Race 24: Bewl 15

Sunday 2nd July 2017

14.73 Miles- 2hrs 27 Minutes

It was finally here, the weekend of the Bewl 15. I’d been both excited and dreading this race in equal measures since my last over 13 Mile distance back in February at the Maverick race. Alex and I had paid a visit to Bewl water back in May during a (rare) weekend off running while we celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary with a weekend in nearby Tenterden and decided to go on a 8 mile walk rather than a run around the water. I’m glad we had sussed out and terrain as I had a pretty good idea of what to expect and thus wasn’t as nervous as I have been previous to big scary new races.

I went to bed very early on the Saturday night as had *ahem* over indulged with fun juice on the Friday night. I woke up feeling pretty fresh on the Sunday and thought I was absolutely winning at life as I had planned my outfit and all my running paraphernalia the night before. (it was all laid out very nicely- shorts, vest, sports bra, utility belt, watch, charged headphones etc etc) I marched out of the flat super smug as for once I had been ready before Alex.

20 minutes down the road while we were waiting to pick up some friends who were also taking part in the race I realised I had forgot to pack my trainers….*slow clap*

Amazing huh? Thankfully we left with LOADS of time so going back on ourselves wasn’t the end of the world. I grabbed my trainers and we got back on track pretty quickly.

Once we arrived at the school (race HQ) in the centre of Wadhurst I soon realised I had forgotten my socks. “WOW…. shall I just go home now?” I thought to myself. The race for the pre race wee was a little chaotic as most runners were queuing for just 4 portaloos and it was not clear to all that there were actually loos in the school we could use. It was a little mad but we soon figured it out and could relax a bit before the race started. ( I also saw Dame Kelly Holmes queuing for a wee… !)

The start was about 5 minutes walk from the school across the road and down a steep country road in a field. Dame Kelly Holmes started the race via broken megaphone and filmed everyone running past her. The race started quite slow and steady as 900 runners squeezed down a very narrow country lane. It soon opened up as we entered some fields and it was at this point that Kelly Holmes seemingly jogged past the pack shouting words of encouragement as she went. Wow- she was fast (and muscely).

The race started following a public footpath that ironically Alex and I had followed back in May on our 8 mile walk over our anniversary weekend. The footpath leads you through farmland and then out towards the fringes of Bewl water itself. The footpaths around the water are wonderful- they change from shaded wooded paths to exposed grassy verges but you could see the reservoir throughout most of the race- it really felt like it was never ending.

I felt pretty good throughout a lot of this race which was a pleasant surprise. I think the fact that it wasn’t baking hot made a real difference. The sun was shining but it wasn’t too uncomfortable and Bewl 15 has it really right in terms of water stops! Every 3 miles without fail you are offered either a bottle of water or a bottle of lucozade and some sweets. As they were so regular it really helped the miles tick by as aid stations are always a welcome marker for me.

The first 10 miles were relatively flat, just following the outline of the water. I was really pleased with my pace as I was managing to stay below 10 minute miles pretty consistently and comfortably. Towards the end of the race we turned away from the water onto some country roads. There were beautiful houses either side and it suddenly turned hilly! My favourite part of this section of the race was the chap who set his hose to mist function and held it aloft over the passing runners- pure bliss! A closely favoured section was the worlds most welcome long windy downhill lane. After a sharp right hand turn around a corner- the path suddenly sloped downwards for what felt like miles… “weeee” myself and another runner expressed in glee. It was great. (the hill that followed not so much, but that’s not what I will remember- I’ll definitely remember the joy of that hill for some time!)

The day started to get quite hot in the last few miles of the race as we reached the middle of the day. I had passed marshall's holding out soggy sponges at earlier aid stations and did not take the seemingly weird wet offering out of their hands but as the race neared the end and I got warmer (as the terrain got hillier) a wet sponge suddenly became the best thing since sliced bread. Oh how I marvelled!! Why hadn’t my two previous heatwave runs included soggy sponge wielding marshalls? It was genius! There were also plenty of orange slices to be had. I only had one- but Alex assures me he had many.

The end of the race sort of snuck up on me - I was feeling really good until mile 14 and then WHAM- I got T-I-R-E-D. I had to do a bit of walking, a bit of whining, a bit of looking forlornly at strangers cheering me on. I do actually remember one guy saying to me “You’re time is perfect, don’t worry, just keep going” and that was just what I wanted to hear. I became DESPERATE to finish within 2 and a half hours as this would have been only 10 minutes longer than my last two (HOT) half marathons which would be an amazing improvement for a race 2 miles longer! (2 miles longer in just 10 more minutes… YES PLEASE- my ego needed that boost!) The finish line appeared around a corner- (just a huddle of supporters and medal giver-outers) and then it was all over- .25miles shy of the promised 15 miles which made me a little disappointed but I really wasn’t in a position to argue as I was so tired and I definitely would of struggled to hit my 2.5 hr deadline if I had to run that extra .25 Miles.

The finish line was a little chaotic but we managed to get my goody bag, find our technical t-shirts and bagsy a picture with Dame kelly! Oh Yeah… and scoff some free cake and beer too. Wow- Bewl 15 has it ALL.