Robin Hood Half Marathon 2024
On Sunday 29th September at 09:30hrs, 7949 people lined up at the start line of the 43rd Robin Hood Half Marathon including 3 MAC runners. From the start line the course went along the scenic river Trent, meaning a flat initial two miles to help runners ease into their own pace. The runners then navigated through the Park and up Derby Road, where a challenging uphill section was followed by a rewarding downhill stretch. Before long, the runners reached Wollaton Park, the halfway mark, but not without facing a sneaky uphill challenge. The second half of the course was pleasantly flat, requiring participants to maintain their pace and hope they had managed their energy wisely. The weather conditions were almost perfect with just a slight headwind towards the finish.
All three members of the Matlock Athletic Club had fantastic runs, achieving personal bests!
Alice Cundy crossed the finish line in 1:49:46, just under the sub-1:50 mark, a 6 minute PB despite limited training.
Ian Watson had approached the race as a training opportunity for the York Marathon but although he found himself straying from his planned race pace in the first 500m he finished in a time of 1:25:05, standing him in good stead for his marathon in October.
Lastly, I (Ben Meakin) was thrilled to finish in a time of 1:22:21, surpassing my goal of going sub 1:25.
