‘Your Surprise’ Halve Marathon 24
In this age of Google Translate, the perils of entering a race in foreign parts are not what they once were. That said, despite a reassuring return of email from the club secretary of AV Delta Sport in the Dutch province of Zeeland, I still had an element of bum-clenching nervousness as I drove into an empty car park near Burgh Haamstede. Thankfully, my worries that I was about to do three laps of an Under 12s sack race in full kit soon dissipated, as more runners appeared covering the usual range of local club characters.
Out and about amongst the dunes and tracks of Westerschouwen forest, the race managed to locate a few ups and downs to keep things interesting, and the high humidity made it into an exceptionally moist affair. I was rewarded with sixth place, but more importantly, this was my first proper gut wrenching effort since hernia surgery in March and I’m delighted to report that the whole event passed by without any unsightly bulges in my shorts. Veel Success!
Medals for all finishers. My limited Dutch made it impossible for me to decline without looking like a twerp, so I smiled, popped it round my neck and did a knee slide across the car park.
