There aren’t too many runners who would voluntarily get out of bed in the early hours of a weekend morning to run 31 miles, but that’s exactly what was on the agenda for those taking part in the Run to the Sea Bournemouth 50k. With a route taking in some of Dorset’s finest scenery before finishing along the coast at Hengistbury Head, it was certainly an attractive proposition, although perhaps not quite so appealing once the legs started to complain.

The course begins at Moors Valley Country Park before heading out along the Castleman Trailway towards West Moors and on to Upton. From there, runners make their way around Holes Bay, through Baiter Park and alongside Poole Harbour before heading down towards Sandbanks. The final eight miles are then spent on the promenade, taking runners along the seafront towards the finish at Hengistbury Head.

Representing Bournemouth AC this year were Stu Nicholas, Rich Brawn, Helen Beddoe, Laura Rothwell, Vicki O’Mahoney along with the somewhat unexpected entry of Jud Kirk.

Stu was perhaps the most obvious candidate to produce a strong performance. Rarely does he turn up to a race without being somewhere near the sharp end, and he’d arrived in particularly good form following an excellent victory at the New Forest Marathon, where he’d clocked 2:43:47.

He’d also been producing some impressive performances in recent league races, finishing seventh at the Overton 5 in 27:25, fourth at the Totton 10k in 34:17 and ninth at the Stur Half Marathon in 1:18:08, despite having to contend with a particularly hot and hilly course.

Earlier in the year, he’d also won the Norfolk Marathon and finished second at the North Dorset Village Marathon after leading for much of the race. In other words, there wasn’t much to suggest that he wouldn’t be in the mix when the serious business began.

Rich Brawn, meanwhile, was venturing into rather unfamiliar territory. Having completed plenty of marathons over the years and recorded some respectable sub-three-hour times, he’d never previously tackled anything beyond the marathon distance. The closest he’d come was a 27-mile training run during the build-up, which was presumably enough to convince him that another four miles wouldn’t be too much of a problem!

His summer racing had been reasonably encouraging, with a 38:14 at the Purbeck 10k and 37:13 at the Totton 10k. Things hadn’t gone quite so well at the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon, however, where he struggled in the heat and came away with a disappointing 1:28.

Since committing to Run to the Sea, he’d largely abandoned racing in favour of building up his endurance, concentrating on getting some decent long runs under his belt and incorporating longer interval sessions into his Thursday training.

Helen Beddoe was back for another crack at the event after completing last year’s race in just under 5 hours 10 minutes. This time around, the target was to get under the five-hour mark.

She’d certainly been showing some encouraging form, recording a half-marathon PB of 1:37:38 at the New Forest Marathon event. She’d also broken her 10k PB twice, first at the Lordshill 10k with 43:21 and then again at Totton, where she knocked another three seconds off. Add in an age-category victory at the Upton Summer Series and there was plenty of reason to be optimistic.

Taking the race very seriously, Laura Rothwell had been following a training plan in preparation for the impending 50k and had done what she could to give herself a realistic chance of a successful outing.

Vicki O’Mahoney is one of the newer recruits to the scene at Bournemouth AC but since joining, she’s been getting stuck right in and showing up for every training session and reaping the benefits of the speed and fitness gain. Run to the Sea would be a great way put that to the test though as 50k races are always demanding regardless of the terrain and elevation on the route.

At 68 years of age, Jud Kirk might be moving into the twilight years of his running career, but he’s certainly showing no signs of wanting to put his feet up just yet. He continues to train and race regularly, having completed the Round the Lakes 10k in just under 50 minutes, taken part in the inaugural SOBO 5 and competed at the Purbeck 10k. He’d also tackled the Guernsey Easter Running Festival, which involves four races in four days.

With all that behind him, he evidently felt he had enough left in the tank to take on the full 50k. Whether that confidence would still be there after 25 miles remained to be seen!

A near-perfect morning for running

When race morning arrived, conditions were about as good as anyone could reasonably hope for. There was virtually no wind, which is something of a rarity along the south coast.

The only slight disappointment was that there wouldn’t be a massive tailwind to carry everyone along the final eight miles of promenade towards Hengistbury Head. Still, having no significant headwind anywhere on the course was a pretty good result, and nobody was going to complain too much about that.

It was an early start, with runners making their way over to Moors Valley Country Park. Many had opted for the bus transfer from Hengistbury Head, meaning they could leave their cars at the finish and avoid having to organise transport after running 31 miles. A sensible arrangement, although it did mean an even earlier start to the day.

Once everyone had assembled at Moors Valley, the various waves headed off and the challenge was underway.

Stu Nicholas produces another impressive performance

At the front of the field, it was Dorset Doddlers runner Rich White who wasted little time in making his intentions clear. He immediately went on the attack, establishing a quick pace and beginning to pull away from the rest of the field.

For Rich Brawn, there was also a tactical consideration before the race had even started. Having noticed that previous editions of the event had been ranked using gun times rather than chip times, he was keen to get himself into the first wave rather than risk losing valuable time at the start.

