Kirkley 10K 15th July 2015

Race No. 21

Ogle Village

Richard Hunter warming up the crowd before the presentation.

After a week's rest for my calf injury I didn't have to travel far for Race No. 21,the Kirkley 10K. It was the first time that I have done this race, but I was on familiar ground at Kirkley Hall, for some years ago I uprooted my family, a then pregnant Muriel, plus toddler,  Christopher, to live out a dream of building my own property in the countryside (actually I paid a local builder to do the work).

During construction in the village of Ogle, we lived in a farm cottage at Kirkley Home Farm, literally 100 yards from last night's start, moving into the new house just before Sophie was born.

Yes, we found it is very nice living a truly rural life style, but it's a bit quiet for a very young family and we moved on to Wylam. Almost thirty years later the Ogle area has changed not one bit.

Anyway, enough of my usual boring digressions, with a suspect calf I started quite far down the field and eased my way into the race, holding back until the half way point and the turn for home through, yes, Ogle.

Picking up my pace and a bit of pain from the calf, I was able to finish in a fairly decent time of 45.59, my watch, or 46.00 according to results, or a net chip time of 45.50 - thats technology for you.

At the presentation it was almost a Tynedale Harriers clean sweep amongst us oldies. Peter Hearn took the V50 prize in 39.12, Hugh Welch, V55 in 42.43 and I was 1st V65 in one of the times above. My new pal ( we have raced a few times now), Richard Sill, Morpeth Harriers was 1st V60 in 43.30.

At the finish a masseur (masseuse?), Anna Stokoe, was offering treatment to those in need, I was certainly one of those. As she laid her hands on the offending calf she offered the opinion that I desperately needed lots of massage on it. It was a lot better after her work, but I have booked further treatment tomorrow.

Hopefully I will be ready for my next race, soon.