On Sunday I took part in the Weston Christmas Cracker 10k organised by Weston Athletic Club. This race is a staple in the North Somerset racing calendar and this year’s event was the 37th edition. Many participants return year after year to take part in the festive fun. The organisers encourage all standards of runner to take part and actively encourage participants to wear festive fancy dress. Kinisi Run Hub were proud to be involved as a sponsor for the second year running.

The race takes place along the Weston-Super-Mare seafront on the beach starting and finishing under the Grand Pier. Probably not a race to go for a PB but the sand is fairly firm and compact and it is a very flat course. The route starts under the pier and loops around the beach and onto the prom before going back onto the beach for another loop and then a short stretch through the roads around the golf course before back to the beach and to the finish under the pier.

Considering the poor weather we have had the last month, the conditions were pretty good. There was a bit of wind which was very noticeable when running on the beach but with it being Weston you always expect some wind. The temperature was mild and the sun even came out for a bit which was a nice change from the constant rain we have been having. There was a little bit of standing water on the sand but it wasn’t too slippery underfoot.

I set off with the pack but within the first kilometre found myself out front on my own so got my head down for a race against the clock. The race loops around the beach multiple times which is nice because there is a lot of support from the crowd and I received plenty of helpful cheers.

We quickly found out that it was quite a windy day and looking back at my mile splits you can really see the effect it had. The first couple of kilometres is a long straight down the beach from the pier which was into a strong headwind before looping back along the prom. We had a nice break from the wind here before returning to the beach and then an even longer straight along the beach back into the strong headwind. That was definitely the toughest bit of the race and after looping onto the roads and round the houses we were back onto the beach for a final stretch back to the finish at the pier.

I won the race in 34:37 which was about 1 minute slower than I ran last year but overall I was very happy with my race. It was a windier day than last year but what stood out more to me was that after a tough last few months I finally felt stronger racing again, a feeling that I haven’t felt since August. The last two Weston Prom Run Series races haven’t been great for me so it was nice to push on after the most recent one on Thursday with a stronger performance. My plan still remains to get in consistent running until the end of the year and then push on to towards to some spring road racing.

Craig Smith (Unattached) finished second in 36:29 with Noah Goodman (Unattached) just edging out Tom Woodcock (Unattached) in a sprint finish with 38:24 for third. Penny Guess (Southville RC) won the women’s race in 39:50 followed home by Annabel Granger (Bristol & West AC) in 40:37 and Molly Chilton (Unattached) in 43:04. In total there were 1273 finishers. Full results for the Weston Christmas Cracker here.

With it being a Christmas race, fancy dress is encouraged and there is even a competition for best dressed! The race organisers also gave everyone a mince pie at the end of the race which added a nice festive touch and reward for a good effort. Kinisi Run Hub was also stationed at the end of the race with a free Purendure energy gel for every participant.

Well done to everyone that raced the Weston Christmas Cracker and thank you to Weston Athletic Club for organising a great event! Kinisi Run Hub were proud to support and it definitely got us in the festive mood!