Stonehaven Half Marathon 2/7/06
photo nicked from Stonehaven website - thanksStonehaven; the town of hills, hills and more hills. If anyone tells you that this half is easier than Glen Clova don't listen to them. We decide to go up on the saturday and stay overnight instead of rushing around sunday morning. We arrive at 6.30 just in time to hear cheers coming from a pub - sure enough there was Ronaldo scoring the winning penalty. Anyway Sunday morning Rhona says it looks like its going to be a nice day, ten minutes later it got darker, then the heavens opened, then the thunder and lightning came. When we went for breakfast the rain had stopped and it looked like it was clearing up but I looked up at the sky and thought there's more on the way and by the time we got to the park the heavens opened and thought this isnt going to stop but it did 5 minutes before the start which is now flooded. The starter was making his usual announcements then tells us to go to the start which is like a mini black rock so off we went - water everywhere. My first mile was 6.40 then a 6.50 then from 2 miles to 4 it is nearly all uphill so a 7.10 was then followed by an 8.00. I thought all this going up you have to go down at some point and you do from 5 to 6. At 6 i caught up with another runner which does help as it does get tedious on your own. From 8 to 10 you can make up the time as it is mostly downhill. One more hill and that's just before 11. From then its straight forward. 12 miles we pass another runner walking obviously suffering from the first half of the race. Finally into the last 400 mtrs which although the start is now clear of water, the park isn't so memories of the black rock again. Finish in 1.29.19 in 26th place. And Tom, it is definitely not a course for a pb. Be at the 5k if my shoes have dried out in time.
Report John Pickard
Results and more photos here
