I’ve ran a fair few races now, and shared a variety of experiences from them all. But, last Sunday was a first for me. I directed a race.
The Needles Cross Country Half Marathon is now in its 10th year. West Wight Road Runners had organised the previous 9 years’ races, but passed the batton onto West Wight Sports Centre after the 2012 race. Jo and I were asked last summer if we would like to join the organising committee for this race, and we both jumped at the prospect. A steady 10 or so months of planning helped to shape the event, but fortunately we were working with an already winning formula. We did have one or two hiccups in the process as firstly there were some severe landslips that cut off around 1 mile of sea wall from the original course. Secondly we discovered that, on the day of the race, there would be ultra-runners running in the opposite direction along parts of the course. We therefore came up with an alternative route, and chatted with the organiser of the XNRG Extreme Energy Round the Island Ultra who reckoned that the majority of the ultra runners would have passed through the course before the Needles Cross Country Half Marathon started.
The months of planning seemed to crawl by, and 2nd June 2013 felt like an eternity away. Contingency plans were drawn up, risk assessments carried out, goody bags, t-shirts and prizes arranged, marshals, timekeepers and officials recruited. Then suddenly I found myself looking at my watch at 7am last Sunday morning and realising that the race would be starting in just 3 hours time!
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The superb 7th Newport Scout Group were out on the course today, opening gates in advance of the runners, helping to shave off a few precious seconds, and the diversion in place this year meant that runners no longer had to tackle some long, steep steps at the end of Totland Bay. Instead they raced along Turf Walk, superbly accompanied by a samba band. It was little wonder, therefore, that it only took the winner, Paul Cameron, 81 minutes to cross the finish line, despite the warmth of the day taking its toll on many runners. And suddenly everybody was finishing, in their ones and twos, then by the tens, until 185 people had completed the race. They all received a full goody bag plus a technical t-shirt and unique Needles-shaped medal. The hard work and preparation had paid off, and the 2013 Needles Cross Country Half Marathon was finally over. All that remained to do after the presentations was take to down the signs, the tape, the finish funnel, the water tables, then collapse in a chair with the other organisers, and reflect upon a job well done.
I was sad I didn’t get to run the race, as it has to be one of the most stunning half marathons in Britain, with amazing views over the Solent, overlooking the Needles themselves, and the sweeping vista seen from the top of Tennyson Down. But what I did get was a warm glow, knowing that I’d helped this race to take place this year, continuing the good work done by West Wight Road Runners in the past. I also got to see the smiles of every finisher crossing the line; for many their faces a mixture of exhaustion and elation. Maybe, one year in the future, I will run this race again, but for the time being, I am very happy to put my bit back into the Isle of Wight running scene and direct this wonderful face for a good few years to come.