Sunday 17 August, and a posse of MACs headed east for the Newark Half Marathon. The race is described by the organisers as ‘fast’, although this wasn’t necessarily the description assigned by the MAC runners. David Howarth had a particular view of the event but the profanity filter prevents us from including it (although on the bright side, probably a pound in the imaginary swear box).
The course takes place on closed roads and doesn’t feature too much elevation. Bumpy is probably a fair description. The race is part of the MAC Road Championships, so there were points on offer.
The race was very well organised by Runthrough with over 1,000 finishers this year. Lots of portable toilets at the start (even a couple halfway around the course) and plenty of water stations which were certainly needed in the heat. The marshals were enthusiastic, and lots of pacers to hang onto.
First back for MAC was Andy Mellor in 1:28:54
Second back was Mig Kolanowski, using the race as training for his upcoming Berlin marathon, but still setting a PB of 1:32:17.
Ian Pitkin clocked 1:39:49 – another PB if Strava is to be believed.
Next across the line were Liz Burgess (1:48:52), Andrew Donoher (1:52:46), David Howarth (1:54:26) and Roy Austin (1:57:45).
Saving the best until last, and deserving a special mention is Jill Neville, who not only set a PB (2:02:56) but obliterated her previous PB time – currently PBing like it’s going out of fashion, Jill’s times are tumbling since joining MAC this year.
Also in action was Sarah Austin, but running as a Sutton Harrier this morning (we’ll forgive you).
