The Event
The Lifestyle Renault Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon 2011, organised by the Tunbridge Wells Harriers, marks the 28th anniversary of what is one of the leading half marathons in the South-East of the UK.
The first Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon was staged in 1983, with just 53 runners. The race came in at number 38 in Runner's World's top 50 races of 2007, and was given a rating of 83 out of 100 by members of the magazine's forum. The magazine said that "The historical villages and the undulating course make for a great race". In 2008 the race attracted over 1,500 entrants.
The course is one of the most testing and picturesque on the UK racing calendar. The one lap circuit through some of the finest countryside in Kent includes a few notable hills, among which Spring Hill on the approach to Fordcombe should be mentioned in particular. The race is run on a single 13.1 miles (21.1 km) circuit through Tunbridge Wells and some of the nearby villages. It starts at the Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre on St John's Road, and follows the A26 through Southborough, the B2176 along Bidborough Ridge, the B2188 through Penshurst and Fordcombe and the A264 through Langton Green before rejoining the A26 to return to the finish line at the Sports Centre.
This year's event was held on Sunday 27th February 2011.
Preparations
So, here we are in 2011! During the winter months I decided to continue my running training as I had entered the Berlin Marathon for September 2011. However, when you live in Finland, it isn't easy. By the beginning of November the first snow began to fall and some 4 months later, it is still here! Running obviously became difficult outside, so I joined with the local gym to continue my running in the comfort of a nice room on the treadmill. However, distance running on the treadmill is incredibly boring! The winter months were a pyschological struggle to train and prepare myself for this event. Given these challenges, I felt I had done enough mileage to prepare myself. My biggest concern was how my body would cope with running on tarmac for the first time in four months and the hills along the 13.1 mile route.
Race Day
Let's get the first thing straight. I was not feeling my best, come race day. I was recovering from a cold and had been in the pub for the vast majority of the previous day. Today was going to be about taking in the atmosphere and scenery of the race and not about breaking any records!
I had stayed at a friends house the night before the event as this only gave me a 1 mile (1,6 km) walk to get to the start line at St John's Sports Centre in Southborough. I arrived in good time and set about preparing myself for the start.
As the 10am start time approached, I made my way to the start area. It was a perfect day for running in terms of the weather - sunny and around 8-9C. Double Olympic gold medalist Dame Kelly Holmes was to start the race for the 2,000 or so competitors taking part.
A large crowd of spectators had gathered to watch and they were soon cheering us on through the start line as the race began. We surged through Southborough High Street and it wasn't long before we had turned off towards Bidborough and the Kent countryside was with us. The first couple of miles were strange for me as I got used to running outside for the first time in a long time. I kept a close eye on my pace which was just under 7:30 per mile pace - about right normally, but maybe a bit quick considering my circumstances?
The first part of the course is very kind. The first 6 miles (10 km) are mostly flat with some nice down hill sections, especially the hill into Penshurst. I was still feeling quite good at Penshurst, as we passed Penshurst Place and The Leicester Arms pub. In fact, I thought at this point that it was entirely possible that a sub 1:40 time could be achieved. The big test was to come though... how would I cope with Spring Hill into Fordcombe?
As I was running through Penshurst and out the other side, the half way mark was reached. A quick glance down at my watch revealed that I was 49:30 through the race. If I continued this pace, I could end up with a time of 1:39 at the end. However, this was certainly misleading.... as much of the first half of the route was downhill, inevitably, much of the second half was to be uphill.
And less than one mile after reaching half way, Spring Hill had arrived! This is where it became a real slog. The further the 1,5 mile (2,5 km) hill went on, the slower I became. Towards the top it was just a case of keeping the legs moving and I was very relieved when I finally made it. It has to be said that this hill had sapped the energy out of me and I continued on at a slower pace as I tried to recover. By now, I could see that a 1:40 time was a little bit ambitious!
The route eventually joined the main road to Tunbridge Wells and the end was in sight. By the time I had reached Langton Green I managed to pick up a little from my slow pace, spurred on by the finish line getting ever closer.
As I made my way back into Tunbridge Wells and past the hospital, I saw a couple of my supporters from The Grove Tavern and gave them a wave. Shortly after that I saw my old work colleague Paul who I had run a couple of half marathons with, when I was training for the London Marathon three years ago. He was marshalling one mile from the end and, as I passed him, gave me a lecture on the "drinking the night before a big race", to which I just replied with a wry smile.
The last mile was one of the easier of the latter miles as the increased support from the increasing number of people in the crowd encouraged me towards the finish. I passed through the finish line in a time of 1:43:37 and was presented with my medal by Dame Kelly Holmes herself.
See the video containing highlights of the race here
This was my 7th half marathon event and it was nice to finally do my "home" one. This event was more about enjoying the atmosphere and scenery than trying to break any records. However, in my next half marathon, I will be hoping to improve vastly on this time as I try to reach my goal of a sub 1:35 half marathon by the end of 2011.
Results
My final time of 1:43:37 put me in 587th place out of the 1,973 runners who finished the race. Full results can be viewed here