Dudley Kinswinsford 10k – 2 May 2012

Mike Scotney reports: This is definitely a local favourite, a well organised and well established 10km, taking in the rural lanes around the back of Kinswinsford on the back route to Enville, in a wide loop.

Attracting over 700 runners on a cool, cloudy evening (miraculously avoiding the recent rains), there was a good BVH turnout (for what is a Grand Prix event), and I met up with Paul D, Jonathan, Ewan, Andy and a few others, discussing tactics and agreeing not to go off too quickly! To a rather humorous non-performing horn, the Mayor of Stourbridge got the race under way, and there was the usual dash down the Mile flat lane and down to the first alluring pub, before we hit the first (and only real) hill at about the 1 mile mark.

Andy and John pushed on ahead and Chris Tarren rushed by in a whirl (he had started late), as I tried to keep a steady rhythm, thinking of Joe Lewis’s Monday night rep sessions and trying to forget the lack of running in my legs since Xmas!

The course has very little flat, but the undulations keep it interesting, and there are enough twists and turns in the lane to relieve any tedium, in what is an attractive part of the local countryside. I was surprised to hit 5km in just over 21 minutes, and managed to sustain the pace for the second half of the race and maintain a rhythm going back up the Mile Flat at the end, before turning the corner back to the Rugby Club and finding a couple of younger, more eager runners audaciously out sprinting me at the end!

Can’t complain with 41.41, a little short of last season’s times (although now in the 40+ category, my age category PB!), but a great yardstick of fitness at this early stage of the summer season.

Well done on some excellent BVH times, and a big thanks to the organisers for an excellent 25 year special technical t-Shirt too!

Full results.