And so, after a surprisingly decent time in Taunton on the back of a dirty hangover, the bandwagon moved onto Tewkesbury. I signed-up for this race for a couple of reasons really. 1. It’s only 40 minutes from home and, 2. It was the only ‘major’ half marathon or marathon I hadn’t run in my adopted county of Gloucestershire. I’d previously run the Gloucester Marathon and Half, Cheltenham’s Half, The Forest of Dean Half and the Stroud Half, so this would complete the local ‘Olympic Rings’, as I mentioned to a local running friend the day I signed up!

After researching the race, I learned of its longevity (this was the 38^th year of the event) and support it has gathered over the years. Tewkesbury is an attractive medieval market town standing on the confluence of the rivers Severn and Avon and, as a result, suffers terribly from severe flooding, which on occasions has come perilously close to swallowing up the famous Abbey!

I felt I was in reasonable shape come race day and wasn’t carrying any muscular aches and pains for the first time in months, so on the basis that the course was ‘flat and fast’ as every race claims to be these days(!) , I was hoping to post a decent time.

Waking early on the Sunday morning, the weather was beautiful and perfect for running – cool, sunny cloudless skies and no wind. My only concern was that the temperature was threatening to reach 16 degrees by 11am, which didn’t fill me with joy as I’m an awful warm weather runner. I literally fall apart as soon as temperatures reach double digits; which is probably why I usually post my best times between October and March!

Race HQ was at the Leisure Centre, which meant that parking wasn’t an issue (the local sea cadets marshalled the parking across an extensive grassed space) and the tents to pick up the race numbers and drop-off bags was literally a stone’s throw from the car. There was good ratio of toilet cubicles to runners on site (no urinals though!) which only meant that people were only having to queue at peak times for about 5 minutes max.

Whilst the ‘village’ was a hive of activity, with a number of stalls selling anything from coffee to running essentials, the race itself started about a 10 minute walk back the way I’d originally driven into Tewkesbury, with everyone gathering in a pub car park by the start line. The road is a major route into the town, and given that the organisers needed to temporarily close this – as the route would take runners back the way they’d just walked towards the town centre – the closure and start needed to be a fairly slick operation in order for the road to re-open again as soon as possible.

Under bright sunny skies and with temperatures increasing by the minute, the road was closed at 9.58am and the starting gun fired at 10 sharp! There were a couple of pacers from Hucclecote Harriers (a Gloucester-based running club) running 1.45 and 2.00 target times, but given that I was hoping to run quicker than 1.45, and with no 1.40 pacer to offer any support, I figured it would be best to head out at a reasonable pace and see how I felt.

The first couple of miles went fairly smoothly and I found myself running at around 7.40 mile pace, which, at the time, felt fine. The route (as mentioned earlier) took us back towards the leisure centre and then through the town before running out onto a main road.

At this point, the route wasn’t particularly exciting and often laborious in places as we continued along the main road which took us out of Tewkesbury, before entering an industrial/retail estate with clusters of residential housing on route. I must admit that I didn’t enjoy this section of race and found it hard going and not particularly inspiring.

At mile 3, I latched onto a couple of guys who were looking for a 1.40 finish. One appeared to be pacing/coaching the other, and whilst I felt fairly good, I thought I’d sit with them and see how things progressed. Mile 3 was a 7.27 which, in the heat, I found tough going but went with it. We went through 4 miles at 7.35 and I was now beginning to struggle with the heat and found myself taking on water at every opportunity, which is unlike me in a race. With little shade and temperatures rising, I knew that I couldn’t keep this pace up, so dropped off to try and consolidate some energy…as there was still around 9 miles to go!

As we left the industrial estate and re-joined the main road, I was beginning to struggle badly. At mile 5 my pace had dropped to 7.59 and people were overtaking me with ease! After about half a mile further down the road, we turned left again but onto a more rural road that appeared to head out into the countryside and towards the villages that had been mentioned in the race description.

Whilst the scenic and rural countryside was a welcome relief from the monotony of the estate and main roads, the heat and lack of shade was doing me no favours whatsoever. I went through miles 6 and 7 at a shade over 8 minutes, which wasn’t a good sign so early in a race and meant I was slowly fading…and still had half the race to go.

