Yorkshire Coast 10k, Scarborough.
An early start beckoned with Eddie Meehan picking myself, Gavin Struthers and Darren Clements up before leaving Teesside around 8am. We were trying to get parked as close to the start/finish area as possible and luckily, despite arriving around 45 mins before the start, we were able to get parked up on the cliff top just above the Spa complex which was the race HQ. While Eddie queued up to pay for parking, I took the opportunity to stretch my legs a bit with some light jogging before the 4 of us made our way to check out the starting area. After a bit more warming up, it was time to strip down to our race kit and jog back down the cliff paths ready for the off.
The race got off to a steady start and for the first few kilometres, I tagged along with Paul and Peter Gamble. For a good few hundred metres between 2 and 3k, the route is a cobbled path which doesn’t lend itself to running as fast as you’d like. After this, runners go through Peasholme Park and the Open Air Theatre. This makes the route a bit more scenic. Runners then turn around at Scalby Mills in Scarborough’s North Bay. Around 7k, I managed to push on past Paul Gamble who in all fairness isn’t quite at full fitness at the moment due to injury problems. A fully fit Paul would normally be well ahead of me.
I reached 8k in 33 mins which was on schedule for a PB, however, after going around the headland, we reached the harbour area and a 20mph headwind. Try as I might, I could only manage 4 mins 40s for the 9th km, well and truly scuppering any chance of a PB. I picked it up a bit in the “home straight” and wasn’t too disappointed with my time of 41:51 which, despite being 15s down on Middlesbrough, was my 3rd best 10k time by a second.
There were some good performances from North York Moors athletes in blustery conditions. Richard Fawcett continued his impressive form of 2013, leading the way for North York Moors and finishing in 37:20. Paul Bainbridge knocked about 2 mins off his PB which is a great achievement given the conditions, and Bill Ferguson and Eddie Meehan picked up 2nd and 3rd placed prizes in the men’s V60 category.
Full results can be found here:
http://www.yorkshirecoast10k.co.uk/results.html
Results with a video of finishers can also be found here:
Photos can be found here:
http://eventphotos.co.uk/mccain-yorkshire-coast-10k-photos/