Sri Chinmoy 2 Mile Report by Laura Leach
The sun was out for a beautiful evening in Cutteslowe and a moment of self-transcendence.
Even before the race was underway some weighty questions were posed. How to pace a race that’s only 3.2k? Would the traffic around Oxford ever improve? Where could be lovelier than a spring evening in the park?
The event had a relaxed feel: chalk start-line across the path, ducks watching from the pond, and a Sri Chinmoy quote as the runners amassed at the start. Looking around, there were so many ERR and Witney club vests it reminded me of an Eynsham-Witney Challenge.
Then we were off. Turns out when the race is only 2 miles there’s not much time for pondering all this further. I started too fast, caught out by the initial downhill into the meadow, but steadied my pace and settled into a rhythm. Two laps of the trails flew by and we were finishing back by the pond before I knew it.
Looking at the results ERR had a super-successful evening. Over half our runners placed in their categories! Speed sessions must be paying off. Or maybe we’re a bunch of middle distance runners at heart.
A relaxed, fun evening, and may the sun carry on shining down on all our summer races.
