On Thursday I raced the sixth race of nine 5 mile races in the Dave Jones 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.
It was tough conditions this month with it being a very windy evening. On the plus side it was incredibly mild for February. Everyone felt the wind with many commenting how this month’s times were significantly slower than January which had near perfect conditions. It was the standard two laps out-and-back course and the direction of the wind meant that we finished the race battling into a head wind.
Despite it being half term, participation numbers were unaffected and there was a strong turnout of competitors. Up the front this one wasn’t as competitive as previous fixtures but some good racing still took place. It was a fairly conservative start as we began into a headwind.
I quickly found myself at the front of the field and after not too long was on my own. It ended up being a solo time trial for myself and I was pretty happy with my run. Looking at my split times at the end I ran a fairly consistent pace throughout when factoring in the sections that had a headwind. I managed to win the race in 25:59. That was almost a minute slower than last month despite me being in as good and possibly even better shape so just shows how the conditions do play a role.
There was a good battle behind me for second as the three athletes worked together throughout and it came down to a burn up at the end. Timothy Swinn (Bristol & West AC) came out best finishing second in 27:12. Ellie Wallace (North Somerset AC) was just beaten and finished a very strong third overall (first female) in 27:12. Aled Anderson (Bristol & West AC) finished fourth overall (third male) in 27:20. Victoria Ratcliffe (Team Bath AC) finished second female in 31:20 with Penny Guess (Southville RC) taking third in 31:38. In total there were 248 finishers. Full results here.
The race starts and finishes just outside Revo Kitchen on the seafront where registration and the presentation also 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 Prom Run! Kinisi Run Hub are proud to be supporting such a great event and I can’t wait for the next one in March!
If you are interested in taking part you can sign up to the Weston Prom Run Series here and there are also 1 mile junior races available to sign up for here.