He settled into a pace of around 6:50 to 7-minute miles, which was somewhat quicker than he’d originally intended, but it felt comfortable enough in the early stages. He maintained roughly that pace for the first seven miles before encountering a hill on the eighth.

Stu Nicholas, who started in the second wave, was also running at around 6:50 pace during the opening ten miles. The two eventually came together shortly after passing through a field and rejoining the Trailway, and they ran alongside one another for a while.

That was until they reached Gravel Hill at Wimborne around the 12th mile.

At this point, Stu and the two other runners they were travelling with decided to press on, while Rich was beginning to find things rather more difficult and had to let them go.

Stu, however, was still looking comfortable and continued to maintain his pace, remaining just under seven-minute miles all the way to the 20-mile mark.

For Rich, things were beginning to unravel. Having already noticed that his legs were feeling tired at around ten miles, he never really managed to recover his earlier rhythm. He gradually slipped back to around 7:25 pace before eventually reaching the 21st mile.

The seafront was now getting closer, although that wasn’t necessarily the good news it might have appeared to be!

Stu was continuing to run strongly, now averaging just over seven-minute miles, while Rich had gradually slipped further down the field and was down to around 7:45 pace.

There was also the slightly demoralising experience of being overtaken by a succession of runners, including the leading female, Isabel Zanconato, who managed to pass him on three separate occasions!

The first time came at Upton Country Park, where Isabel caught up with Rich and moved ahead. He tried to stay with her for a while but simply didn’t have the legs to go with her and eventually had to let her disappear into the distance.

She seemed to vanish rather quickly though, which really threw Rich. He thought either she’s suddenly sped away which seemed impossible, or she’d gone the wrong way, or he had. He continued on and then after a while, she caught him back up and told him that she went the wrong way.

Isabel continued on her way, although when she reached Holes Bay she made a brief pit stop to change from trail shoes into a faster pair of road shoes. Her husband Alexander, himself a very capable athlete, was waiting there to assist with the changeover.

Rich was subsequently making his way along Whitecliff Park when Isabel caught him up and overtook him again. At least this time there was no mystery about where she’d been!

Meanwhile, Stu was still looking in good shape as he approached the final stages of the race. He maintained his pace until around the 26th mile, when things inevitably began to get a little tougher and his pace dropped to around 7:15.

The final couple of miles were something of a battle, but he’d managed his effort extremely well and had enough left to keep moving strongly all the way to the finish.

He crossed the line in a superb time of 3:43:43, securing an excellent fourth place overall with an average pace of 7:05 per mile.

Another outstanding performance from Stu, who seems to have developed something of a habit of turning up to races and producing impressive results, regardless of the distance.

Brawn discovers that ultras are a different game

For Rich, the final ten miles were proving to be a rather different experience.

Having gradually slowed throughout the middle stages, he was now becoming increasingly concerned about how his legs would cope with the remaining distance. The tightness in his hamstring was becoming more noticeable and he could feel that cramp might not be too far away.

Eventually, he decided that discretion was the better part of valour and stopped to sit down and stretch. He also necked a shot of Crampfix in the hope that it might help stave off the dreaded cramps.

After a brief chat with his Dad, who had been waiting at several points around the course to offer some encouragement, he got back to his feet and set off again.

Unfortunately, the tightness hadn’t completely disappeared, and he was forced to stop once more, this time using a nearby wall to get a more effective stretch.

That seemed to do the trick, although his legs were now feeling thoroughly battered and he was down to around 8:30 pace.

Things were looking a little bleak, but then came an unexpected boost.

As he approached the end of the 29th mile, Rich glanced at his watch and was somewhat surprised to see that it was showing 3 hours 41 minutes. Suddenly, the possibility of finishing in under four hours didn’t seem quite so ridiculous after all.

The weight seemed to lift almost immediately and he found himself able to run again, getting back to just over eight-minute miles.

It was a significant psychological boost, particularly after the difficulties he’d experienced over the previous few miles. With the four-hour barrier still within reach, he now had something to aim for again.

There was just one small problem.

When he eventually turned into Hengistbury Head, he was expecting the finish to be just around the corner. Instead, the course seemed to carry on for considerably longer than anticipated.

He tried to negotiate the soft sand as best he could, but there was still no obvious sign of the finish line. Having already covered more than 30 miles, this wasn’t quite the sort of surprise he was looking for!

He’d gone through the official 50km distance in under four hours, but the additional distance required to reach the finish had ultimately scuppered his chances of getting under the barrier.

His watch eventually registered 31.5 miles, meaning he’d effectively run an extra half a mile.

He crossed the line in 4:00:29, finishing 13th overall and an excellent third V40 out of 98.

Given that this was his first ever ultra, there wasn’t too much disappointment about missing the four-hour mark by such a narrow margin. Considering the problems he’d encountered, it was a very respectable debut, and an average pace of 7:38 per mile over 31.5 miles was hardly something to be sniffed at.

