The Inaugural Chislehurst Half Marathon!

Hello blog lovers.

Head quarters team

I have never been there at the beginning of what will become a regular thing.  Yes I was in on the organising of The Spirit of Running Man, as a brilliant 'One Of', but this one, this one is hopefully going to be a yearly thing!  Ralf, David, Olivia and DiscoRich and been thinking, planning organising and doing stuff for months for this Sunday morning run!

Henry, Eric and Chris with two of
the organisers, Richard and Oliva

The route, was planned, the start and finish had headquarters, it was at the Glebe Football Club in Chislehurst.  This is Rocky the owner and Pete the assistant barman.

Rocky and Pete

The club is very close to Scadbury Park.  Now Scadbury is a beautiful place to go to, although it is surrounded by busy roads, once you get in there it's like an oasis. You just can't imagine or even remember that the motorway is just at the top of the park, and a busy road runs down along the side.  But just because you are in the middle of all that serenity, when it comes to the running world, it offers a challenge! .  The team came up with this plan to get a half marathon running around the fields,and hills of Scadbury Park, and they did!  The route took them this way and that way, up and down hills, loops and hills, and around the park and hills...apparently the team even managed to find some hills!  So it's not for your fainthearted!

My job for the day, along with Jayne, Janet, Wendimoo and Kay was to man the registration desks.  With all runners having paid upfront, all they have to do was to come along, pick up their number and enjoy the run.  Wendimoo and I were manning the 'late, on the day entries'.  SingstarJo was on meet and greet, Helen and Moy were bag ladies!  IllustriousLeader Anne was co-ordinating us all, making sure that people had a job and the job was being filled! It all went so well, like a well oiled machine!  Slick!

We were there about 7:40.  7;40! I know!  On a Sunday, I even managed to put a bit of slap on!  Food and drink had to be pushed to the sidelines for that to happen, but I thought a bit of lipstick, powder and paint would present a more pleasant looking crew member as opposed to the 'dragged out of bed, sleep encrusted eyeballs and bed head look'!  Once we were all sorted, we sat at our posts and then waited.  I didn't manage to get a picture of us at our desks, but these are our lovely bag ladies,

Moy and Helen

Just one or two turned up at first,  then three, four, five.  The queue started to form as more and more of the runners turned up.  On our late entries desk was getting busy too with the number that we were starting from at 419!  So for a first time half marathon run there were over 400 people that were going to be there!  Right up unto 9:00am  Wendimoo and I were selling more numbers. We must have sold another 15 places to people.  One place that we sold was to a young lady that really didn't have any intention of doing it. She was there to support her friends, but seeing as there were a few on the day entries she was persuaded to join in.  Fortunately she had come prepared, with shorts and club running vest! Maybe she was going to do a few k while she waited for them!

For just a while it was all quite on the start line, with just the offical timer waiting there, ready to push the button to start the clock!

The official timer, and the clock
ready to tick away those seconds

Once everyone was on the starting line that was when we were finished on the registration desks.  We came out to cheer and to watch the runners as they begin the first Chislehurst Half Marathon.  Fabulous,  even a couple of canine friends were with their owners ready to run for the 13.1 miles!  The sun was shining, with not even a hint of the promised rain forecasters gave, a great day for spectators, but maybe it will prove to be an even tougher run for our runners today.  We watched as they all ran out, with.....ZippySherry as tail runner!  I think that is going to be her challenge to keep a steady pace at the back!

Ralf and Richard keeping an
eye on proceedings!

Once they all was out of sight we had about an hour and a half to get ready for them to come back!  First things first, food!  Jayne was well prepared, and had bought in pastries and croissants for us!  You got to love people who can organise like that!  I was absolutely Hank Marvin by then and I am not ashamed to say.....I had both, a pastry and a croissants.  But then we needed tea, and they had the kitchen open so we nipped to the cafe to order a cuppa.  There, in the kitchen was a lovely young lady and a chap cooking bacon rolls! The looked so tasty! Well, it would have been rude not to right!? So I indulged!

So tasty!

So suitably refreshed, that is us in the first picture at the top,  we went outside to get things ready for the next job, bananas, water station and medals! This is just some of us, at our stations!

Don't go bananas!

Medal anyone!

By the time we had everything sorted out, and just chilled for  tad the first runner was coming back, just over an hour and half!  Not bad!  We had a gold medal for the first five male runners back and five gold for the first female runners back, silver medals for first 25 male/females and then bronze for everyone else.  I think that is how it was.  A nice touch I thought.  I was wondering if the little dogs would be getting a medal too!

Our canine entrants! Although they
were not the first fourlegged friends home!

Water, water, everywhere!

But when that first chap came running up to the finish,

First runner back!

all the marshals were cheering him in!  Some of the entourage cheered him in too.  Then for the next hour or so there was a constant stream of runners coming in.  Some looked totally exhausted, almost to the point of just wanting to sit right down and not move!  I looked over to the St. Johns ambulance guys and girls, I was hoping they will not be needed, but to see how these runners have pushed themselves on this tough course I was thinking that they may just be needed.

This is the St. Johns ambulance guys, one of my friends Brian Page, was running this today, him and some other SLGR's.  I think Brian pushed himself a little too much as these guys were needed to just give him a check over

St. Johns Ambulance

Listening to the runners as they sit on the grass all around me, I could hear that they thourougly enjoyed the route.  It was a bit of a squeeze in one particular place as there were at the time 3 way traffic, with lap one, lap two and then lap three going the other way!  Whoever thought of the route was quite ingenious!  There was one runner that said maybe it needs to be reviewed, others saying that maybe they could 'take out' a few of the hills, and yet others still saying 'What a fantastic run'!  But the common saying amoung all of them is "Fantastic support from all the marshals on route' 'Cheers and clapping and encourgement along the whole route'  'Just when I needed support there were the marshals' said one of the runners. (Next time I will get names, maybe be like a proper reporter!)

There was an area set out for those that wanted or needed a massage for after their run, with just a £5.00 donation to the charity that this whole run is raising money for, The Maypole Project, they could get their aching muscles a well earned soothing massage!

So, there you go!  The first of Chislehurst (or as someone else said Chisle hurts) Half marathon done, and here is to a yearly run!  Maybe one that I can do one day! Maybe! In the meantime Cheers!