Silvestlauf Stuttgart 31/12/06
Having suffered from rather too many damp squib New Years of late, I decided this year to head to Germany for a good old Silvesterferien. My twin sister (Fiona) and her partner (Mark) have lived in Stuttgart for a few years and very promptly extended an invite to stay with them and also to partake in the annual New Year’s Eve race in neighbouring Weilimdorf. (pop: 30,800)
I’m not one for national stereotypes but suffice to say it was very accurately measured – 11.111km to be exact; a perfect distance for someone still suffering the effects of over-indulgence (oh and the ubiquitous Christmas cold).
Mark and Fiona have really taken to running since moving to Germany and are keen participants in the annual half marathons and 10kms in the region. Unfortunately Fiona had to work a couple of days while I was there so the Schnupperrunde (scouting out the route) was left to Mark and me.
The route seemed pretty straightforward – two laps of a flattish route from the town centre (Löwenmarkt), out into the countryside and along wide footpaths in the forest and by allotments before heading back up to the town. It was really cold at this stage and the route was well iced up – Mark took a nasty fall on one corner.
Thankfully New Year’s Eve dawned much milder with no sign of ice. In fact, it was so warm I ran in my PRC vest and was wishing I had packed my shorts. As you can imagine the race was extremely well organised: online registration, computer chips on your race number (new to me!), excellent changing facilities oh and a big spread of German cakes, Glühwein, Pretzels and the like.
Once we got our starting orders we hit the road at a pretty fast pace. As ever I sta
rted in the middle of the pack and spent the first few kilometres overtaking people. I kept my pace fairly steady I think throughout the race – around 4:15 although it was hard to tell on the second lap as the distance markers either disappeared or hadn’t been changed (tut tut).
The second lap was definitely harder psychologically. I was overtaking fewer people but I still managed to focus on key runners ahead and pick them off. I even managed to catch the German Frau with a machine like running action and big arm muscles. I was terrified though that she’d hunt me down again and we’d end up playing tag so I tried to push it a bit harder in the last two kilometres.
The final sprint for the line really hurt but was greatly eased by the crowds of supporters. I came in at 47:09 although I don’t think thi
s takes account of the staggered start – so much for the futuristic timing chip in the race number. Fiona and Mark came in a bit behind with lots of cheers from me at a respectable 55 minutes.
The fun didn’t stop there though – there was the awards ceremony to look forward to. After much analysis of the race times, the final results were posted and revealed that I was the ninth woman and had taken third place in my age category! Let’s put this in context though: there were ten age categories. Nonetheless, German tradition required an official ceremony with winners’ podium and a table groaning with prizes. There was no way I was missing this!
Fiona took much delight in cheering for me once the German Master of Ceremonies had gotten her tongue round my name and Portobello Running Club. For my efforts I was bestowed with a … large bag of apples. Hmm. I will clearly have to try harder next time if I want the champagne!
All in all it was a great race and a great way to see a part of Germany I’ve never been to before. Much thanks goes to Fiona and Mark for signing us up and their excellent hospitality – any chance we could set up a German outpost for PRC? I think we might have our first two members!
Guten Rutsch!! (Have a good slide – Happy New Year in Germany)
Report Amanda Henderson
Photos Henderson Clan & thanks to official race photographer
for permission to use action shots
Results: http://www.stuttgarter-silvesterlauf.de/
