It was just a lovely countryside foray in the grounds of the St Giles Estate. What could possibly go wrong? The Garmin UK Trail Running Festival featured a 5k, a 10k, a Half Marathon, a Marathon and even a 2 Mile race for the kids. It truly provided something for everyone and the setting was a splendid one for the athletes in indulge in.

The Half Marathon race harboured Bournemouth AC involvement, with both Stu Nicholas and Emma Caplan trying their hand at the undulating, multi-terrain matchup. There was even a rare race appearance from Caroline Rowley, who had been off the scene for a number of years.

Usually a regular at training, Bournemouth parkrun and doing his fair share of league races, Stu Nicholas had been on holiday in Sri Lanka for some time over April. Now he was back though and had been intending to race in the North Dorset Village Marathon the weekend after UK Trail Running Festival and was planning to compete in the Alton 10 race in the Hampshire Road League as well.

Starting the season off really well, Emma Caplan had finished 3rd lady in both the Broadstone Quarter Marathon and the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon and was first in her age category in both races. She was also 9th female at the Stubbington 10k and 3rd in the her age category there.

You have to go back to February 2020 for the last time Caroline Rowley raced for Bournemouth AC on the Dorset scene. That was when she did the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon. It’s just like riding a bike really though. Only without the bike!

The route for the Garmin UK Trail Running Half Marathon incorporated a variety of surfaces from compact gravel to soft grass and farm tracks to short tarmac sections. It was all very scenic and very rural. It certainly wasn’t flat though, with over 750ft of elevation to get through.

The was a lot of uphill in the first 5k, putting Stu Nicholas down to between 6:50 pace and 7 minute mile pace. He then continued at a similar sort of rate for the next 5k before taking a tough hill in the 7th mile. After that it was back down again on the eighth mile before finding himself heading up another incline on the ninth mile.

There was a good downhill stretch on the tenth mile before it was time to work your way up the final slope. This was quite a lengthy hill, continuing for the bulk of the 12th mile. It was at this point that Stu hurt his achilles and the rest of the race was just damage limitation.

Recording a time of 1:39:33, Stu had finished in 13th place but what the damage would be at that point, he couldn’t be sure. He was certainly fearing the worst though.

The race had gone much better for Emma Caplan though and she completed the course in 1:33:11 which put her 5th overall and earnt her the accolade of being first lady. That was a brilliant result for Emma in the a field of 207 people, of which 93 were women.

Emma was way way ahead of the next female to arrive at the finish. That was Phoebe Miles and she clocked a time of 1:50:09. Peter Rowat picked up the overall race win in 1:25:59, with Christopher Rhodes of Marlborough taking 2nd in 1:29:48. Jack Ambler finished in 1:32:08, with Jamie Ings of Lytchett Manor Striders clocking a time of 1:39:33.

Negotiating the course in 2 hours 1 minute and 52 seconds, Caroline Rowley finishing up in 76th position and was 16th out of the women in race. In the F50 category, she came 3rd out of 26. That was not a bad return to the racing scene for Caroline.

With some very important races on the horizon, Bournemouth AC will be hoping that Stu’s injury turns out not to be as bad as it seemed it could be. Stu is a very important member of the squad and is always capable of a high placing, even in the ultra competitive Hampshire Road League events.

Emma and Caroline will form part of a strong yellow and blue army for the May 5 race coming up this weekend. At least seven BAC ladies have signed up along with several men as well, which will serve them well as both sides push for promotion back to the top flight of the Dorset Road Race League.