Four gazelles take on Deal Half Marathon

Jude Wood, Alex Dugard, Lee Hardie, Phil Harris and Mark Croucher ran Deal Half Marathon on Sunday. The team took second place, third place, eighth place, thirty seventh place and fifty second place. 

 

The four gazelles (Jude, Alex, Lee and Phil) earned Thanet Roadrunners the First Male Team accolade.  

 

 

We asked Jude Wood for a few words about his experience on the day.  This is what he had to say:

 

“What I like about the Deal Half Marathon is the start time, 10:30am is a much nicer time than 9 or 9.30 because that extra hour can put your mind at ease. Something we get comfortable with during the cross country races, usually starting at 11am due to how far one needs to travel and prepare.

Race day has arrived and I have done all the speed, distance and strength training possible for my body to reach above and beyond its previous limit. The aim of my day was to beat 1:23 and I achieved 1:20 as planned with Jacob Burton, running leader and coach for TRR. Alex, Lee and Phil succeeded in doing well and we took home a goodie bag for the men’s team prize. 🏆

 

 

 

The course itself was damp and puddled, with steep inclines and declines which made the upper legs work extra hard and towards the final few miles, the legs were really taking a beating. I tried gulping down 2 gels throughout the race, managed to stomach them both and skip the water stations, which saved some time and faff.

Next time, I’d like a heavily cushioned shoe like the Alphafly to help bounce up and down those hills without feeling like a leg was about to break or maybe slip on the muddy corners of the road; navigating around a few vehicles.

All of us made it back in one piece hopefully, great day and good fundraiser. We were happy with the result overall.  Thanks to everyone participating!”

 

 

 

 

 

We LOVE to receive your race reports. There were some great PBs amongst the team, which they should be proud of, but have been too modest to mention!  Jude and Alex both took 2 minutes off their half marathon PB.  

 

Personal insights into what went well and what people would do differently always help others…. and that’s what the club is about.  Well done to the whole Thanet contingent.  This was a great result.