I remember thinking at this point that the race was written-off already and even an energy gel couldn’t get my legs motoring! I honestly thought I was going to run my worst ever Half time and was already mentally preparing to start training even harder the next day and never let this happen again. I’d been naïve and stupid to think I could run a 1.40 in these conditions and was now paying the price. I started to consider wearing extra layers of clothing on my training runs and thick woolly hats to try and get used to coping with warm running conditions! But, however badly I was running, I was determined not to let my spirit drop and to try and enjoy the rest of the race as best I could. It was now down to survival.

Mile 9 was 8.50-something, which was now officially the slowest ever mile I’d ever posted in a Half Marathon! It was getting ridiculous, but I ploughed on.

So. Here comes the bit you’ve been waiting for. The Comeback. The phoenix from the flames. The Rocky moment…

After turning into a pretty village (which I confess I can’t recall the name of), the road flattened out and a decent headwind presented itself at just the right time for me. Whilst this is never a good thing in my book, it started to cool me down and the straight road was a welcome relief after the windy, undulating lanes, as it allowed me to build some momentum. Nothing great, but I started to slowly, very slowly, pick up the pace again. As I ran through another village, families and supporters were lining the route and handing out jelly babies and water to the runners. I started to high five all the kids (even babes in arms!) and began to personally thank ever person I ran past for their support and encouragement! It started to lift me and put the spark back into my legs. I was beginning to feel strong again.

Whilst I knew a PB was way out of the question, my next thought was to the 1.45 barrier. That had been my Holy Grail for years and after finally doing it in Oxford in 2016 I’d then begun to set my sights on getting as close to 1.40…the elusive sub-100 minute club! I had run 4 consecutive sub- 1.45’s in a row and I wasn’t going to break that streak today. If I could run that time in these conditions and the physical mess I’d been in earlier, then it would be an indication that I was running well and had some strong reserves in the bank. If nothing else, a psychological victory! All I had to do was keep ahead of the pacer I’d seen at the start line and I’d get there!

I posted a 7.58 at mile 10 and was getting quicker and now catching other runners. As we left the villages behind us, we encountered the ‘hill’ at 10.5 miles. After shouting my signature expletive (‘Oh for f*ck sake!)’ at the sight of any hill in a race, I put my head down and went for it! And at that very moment, the pacer came up alongside me! Eeeeeeeek! The only person in the whole race I didn’t want to see again today!

Imran, the beacon of enthusiasm who was just about to take his ‘bus’ past me at the crest of the hill, actually kicked me into gear again and I suddenly found a third wind. We began to chat and it transpired that we ran in similar circles locally and had mutual friends who also ran. This helped to take my mind off the fatigue in my legs that was beginning to take its toll. I ran through 11 at around an 8 minute mile and some fuzzy thinking led me to believe that I’d have to run close to 7.40’s in the last 2 miles to achieve a sub 1.45.

Mile 12 came and went, and as we passed the sign for Tewkesbury town centre, we hit a slightly downhill section, which prompted me to put my foot on the gas. Imran was fantastic and constantly encouraged me and the guys he had been running with throughout the race, willing them to keep with him as they were so close to achieving their goals.

The high street was packed with supporters cheering and urging everyone along the home straight to the finish line. The atmosphere was electric and gave me the strength I needed to see it home to the tape. I even managed to smile for the camera, which is extremely rare!

Upon finishing, Imran turned and ran back up the home straight to give other runners some final enthusiastic words of encouragement as ever second counted if they were to duck under the 1.45 barrier. A true inspiration.

My final mile split was 7.38 and I came home in 1.44.14, which I was delighted with. Not a PB by any stretch, but if someone had offered me that at mile 7, I’d have bitten their hand off!

After collecting my medal (which was fantastic), a commemorative tee-shirt, a bottle of water and a Twix, I made my way back to the leisure centre to pick up the car. It was still very warm, which made my time even sweeter and as satisfying as any PB I’d run in the past.

Whilst there were only about 700 finishers, the event was magnificently staged and really well organised. I have to give a special mention to the marshals on the course who were exceptional and a credit to the town and event.

Another great Half completed that I’ll never forget for so many reasons. Dealing with a warm day, tactical suicide, the marshals, the crowds through the villages, The Comeback, Imran and finally completing Gloucestershire’s ‘Big 5’ Halfs!