- 10km on Good Friday in Port Erin
- 4 mile hill race in Peel
- 4 x 5km relay in Douglas
I was looking forward to the events and the latter two were races I had never done before so it was going to be a challenge.
I left London and made my way to Liverpool to stay with my cousin. We had arranged a family breakfast early on the Saturday morning as my ferry to Douglas was due to leave at 11am. The family came around. We ate lots. We gossiped. We laughed. I got a text saying the ferry was delayed until 1pm. It gave us a little more time for one more croissant and a few more stories.
I then left and boarded the ferry. It didn't move for ages. It tried to move but couldn't. It moved forward and back. The captain said we were stuck. He tried again. It failed. He called a tug and eventually we left dock at 6:15pm. I was happy to be on my way but it meant I would miss the 10km race as it started a mere 30 minutes later. One fellow runner didn't accept this and left the boat to head for the airport. He made it just in time for the race start. He won. It was worth whatever he paid for the last minute airfare. It was a real shame though for the race organisers as there were still around 150 other runners in total on the stranded ferry which when you consider there were just over 500 in total due to take part a significant percentage were going to be missing.
Despite the disappointment the big groups of University running club athletes kept me amused. Many were on the pints. One had a blow up doll. I'm not really sure why.
Arrival on the Island was late so a quick stop by Pizza Hut (along with other delayed sea travellers) it was then on to find the farm I was staying at and then bed.
On Saturday it was the Peel hill race. Peel itself is really beautiful and I could see the top of the hill from where I was staying. It was massive. It was a little daunting but the atmosphere at the race start was fun. There was man dressed as a bride. An accompanying husband suitably dressed too. A gentleman in a mankini (that's going to hurt surely?) The Thunderbirds were there and they were on the pints. A sentence I never thought I would ever hear.
We lined up and then set of. Around the harbour and then up the hill. It didn't seem to hard. Roll forward 3 minutes and it was very hard. There was a lot of crowd support on the summit which gave all the runners a real boost. I took each step at a time and took in the views. It was stunning. I actually preferred the uphill parts as I felt more in control. Going downhill was too fast for me and I was paranoid I would slip and go over on my ankle. Clearly I need to man up as it seemed like every other competitor passed me at some point on a downhill! Despite that I finished the race in 30m 18s placing me 142nd out of 219 which I was pleased with. I am not sure I will ever be a fell runner full time but I would certainly do this event again. The alcohol post run were flowing (sttudents can be guaranteed to always find an excuse to drink / celebrate) and the fish and chip shop had a rather large queue. It was worth it though.
Sunday then rolled around and it was time for the relay race along the promenade in Douglas. It was a misty morning which I really liked as it gave a unique atmosphere to the race and the town. I registered and told the organisers I was friendless and needed a team to run with. They teamed me up with Ed, Jack and Mark. Our team name was Easter Bunnies. It was Easter Sunday after all.
The 5km route took us 2.5km up along the sea front and then 2.5km back. Pretty easy not to get lost even if it was misty. Our running order was:
Mark
Me
Ed
Jack
Mark was uber fast and came back in third place. Wowsers; that's quite a bit of pressure to maintain that place. I set off pretty quick but soon could hear people behind me ready to overtake. I forgot to set my stopwatch so had no idea how long I had been going. Must be ages surely? Then the 1km market came into site. OMG. In my head I had nearly finished my leg but in reality I had a long way to go. The KMs did pass fairly quickly though and running next to the sea was very pleasant. I was pleased with my time. Here's how the Bunnies did overall:
Mark = 15m 21s
Me = 18m 21s
Ed = 22m 25s
Jack = 18m 02s
A combined time of 74m 40s for the 20km which placed us 21st out of 50 teams. Not a bad effort at all :-)
The festival was really fun and I hope one day to return so that I can take part in all three races. I doubt very much I will ever be able to keep up with the Uni runners but then again they are all about 15 years younger than me! Not jealous at all....
The journey home to the UK was actually worse than the delayed one on the way out. Hard to imagine so here is the short version. Ferry cancelled back to Liverpool. Put on a ferry to Heysham. Had to look up where Heysham was. Ferry couldn't dock at planned 11pm and circled the harbour for high tide until 2am. Had to drive back to London. Arrived home at 8am ready for work one hour later.
I am reading "Never Let Me Go" at the moment which reminds me of this trip every other page as it is set in a school called Hailsham (very similar sounding to Heysham) where kids are bred for organ donation. If it came to a choice between going to Hailsham or on the IOM ferry again I choose the organ donation.
The journey did allow me fifteen minutes (well fifteen second really) of fame on the news:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-32203112
However; when it comes down to choosing whether to go to the IOM again and the running festival the answer is a resounding yes. I love it there and will return. I will just travel by plane next time!
Tug boat to the rescue!
The hills are alive with the sound of panting:
Run along the prom:
