White Horse Half Marathon Report, by Simon Walker
White Horse Half Marathon – April 8th
On the brink of my 13th birthday, in 1986, I retired from half marathons. A hat-trick completed towards the end of the first ‘jogging’ craze and before youth running rules were invented. Fast forward to 2011 and I did my first half marathon as a runner and a proud Eynsham Road Runner at that. It was the White Horse Half.
The weather this year was perfect for jogging and for running. A cool mist. No wind. Those who ran it last year will recall that it was one of the hottest days and a really tough run. Despite the perfect conditions I almost didn’t run it. Thanks to John Hancox, who couldn’t make it, I got my chance for a 4th ‘Horse. I managed a few longish runs to prepare but was still struggling to re-capture my running mojo. It happens but we always feel better after a run, don’t we? So I had a word with myself and enjoyed the easy journey to Hanney with Arthur (also lacking mojo) and Mark Schofield, in the welcome role of coach and motivator.
The route itself is mostly flat and takes in a few nice villages (they all look the same?), benefitting from good organisation, friendly support and lots of hedges. You also get mug! I still enjoy tea out of ’11 and ’17 although I’ve lost ’14.
Some great performances from ERRs with PBs for Sean and Richard and first place category results for Robert, Liz and Kate W, with Kate A also on the podium. Team kudos to our women who were the second team home.
This runner course PB’d – which was beyond my expectations. So, 32 years on, retirement from this running phase is currently unlikely. There are many more PBs to invent, I mean achieve!
