours, Sub 2 earns you a bronze, sub 1:45 a silver and sub 1:30 a gold. Back in 2010 at my second ever race with no idea about training I narrowly missed out on a bronze which led me to return in 2011 where my chip time would have earned me a silver medal but I was denied because my gun time was over 1:45!
This year I met with fellow Striders Tom, Mik, Karen and Lindsay prior to the race. The Potters ‘Arf always has a reputation for being run on hot days, and despite the forecast of rain, somehow the organisers had managed to arrange a glorious sunny day for us to run up the multitude of hills that Potters in renowned for.
Having got myself quite near the start along with the other Striders, I was determined to do all I could to earn the silver medal I felt I was owed. As everyone shuffled across the mats I found myself bogged down trying to run around people while watching my fellow Striders disappear into the distance. Fortunately the crowds thinned out after about half a mile and as I caught Mik we passed a few words of encouragement as we set off towards the first big hill heading into Fenton.
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| Steve still going strong at mile 11 |
Eventually though, I came upon the dreaded Heartbreak Hill, kindly signpost 200m beforehand by the organisers just to add to your sense of dread! As I approached I saw a friend of mine a couple of hundred metres ahead who usually beats me by a few minutes which I took to be a good sign. I turned right to run up the hill and I swear it has got steeper since last time I ran it. After running for about a minute I soon realised that walking was more economical than running, and in doing so was soon overtaking people who were trying to run.
As I crested the hill I knew I was still on for a good time, I just need to get going again. With about half a mile to go I once again caught my friend, and to my shame, used him as a target to pass. As you can imagine though, when I did pass, I made sure I looked and sounded fresh, despite feeling the exact opposite!
After this point I was pretty much on my own with no other runners near me so really enjoyed the cheers of the crowd as I ran past the Potteries Centre towards the finishing line, I could see the gun time clearly showing 1:41 and was sure I should get my silver medal this time.
My paranoia got the best of me and in retrospect I have to admit to feeling slightly guilty about pretty much snatching the medal out of the hands of the young volunteer and immediately inspecting it to confirm it was silver, but in my defence, I’d been waiting since 2011 to get my hands on it!
All in all it was a good day, with a time of 1:40:42 I’d earned a PB and the silver medal I’d coveted for so long. I can honestly say that anyone who completed the race deserves a pat on the back as it was a very hot and hilly race, in fact, you could even say it was pretty tough!
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| Four of the five Striders after the race |
Steve F.