There was certainly plenty to learn from the experience, not least the importance of getting the pacing right and perhaps not getting too carried away during the opening stages!

Beddoe just misses out on the five-hour target

Helen Beddoe was also discovering that the extra distance could be rather cruel.

Having set herself the target of breaking five hours, she’d been making good progress and was on course to achieve it when she passed through the official 50k distance comfortably inside her target time.

Unfortunately, much like Rich, she still had some additional running to do before reaching the actual finish line.

She eventually crossed in 5:00:21, missing out on the five-hour barrier by just 21 seconds.

It was an agonisingly close finish, particularly given how much effort she’d put into trying to achieve her target. However, there was still plenty to celebrate.

She’d improved on last year’s performance by more than nine minutes, which represented a very worthwhile step forward.

Helen finished 104th overall, 25th female out of 245 and eighth V40 out of 89.

Although the sub-five-hour target had just slipped away, she could certainly take plenty of encouragement from another strong performance over the distance.

Kirk refuses to give in

Jud Kirk‘s race was always going to be something of an adventure, particularly given that he hadn’t really undertaken the sort of endurance training that would ideally be required for a 50k.

He managed to get through the early stages and make reasonable progress, but once he reached the promenade, things began to get considerably tougher.

By the time he reached Boscombe Pier, he’d effectively run out of steam and had very little left in the tank. From there, he was forced to walk much of the remaining distance towards Hengistbury Head.

Nevertheless, there was no question of throwing in the towel. Jud simply kept putting one foot in front of the other and eventually got himself to the finish.

At 68 years of age, completing a 50k is an achievement in itself, and there was plenty of credit due for simply sticking with it when things became difficult.

He eventually crossed the line in 5:52:09, finishing 243rd overall and seventh out of 20 in the V60 category.

Not bad going at all for someone who perhaps wasn’t quite as prepared for the endurance challenge as he might have been!

White delivers a quite extraordinary victory

While the Bournemouth AC contingent were dealing with their various challenges, there was an exceptional performance taking place at the front of the field.

Rich White of Dorset Doddlers produced what must rank as one of the outstanding performances by a Dorset athlete this year, powering around the course at just over six-minute-mile pace.

He maintained his phenomenal speed throughout the 50k, showing remarkable strength and endurance to eventually cross the line in 3:11:10.

It was a magnificent performance and, by all accounts, potentially the fastest time ever recorded over the Run to the Sea Bournemouth course.

Mike Wright took second place in 3:34:16, a time that would probably have been good enough to win the race in several previous editions. Daryl Smith completed the podium in third with 3:40:18.

Experienced Run to the Sea campaigner Nick Onslow of Basingstoke & Mid Hants finished fifth in 3:47:50, with Poole AC’s Adam McCrae producing a good run to work his way through the field and finish sixth in 3:47:58.

Dale Whitfield took seventh in 3:48:28, followed by Adam James in eighth with 3:49:43.

Rothwell seals spot on the podium

Laura Rothwell producing an excellent performance to finish as the third female.

Crossing the line in 4:15:11, she secured an impressive 21st place overall, completing the female podium. It was a great result for Laura, showing that she’d taken to the unfamiliar distance rather well.

Isabel Zanconato was the first female finisher, crossing the line in an excellent 3:50:13 to take ninth place overall. Alison Bradshaw was second female in 3:57:46, finishing just ahead of Rich Brawn.

Vicki O’Mahoney put in a solid performance to complete the course in 5:09:41. She finished 31st female and 12th in the V40 category, adding another successful 50k finish to the Bournemouth AC tally.

In total, 559 runners successfully completed the course, with the final finisher coming home in 9 hours 38 minutes.

Plenty to take away from another Run to the Sea

For Bournemouth AC, it was a mixed bag of performances, but certainly one that provided plenty of talking points.

Stu Nicholas produced another superb result, finishing fourth overall in a highly competitive field and demonstrating once again that his excellent marathon form translates rather well to the longer distances.

Rich Brawn can take considerable satisfaction from his ultra debut, despite the late difficulties and the frustratingly narrow miss of the four-hour mark. There will undoubtedly be lessons to take into future attempts, although perhaps a little more restraint over the opening miles might be advisable next time!

Laura Rothwell claimed a place on the podium, proving that hard work in training pays dividends and Helen Beddoe came agonisingly close to her sub-five-hour target but still knocked more than nine minutes off last year’s performance.

Vicki O’Mahoney finished quite soon after Helen, delivering a performance to be proud of, while Jud Kirk deserves considerable credit for persevering and completing the distance at 68.

With near-perfect weather conditions, a scenic route and some impressive performances throughout the field, it was another successful edition of Run to the Sea Bournemouth.

And while the additional half-mile might have caused a few headaches for those chasing specific time targets, at least everyone could console themselves with the fact that they’d completed considerably more than a marathon before getting to enjoy the finish at Hengistbury Head.

Quite a way to spend a Saturday morning!