On Thursday I ran the fifth race of the nine 5 mile races in the Dave Jones Weston Prom Run Series organised by Weston Athletic Club. These are flat, quick road races along the prom of the Weston-Super-Mare seafront. Kinisi Run Hub are excited to be sponsoring this great series!
We are now over halfway through the series and the January fixture can have a strong turnout with many runners wanting to start the year off right. However, it was a horrible evening and when we arrived we weren’t sure how many people were going to show up. The race HQ was very quiet so it seemed like it might be a less attended race. But when we assembled on the start line there were a lot of runners there, I’m not sure if they had all been sheltering in their cars!
The conditions weren’t ideal for this month’s race with lots of weather warnings out during the week and many questioning whether the race would be cancelled. It was a very wet and windy evening but not as bad as expected. With it being the Weston-Super-Mare coast, it is always going to be windy and it was particularly windy this month. The weather was horrible when travelling down to Weston with bad wind and rain. Ironically there were very good conditions when I was warming up with the rain stopping and the wind dropping. However, this didn’t last and 5 minutes before the start the rain started again. Still everyone was ready to run.
At the start of the series we were told that all races would take place on the three lap course usually only used during the November and December fixtures, however this one changed back to the regular two lap course. I normally like the three lap course but with it being so wet I was pleased it was the two lap course because there were less turns and a better underfoot surface when wet for more of the race.
On the start line I could see it was going to be a competitive race up the front so decided to hang back and try to build as the race went on. The race started with Ben Robinson (Bristol & West AC), David Awde (Bristol & West AC) and Adam Holland (Tavistock AC) setting off quickly and opening a gap. I hung back because I didn’t feel I could hold the pace they set off at but quickly found myself stuck between the lead group and a chase group behind.
I locked into a pace I felt I could hold and saw Adam start to drop off the leaders. Throughout the first lap I closed in on Adam and during the second lap ran past him. During this time, David also dropped off Ben so he became my next target. I could tell the gap between David and me was becoming less so kept my pace consistent and gradually closed it. Coming off the final turn I was just behind David so put in a burst to put a gap between myself and him. I stayed as strong as I could down the final straight and managed to put a few seconds into him to finish second.
I was happy with my run and it was nice to be back on the podium after a couple of races finishing further back. I pleased to set off at a sensible pace and hold it through the race rather than trying to go off with the leaders and suffering later on. More importantly I was quite a bit quicker than last month which is very encouraging given the poor conditions. Things are moving in the right direction and I am still on track with my plan to push on towards some spring racing.
Ben Robinson (Bristol & West AC) once again took the win, this time in 25:05 with me following him in 26:26 and David Awde (Bristol & West AC) third in 26:28. The women’s race was won by Penny Guess (Southville RC) in 30:25, closely followed by Laura Fricker (Weston AC) in 30:29 and Alice Smith (Weston AC) in 32:19. In total there were 187 finishers. Full results here. Well done to all who raced!
The Weston Prom Run Series races start and finish just outside Revo Kitchen on the seafront where registration and the presentations take place. Kinisi Run Hub also have a pop-up shop inside Revo at each fixture. Many runners take advantage of this and get a well deserved post-race drink and meal in the restaurant. The prom remains open during the race but there are plenty of marshals on the course to ensure any pedestrians and cyclists are aware of oncoming runners.
Well done to everyone who raced and thank you to Weston AC for organising another great Weston Prom Run Series race! Kinisi Run Hub are proud to be supporting such a great event and I can’t wait for the next race of the series in February!
If you are interested in taking part then keep an eye on the Weston AC event page here. There are also 1 mile junior races.