The chance to enjoy the home comforts of roads and pathways they train on on a regular basis is one not to be missed when it comes around in a race scenario. Hence, the Run Bournemouth event always attracts a healthy dose of representation from Bournemouth AC members looking to make their mark on the big stage.

The Half Marathon race is the real showpiece event of the Run Bournemouth extravaganza and sees several thousand taking to the coastal roads and seafront stretches.

One of the most striking aspects of the Run Bournemouth weekend is its inclusivity. Athletes of all ages get to take part and runners of all abilities, from complete novices to bona fide experts can get involved. They will each have their own goals or target times in mind but for many of them, the challenge is just to complete the race and make it to that finish line.

Of course, for the Bournemouth AC runners taking part, they were seeing it from a slightly different angle. For most of them, it was about producing a time that would justify the training they they’ve put in and finishing as high up the field as they can.

Two of Bournemouth AC’s fastest long distance runners were featuring in this year’s Run Bournemouth Half Marathon race and they were Rob McTaggart and Josh Cole.

It was a first appearance at Run Bournemouth for Rob McTaggart since 2021, when he finished third in the Half Marathon after being caught in no-mans land, with the front two being quite a way ahead. He produced a time of 1:11:49 that day.

Tag has quite a history with the Bournemouth Marathon Festival though, as it used to be called. In 2017 he finished second in the 5k and third in the Half Marathon. In 2016 he finished fifth in the Marathon in 2:33:41 and in 2015 he was second in the 5k.

Going back to 2014, he was victorious in the Bournemouth Marathon Festival 10k after taking to the top spot of the podium in the 5k the previous year. He’d had some great memories in the past but he was looking to add to that impressive resumé at this year’s event.

The Run Bournemouth Half Marathon was to be Tag’s last ever race as an under 40 as well. The following day, he would officially be becoming a vet and moving up to the next age bracket. With the speed and ability he possesses, that should bring plenty of opportunity for age category wins in races that he doesn’t actually win outright.

Josh Cole’s incredible 15:27 time at the Boscombe Seafront 5k had shown everyone that he is coming into some seriously good form. He’d had some terrific results in the Dorset Road Race League this year, finishing fourth in the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon on a blisteringly hot day in July.

He then went on to finish fourth in the Stur Half in August, posting a 1 hour 14 minute time which was very impressive on such a hilly course. The chap who won it was from Team Bath though so he didn’t count for the league, meaning that Josh had effectively taken third.

Currently sitting second in the men’s individual standings of the Dorset Road Race League, it was turning into a monumental season for Josh. A great half marathon time at Run Bournemouth could make it even better.

Other Bournemouth AC runners competing in the Half Marathon race that day included James Hulbert, Jack Barwick, Katie Gunn, Arthur Riley and Will Newbery.

The route for the Half Marathon started at Hengistbury Head and went up Southbourne Coast Road and onto the Overcliff first before turning at the three mile point and heading back down to the prom. Then it was along the promenade to Boscombe Pier before heading through Boscombe Gardens, up the Chine hill and onto the Overcliff.

Then it was down onto the promenade again and back to Boscombe Pier where this time, an out-and-back of the pier was thrown in before it was then back in the direction of Bournemouth Pier. Then there was an out-and-back along Bournemouth Pier before getting to the finish.

The runners were helped on the day by an easterly wind which provided some assistance as they made their way from Hengistbury Head over to Bournemouth Pier.

It was a Marwell Zoo Club reunion for Rob McTaggart and James Baker after their intriguing grudge match at the recent 10k race in which Tag came out on top in.

After finishing second to Jamie Grose in the Round the Lakes 10k, Etienne Tillon of Poole AC was back in action at the Run Bournemouth Half Marathon and if ran as well as he did that day he’d have a good chance of contesting the race win.

Poole AC supervet Brian Underwood was also in the line up and when he’s in form, he’s well capable of a quick half marathon time. The standard of his running is quite magnificent for an athlete in 45M division.

Egdon Heath Harriers man Charlie Williams was another one of the familiar names from the Dorset Road Race League circuit who was capable of a high placing. He’d run a 1:12 half marathon at Bath earlier in the year.

To begin with, it was Norman Shreeve of Cambridge & Coleridge who was driving the pace at the front of the field. Etienne Tillon and Oluwatosin Adedeji of Newham & Essex Beagles weren’t letting him get away though and Tag was up there with them as well, with Shaun Dixon of South West Veterans and Christian Hewitt of Tiverton Harriers. They were essentially forming a lead group of six at the three mile point as they approached the turning point on the Overcliff.

They’d been going at 5:10 pace, despite that it was an incline from Hengistbury Head up Southbourne Coast Road. Josh Cole was the next man out on the road after Tag but he had dropped a bit behind the lead pack.

As they got close to the eight mile point, arriving at the roundabout in front of Boscombe Pier, there was still a lead group of five together. Shaun Dixon had been dropped but the rest of them were up there, including Tag.

They’d been going at 5:10 pace every mile, pretty much. On the eighth mile they went into Boscombe Gardens and then up the hill leading up to the Overcliff. That hill took it out of Tag a bit and he started to drop off the pace.

