This is the second year for this race, it's still a new race. Last year we had some great reviews and people were back again this year for a replay! It's a challenging route, with lots of hills, running through the paths and trails of Scadbury Park. And just like last year the sunshine was just as warm! A perfect morning for watching the race, but I know I would struggle in that heat!
My first job was in the registration dept! Me, J.J., LittleJ, K, Carole and Helena! We all worked together perfectly! There was a possibilty of 600 runners that could turn up you can imagine the scene in the room. Three tables, 600 numbers laid out, 550 on the preregistered table and rest with me and Carole on the 'On the day registration'. Everyone settled into their jobs, IllustriousLeader has surrounded herself with some fantastic volunteers, even if I do say so myself.
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| me and Carole on late entrants |
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| team registration |
At first it's all just nice and calm, just one or two people coming in to the the room to collect their number, which were posted on some sheets attached to the window. At first just one person came over for the pay on the day numbers. And then it started to get busy, people were coming asking for their bib numbers, not knowing they had to look on the sheets at the window, well there were loads of people around them! Helena soon let them know of the lists that were pasted on the window and sent them there! Carol and I had a nice time on the late entries! Nice and quite, just a few questions were thrown our way, about earphones in particular, but if we couldn't answer the question than I went out to seek the answers!
But that wonderful buzz about the place was there, the excitement was there, the anticipation was there. It's just magical, every thing just falls in place with everyone knowing what was needed to be done. It all goes like clock work, over 480 runners was processed in that one hour and twenty minutes, which included a few late entries! The last runner collected their number about 09:20, talk about cutting it fine! There were quite a few no shows! Maybe they had forgotten they entered! The baggage team were at the back, in the changing rooms, they were busy, they said it was like handling baggage at Heathrow airport! I had been down there earlier and they were busy setting out numbers, so they knew where to place the bags.
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| The start and finish of the ChisleHurst Half Marathon |
Three, two, one, go! the runners start to move over the timing mats. It did look blimmin gorgeous out there, I am sure they were going to have a wonderful race! As soon as that was over, we all sat down on our arses! Well, not quite, we had time to tidy the registration room up, move some tables to the outside and then go and get a cuppa and a sausage or bacon roll! A team needs to be kept fed and watered! After we had eaten and enjoyed our coffees and teas, it was straight back to work. Water to be placed on the tables ready to be dished out, medals to be taken out of the bags and laid out on the tables, ready to be placed over the returning runners. And the bananas to be brought out, and separated, not to mention rubbish duty as well! Putting up those yellow bins was like a Kyrpton factor test........ok slight exaggeration there!
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| Looking gorgeous Ladies! |
So far so good. The were people milling around waiting for their relatives to return, people setting up the massage tables, the St. Johns Ambulance guys, hopefully they won't be needed! And then we just waited, and waited. The first runners were due approximately one hour and 30 minutes or so after the start time, we were all ready in our places, SingstarJo with team medals, J.J. and team water and bananas! Me? Well, would you believe I was handed the microphone and was told "You're on mic duty, we've had a bit of problem and DiscoRich and Ralph needs to get it sorted" That's how we roll on marshaling duties, one minute you're ready to dish our bananas and the next minute you own the mic, squeaky voice being amplified to call out the runners names and numbers as they come over the line. Of course I was being very enthusiastic with my new job, I wanted to do the best I could so I tried to keep the crowds cheering as each one came over the line. I am not sure, but I felt as if holding the microphone just empowered me for just a few minutes, I am sure I sang a couple of bars of some tune or other! I am so sorry people, let me assure you, I sound so much better when there is music to drown out my cattawailing! At least to me I sound bloody brilliant! I feel it could be the last time holding the mic in public.........other than a karaoke of course!
So they started to come in, maybe not quite as quick as they expected, it was a hot day, and of course the slight teething problem as well, it's a very interesting route! These guys here were on the water station, and they saw each runner, what.....four or five times I think. It's the way the route goes, if you see it on the map you can understand it.
Just one, then two, then three runners came into the football grounds. At first it was silent, the someone started to clap, well I expect all our marshals were shouting and cheering, but now we could hear it. I got on to the mic and got the crowd going with the cheering and the clapping! We kept it all going until he crossed over that line! Brilliant, and not a bad result at all! I am sure I bored everyone silly with my calling out of all the numbers. Some of them ran so fast by me I was getting all discombobulated!
We still had out sweeper to wait for, she was sweeper for the CHM for last year and was looking forward to repeating it this year. After three and half hours later the crowds started to dwindle, people were drifting off and going home, after four hours we started to wonder where they were. We knew that our sweeper was with just one other entrant. But, we couldn't get hold of her! Another little hiccup in an otherwise perfectly orchestrated running event! Just as we were about to send out some teams to start running the route in reverse our sweeper and the last runner came in! Kate, her name is, the last runner, and the sweeper, well, that's our own ZippySherry! She wasn't that zippy on Sunday, but she was and is still a Hero for keeping with that runner and not cutting it short, after four and a half hours, it really was a long day!
I didn't get a picture of ZzzzzippySherry! I am hoping someone did, it was a very long day, and poor ZippySherry needed to pop to the ladies as her first stop!
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