WHAT A WEEKEND !

Friday's Sale Harriers Grand Centenary Dinner in the Great Hall at Manchester Town Hall was a lavish, splendid affair attended by members from over the last 60 years including Olympians Darren Campbell, Michelle Scutt, internationals Dianne Modall, Kevin McKay etc.  But for me of course the highlight was being able to assemble with my contempories from the '60s; including one from America, one from Australia and one from France.   Generous helpings of nostalgia and as I forecast so many sentences beginning with "Do you remember when......?  The celebrations continued until 2 a.m.

.........apparently....we had retired somewhat earlier as befits our age!

 I could hardly let Saturday go by without making the trip across Manchester to spectate at the English Schools Championships particularly as the field where I began in 1962 was being used as the start for the races.

 However in those days we weren't treated to the luxury of a tented canopy behind the start line in which to make last minute preparations before the gun going off.   It was superb to see this long standing national event still being so well supported. It was only a shame that the weather did not match the level of enthusiasm as Manchester  lived up to its reputation as the city for rain.  Despite two base layers and 3, yes 3, rainjackets I was still getting more and more  uncomfortable as the afternoon progressed and the rain persisted.

  And so onto Sunday and a leg of the Northern (12 man) relay.  We arrived in time to watch the start with 48 teams lining up for the initial charge around the track at Wythenshawe park.  I reported my presence, looked at the team sheet and seeing a lot of crossing off suspected that our "C" team was not likely to be complete. Having been told I was to do leg 5 , a long leg, I was pushed up to leg 4, a short one of just less than 5k.  The warm up over the course proved that it would be less than perfect.  Quite narrow in places with belligerent footballers, dog walkers, mothers with prams and of course dozens of runners warming up, cooling down and spectating.

  I returned to the changeover area on seeing the first leg 3 runners coming in....and waited .....and waited....
and waited.   After 46 teams had come in so our leg 3 "C" team runner arrived and off I went.  The runner in front was too far ahead for me to really chase and the only runners coming through, as predicted, were the relay leaders lapping me.  So the adrenalin was not really unleashed and whilst I did close the gap on the track, it proved more like an anticlimatic time trial.  My time of 20.40 confirming the fact I'd run slower than I would expect for a full 5k.
  It was an in and out changeover rather than a touching exchange so I hadn't realised until Pat told me that no one had left as i came in.   I was the last to run. We were registered as "incomplete" with only 4 of the 12 legs completed.   It was fortunate that I had not travelled from Yorkshire to race.  But at least I'd put in a good effort at faster than tempo pace and shown a willingness to support the club. 
  At least the "A" team ran well to finish 2nd of the 48 teams and great to witness local club Ilkley Harriers contesting both mens and womens events, along with Keighley, when other local clubs who are supposedly stronger failed to do so.