Josh Cole was still the next man out on the road after Shaun Dixon, with James Baker just a bit behind him. Tag managed to get back on pace when the course began to drop down from the Overcliff back onto the prom and he then posted his fastest mile of the race in 5:07.

He didn’t have much left for the last 5k though and that became a bit of a death march for him. Oluwatosin Adedeji was still going strong and had opened up quite a big gap by the time he reached Boscombe Pier. That was the 12th mile so he didn’t have far to go by that point.

Norman Shreeve was on his own in second place and Etienne Tillon was just slightly ahead of Christian Hewitt. Tag was in fifth place but there was a sizeable gap between himself and Josh who was sixth.

Although his pace fell away in that last 5k, Tag still managed to get to the line in exactly 1 hour and 10 minutes which was an excellent time. His average pace for the run was 5:19.

Josh reached the line a minute later to take sixth place in 1:11:03. That was his second fastest half marathon of all time, after the 1:10:36 he managed at the Great Bristol Half Marathon in 2018. That was a superb effort from Josh and another one to be proud of.

James Baker was 30 seconds behind Josh and crossed the line in 7th place in 1:11:33. He was first 45M. Oluwatosin Adedeji got the win in 1:08:02 in the end, putting him a minute ahead of Norman Shreeve was was second in 1:09:03.

Etienne Tillon held on for third place in the end, recording a time of 1:09:21 which put him 10 seconds ahead of Christian Hewitt who took fourth.

Shaun Dixon had dropped a couple of places over the last five miles and finished 8th in the end in 1:12:20. Brian Underwood ran well to claim 9th place in 1:12:39, giving him an average pace of 5:30. His splits were immaculate throughout the run. Harrison Read of Abingdon AC completed the top ten, going over the line in 1:12:53.

Charlie Collins of Poole AC took 14th place in 1:15:03 and one of Bournemouth AC’s newest recruits, Dave Newman finished 17th in 1:15:15. His average pace was 5:42 and his splits were really consistent throughout the whole run. He’d had a hip injury for about six weeks before the race and had also been suffering from flu as well so all things considered, it was decent result.

Dave is another star name to join the ever growing roster of talent the Bournemouth AC possess. He was the man who won the North Dorset Village Marathon back in May in a magnificent time of 2:35:50, finishing ahead of Stu Nicholas that day.

Charlie Williams took 18th place in a time of 1:16:16. Will Newbery was the next Bournemouth AC man over the line, clocking time of 1:18:30 which put him in 27th place and 4th in the 45M category. That was an average pace of 5:57, so an excellent run from Will and confirmation, if he needed it, that he was in great form ahead of the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Marbella.

Former Bournemouth AC member Matt du Cros got round in 1 hour 19 minutes which put him in 32nd place and Luke Terry of Poole AC completed the course in 1:19:07 which put him in 34th place.

Arthur Riley put in a marvellous performance to get round in 1:19:49 which put him in 40th place overall. He was under six minute mile pace for the first half of the race but slowed down a bit in the second half after hitting the hill in Boscombe Gardens.

It was still a strong run though and he came away with an average pace of 6:04, going over the line just after Haydan Clarke of Twemlow Track Club who came 39th in 1:19:47.

There was a rare appearance from Karl Welch as well who only really seems to come out to play when the Run Bournemouth fiesta is in town. He did well to complete the course in a time of 1:20:33 which put him in 47th place and 6th in the 35M category. That was five minutes faster than the time he ran it in last year.

It wasn’t long before James Hulbert arrived to take 49th place in a time of 1:20:47. He was round six minute mile pace or just under for the first half of the race and began to drop off a touch after that. Then after the hill in Boscombe Gardens, it became quite tough going from then on.

It was still a good time though from James and he came away with an average pace of 6:09 per mile. It was over two minutes slower than his time from last year though, suggesting he might have a bit of work to do to get back to his absolute best.

The next man over the line was Poole AC star Thomas Corbin who registered a time of 1:20:58. He’d been pacing a friend to a PB in the Supersonic 10k as well which started two hours before the Half Marathon. Then he ran all the way back to Hengistbury Head after for the start of the Half Marathon. That was quite a shift for Tommy.

Going into it off the back of a brilliant PB of 35:43 at the Round the Lakes 10k, Jack Barwick had been on fire in recent weeks. The Run Bournemouth Half Marathon wasn’t his target race though, it was the Great South Run the following weekend, so he had to keep that in mind.

His target time for the Great South Run was a sub 60 so for that, he’d need to be running each mile in 6 minutes or under. It was simple maths. The advantage of having the Run Bournemouth Half Marathon was that he could use it as an opportunity to practice going at that pace to see how comfortable it felt. Then in the later stages of the race, he could dial it back if he needed to to conserve energy.

He went at 5:50 pace for the first three miles, then 6 minute mile pace for the next four miles before hitting the hill in Boscombe Gardens. That was the point in the race when most runners slowed down. It often proved hard to get back on pace after that.

