On Tuesday we took part in the 3 x 1 Mile Ice Cream Relay Race which is part of the Sri Chinmoy Races in Bristol. It takes place in Eastville Park around a loop dubbed the "Sri Chinmoy Peace Mile"
Sri Chinmoy is the founder of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, and was a sporting hero in his own right, with some amazing weightlifting achievements to his name. He is a writer, poet, composer, singer, musician and artist. It was my first time participating in this race and it was an enjoyable evening !
It was a favourable evening, and was right before the heatwave that we have been experiencing this week. The sun was shining and it was warm, however it was not too hot which made for ideal racing conditions.
There was a great turnout for the event with athletes of all ages from many local clubs showing up to race. There were over 50 teams, and the what made the race unique was there was a mix of juniors and seniors who participated in the event. On the start there were many familiar races and it looked like it would be a good event. The race starts at the entrance of Eastville Park, and follows the peace mile, which is relatively flat and quick.
Jamie ran the first leg of the race in a very quick time of 4:42 and then quickly changed over to Ian, who ran a time of 8:18. I then ran the last leg of the race in a time of 6:33 giving us an overall time of 19:33. I was happy with my time as it was the first time I had ever ran the mile as a distance in a race and I was not sure what to expect. It was very hard to maintain the required pace for that distance but I enjoyed the challenge and it was a great experience to run with Jamie and Ian.
Our team came 23rd overall out of 65 teams, which we were happy with considering each of us had different strengths when it came to running. Full results are available here. After the race, there was ice cream for everyone which was perfect on such a warm evening !
Well done to everyone who raced and thank you Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team for hosting a great event!