Final Race In My 65 Race Challenge

The George Ogle Memorial Race

A wet night

Pensive at the end of my challenge

And still the rain came down

Happy Harriers

 

All things must come to an end and so it came to pass.

Yes, sixty weeks after starting my 65 race challenge, the final race was completed at Swalwell, when Ian Brown and I ran The George Ogle Memorial 6 Mile Race.

It was a fitting end to a challenge which was to honour the memory of a young athlete, the late Izzi  (Islam Ali), that this race was in memory of a friend, member of Tynedale Harriers and stalwart of North East Atletics, the late George Ogle.

But what weather, it started raining late afternoon and just kept coming, making a cold and unpleasant start to the race as Ian and I set off.

As a three hour marathon man, Ian, was never going to hang around for long and whilst we ran the first mile in 6.59, he soon disappeared ahead of me as my pace dropped to 7.29 for the second. The course then joined the Derwent Walk, before switching onto a muddy uphill track.

Mud, rain and a steep hill, yes, this was more like it, as with a few grunts I passed the runners infront who had turned into walkers. Then it was down some muddy steps, along a gravel lane and onto an offroad downhill section. This brought us out  just under a high bridge / aqueduct. Do we have to climb to that height, I wondered, as more steps, upward this time appeared. Yes, was the answer and after a couple more grunts I was back onto the Derwent walk and a two plus mile gradual descent to the finish.

Now I could get the pace up to something respectable after an 8.44 for the offroad stretch. 7.48 for mile four and now it was nip and tuck for who could go for it on a long, long straight. A glance at my watch told me I would need to increase the pace if I was to repeat last year's 43.13. Hammer down and it was 7.08 for mile five with a bit of shoulder to shoulder competition. Keep it going, not far now,I thought, as my pace increased and I crossed the line at 7.04 pace. A finishing time of 43.03, yes, ten seconds faster than last year. That will do me.

Ian, meanwhile, had finished in an amazing 38.08, not bad for a newly 60 year old! So it was that he was First V60 to my Second. Does that mean that for the next four years, he is my rival in the V60 category? I am afraid that it does, oh well, who is competive? I think I know the answer to that question.

Watch out for my completed schedule and a selection of the images from my challenge on this site, coming soon.

My thanks to Ian for these quality images.