I did this race back in 2004, about a year after I‘d started running. I’d previously done the Abbey Dash and Wakefield 10K, both fairly flat, and finished them in around 46 minutes. Netherthong however is quite a hilly course, and I ended up recording my Personal Worst of 52:53.
So I thought it was about time I gave it another shot. The only other Spen runner that I could see was Dan Stewart, who finished last years race in an impressive 4th place, although due to some injury concerns he was not expecting to improve on that this year. My main aim was to stay under 50 minutes but was hoping for around 47 or 48.
The race starts with a fairly steady climb. I went through the first mile in 8:11 which was a bit worrying as I knew the worst bit of this hill was still to come, however I was hopeful that if I could keep a decent pace on the downhills I could make it up.
My recollection of the course was that there was a long climb at the start, followed by a long down hill section, then a steep climb in the last mile to the finish. Unfortunately the middle section was a bit more ‘undulating’ than I’d remembered.
As we went through the 5 mile marker I could hear people finishing being announced over the tannoy. Then we started the final climb which became quite steep as we approached the village.
I finished around 48:25 by my watch which I was quite happy with, and Dan was equally pleased to finish unscathed about a minute down on last years time.
Overall I’d say this is good, well organized race in a really pleasant location. Well worth doing if you fancy a challenging run out, but not one for chasing a PB.
So I thought it was about time I gave it another shot. The only other Spen runner that I could see was Dan Stewart, who finished last years race in an impressive 4th place, although due to some injury concerns he was not expecting to improve on that this year. My main aim was to stay under 50 minutes but was hoping for around 47 or 48.
The race starts with a fairly steady climb. I went through the first mile in 8:11 which was a bit worrying as I knew the worst bit of this hill was still to come, however I was hopeful that if I could keep a decent pace on the downhills I could make it up.
My recollection of the course was that there was a long climb at the start, followed by a long down hill section, then a steep climb in the last mile to the finish. Unfortunately the middle section was a bit more ‘undulating’ than I’d remembered.
As we went through the 5 mile marker I could hear people finishing being announced over the tannoy. Then we started the final climb which became quite steep as we approached the village.
I finished around 48:25 by my watch which I was quite happy with, and Dan was equally pleased to finish unscathed about a minute down on last years time.
Overall I’d say this is good, well organized race in a really pleasant location. Well worth doing if you fancy a challenging run out, but not one for chasing a PB.
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