Jack ran at about 6:45 pace for the rest of the race, except for mile 10 which contained the drop down to the prom at Bournemouth Pier. For that one he did 6:17. Completing the course in a time of 1:22:43, Jack finished in 63rd place and it was an improvement of over four minutes verses the time to produced at the Swansea Half Marathon in June.

That was a testament to how much Jack has progressed over recent months. His average pace for the run was 6:14 and he was definitely ready for that sub 60 attempt at the GSR.

The next recognisable face from the Bournemouth AC ranks to finish was Dan Trickett and he got round in a time of 1:23:45. That put him in 72nd place in the overall standings.

Also going into it with one eye on the Great South Run the following weekend, Katie Gunn set off a 6:25 pace and maintained that for the first three miles. Then she went at around 6:30 pace or just over for the next five miles before arriving at the hill in Boscombe Gardens.

That resulted in a 7:09 for the ninth mile before she got back on pace for the tenth mile where the course dropped down to the prom at Bournemouth Pier. She ran out of steam a bit after that and wasn’t quite able to recapture her earlier pace in the final 5k. She was still going at 6:50 pace though until finding the strength for a final push to the finish.

Going over the line in 1:27:38, Katie had finished 9th female on gun time and 10th fastest on chip time. Her position in the overall standings was 137th and she was just over a minute slower than her time from the Swansea Half Marathon in June.

Stephanie Hutton was first female in 1:18:38 and she came 29th overall. Sophie Delderfield of Vale of Aylesbury was second lady and first 40F in 1:22:15. She came 58th overall. Leader of the female standings in the Purbeck Trail Series, Isabel Zanconato was third female in 1:24:43 which put her 84th overall.

The next woman over the line was former Bournemouth AC member Georgia Wood who now represents Team Bath. She clocked a time of 1:24:55 which put her 85th overall.

Another former Bournemouth AC runner, Helen O’Neile, was the next person over the line, recording a chip time of 1:24:59. That was about 37 seconds slower than her time from last year but still a great run from Helen.

Dawn Andrews of Poole AC completed the course in exactly 1 hour 29 minutes which made her 13th female and 2nd in the 35F category. She came 167th in the overall standings.

The next Bournemouth AC woman over the line was Vicky Boult and she got round in 1:35:44 which put her in 388th place overall. She came 24th in the U35F category.

It was a busy weekend for Nathan Mearns. He did the Hampshire League cross country race at Kings Park on the Saturday before lining up for the Run Bournemouth Half Marathon the following day. That meant he’d need to exercise some control in the cross country race to ensure he kept some energy in reserve.

It’s hard when you’re racing though as you tend to get swept up in it and once that adrenaline gets pumping, it’s easy to get carried away. Completing the 5.8 mile route in 39:38, Nathan’s average pace for the cross country race was 6:45. He then had a party to go to that evening before facing the Half Marathon the next day.

In the Half Marathon race, he started off at 6:48 pace and kept that going remarkably consistently for the first eight miles before heading into Boscombe Gardens. He then tackled the killer hill on the ninth mile which put him down to 7:20 pace before he then got back on track with his fastest split of the race in 6:21 as the course dropped down to the prom at Bournemouth Pier.

Closing the race out at roughly 6:48 pace again for the remaining 5k, Nathan finished strongly, getting to the line in 1:29:46. That was a huge PB for Nathan and he’d showed great maturity to pace it so well, especially after his exertions the previous day. Nathan finished 195th overall.

Starting off at around 7:30 pace, Nick Pepin then upped it to around 7:10 and then 7 minutes per mile leading up to the half way stage. He wasn’t quite able to keep it going after that began to fade a bit before heading into Boscombe Gardens on tackling the hill.

Getting back to 7:11 pace for the tenth mile where the course dropped back down on the prom at Bournemouth, Nick was then at just over 8 minute mile pace for the 11th and 12th miles before getting back to 7:30 for the last full mile. That took him to the finish line in 1:41:10 which put him in 672nd place overall and he was 10th in the 55M category.

Running pretty well for the first half of the race, Max Yao was going at around 8 minute mile pace. On the seventh mile she started to struggle a touch though, dropping to 8:38 pace for the next couple of miles before tackling the hill in Boscombe Gardens.

That knocked her down to a 9:39 and she found it difficult to get back on pace from that point on. In the end she managed to get back to 8:38 pace for her last mile split before reaching the finish line in 1:53:03. That put her 40th in the 35F category and 1,572nd overall.

She was a bit disappointed with that as it was slower than the time she clocked at the Bournemouth Bay Run in March. She had recently been back in China for a month though so hadn’t been able to train so regularly over that time so that may have contributed to a slight loss of fitness. It was still 10 minutes faster than the time she registered at the Stu Half in August though so from that perspective, it was a reasonable result.

Katie Gunn’s boyfriend Luke Bentley ran as well and he completed the course in a time of 1:49:23 which put him in 1,276th place.

It was wonderful to see so many Bournemouth AC runners out there representing the club on home ground in such a large scale event. To have some of them right up there at the sharp end as well is an added plus point and helps showcase the benefits of training with the club and competing as part of a team.