It was an outrageously hot day when the Somerley Estate Spring 10k, 5k and Half Marathon event was due to take place and that was probably because the race organisers had got their seasons mixed up. It was actually the middle of summer and with temperatures soaring close to 30 degrees, it was always going to be battle for the those taking part.
It was actually quite a hilly route as well and terrain was testing, with some energy sapping gravel tracks to negotiate. The original plan for Trev Elkins was to go for the Half Marathon, but unfortunately for him, it didn’t quite pan out as expected.
There was also a come back from a well revered Bournemouth AC man of yesteryear, as Billy McGreevy was back in action. It had been quite some time since Billy had been scene on the running scene but he has now resigned with the club and is looking to compete for honours once again. He’d opted to tackle the 10k distance.
There were some teething problems before the race was due to get underway, with a number of people turning up late, having difficulty finding the Somerley Estate. Of course most races would have just started on time regardless, but there were a stream of cars queuing on the race route, preventing that from happening.
Hence the start was delayed by 30 minutes, which wasn’t ideal for those running the Half Marathon as it was only going to get hotter as the day went on. Trev was warmed up and ready to go at the time when the race was supposed to start so it wasn’t ideal for him having to wait an extra half hour.
Despite the hills Trev was actually going at around 6:30 sort of pace for most of the miles and he was actually leading the Half Marathon approaching the half way stage. But the heat and the humidity was getting to him and he was really starting to suffer. So much so that he decided to pull out at the end of the second lap, which was when the 10k race was officially supposed to finish.
Trev Elkins had originally been planning on doing the half marathon but ended up stopping at a quarter
It was actually more of a quarter marathon than a 10k in distance and when Trev got to the end of the lap there was only one man ahead of him – and that was of course, Billy.
Completing the race in an excellent time of 40:17, it had been a triumphant return to action for Billy and a real moment to savour. Considering he’d done 6.5 miles in such hot conditions and on a tough, undulating course, that was a great result for Billy.
It was a victorious comeback for Billy McGreevy as he came out on top in the 10k
Trev got round in a time of 42:43 which put him unofficially in 2nd place for the 10k. The race organisers recognised that it was partly down to the delay at the start which had contributed to Trev being unable to go on and complete the Half Marathon though and sent him a trophy for 2nd place in the 10k anyway.
It was probably the right decision for Trev to stop running at that point anyway as he got a headache shortly after and feels that if he had tried to keep going for another 40 minutes it would have been too much.
The heat was really getting to Trev and although he was leading he couldn’t continue
One man who did manage to keep going in the Half Marathon though was Leon Louis, who has been training with Bournemouth AC on Tuesday nights. His time of 1:37:42 was well below par for what he would usually be capable of in a half marathon but he just wasn’t used to running on that sort of terrain and the hills really took it out of him.
He’s still come in in 5th place though, which was a decent result out of the 88 runners who successfully toughed it out in the Half Marathon. Philip Mosley of New Forest Runners cruised in for the win, recording a tremendous time of 1:26:39.
He was the only man to get inside 1 hour 30 minutes and Nick Austin claimed the runner spot in 1:31:54, with Frederick Simpson taking 3rd in a time of 1:35:49.
Sadie Laker of Dorchester RIOT was 1st female and 7th overall, getting round in a very impressive time of 1:39:13, putting her almost 19 minutes ahead of the next woman to cross the line.
There were 166 runners who successfully completed the 10k and Sturt Wall was next quickest, after Billy and Trev. He recorded a time of 44:37.
Carly Tempany was 1st female and she finished 6th overall with her time of 47:51. That was enough to see of competition from Sharon Stewart who finished 8th overall and 1st female vet 50 in 48:24.
It was a shame for Trev that he didn’t get to do the half marathon run that he’d been hoping to but the trophy he got for 2nd place in the 10k softened the blow somewhat. Plus there will be plenty of other opportunities to run a half marathon and hopefully in slightly cooler conditions.
It will be great to have Billy back in the squad and adding another quality runner to the mix of talent already assembled in the Bournemouth AC ranks can only be a plus going forward.