Round Norfolk Relay Experiences [2013]
Stage 7 â Running from Mundesley to Lessingham
This was the second year I had taken part in the Round Norfolk Relay and I was delighted to have another chance. There are 17 stages in the race, each of which is a different length with differing terrain. Stage 7 was 9.3 miles on lovely country roads through a part of Norfolk I had never been, but would definitely revisit.
The RNR is a race like no other, you are asked to estimate your time beforehand and that is used to calculate how long the team will take in total and advise everyone of when they need to be at their stage ready to start. Unlike a normal race when the only person youâre competing against is yourself, this time other people are depending on you being where you said you would in round about the time you said youâd be thereâŚthatâs where the fun comes in and running becomes a team sport.
One of the best things about a club like Bungay Black Dogs is how inclusive it is, our team was made up of people who wanted to run, it was not hand picked, like some clubs, based on the runners speed. Some clubs enter this race to win, we enter to take part, enjoy the experience and do the best we can. Given all that you still canât help feeling nervous as you want to do your best for the team. So there I was hopping around in Mundesley and waiting anxiously to receive the baton and get going, when round the corner came the welcome sight of a red shirt with a leaping back dog, and before I knew it Graham Sampson had handed me the yellow baton and I was off!
I can honestly say I loved it, the route itself was great and I saw only 2 other runners, one who over took me after about a mile or so and one who I managed to overtake half way through. As they passed we all wished each other luck, there is real camaraderie in this type of race. I had excellent support from Jan Brown who chatted away keeping my mind off the miles, while I just grunted in response! Jan was brilliant and when I finished in Lessingham, handing the mantle over to Nigel Gilham, she carried on and cycled with him too
Although I was pleased my run was over I still wanted to be a part of things, I was cycling later that night so would get a chance to repay the support I had been given, but we still chose to drive the long way home which meant we could follow stage 8 and squawk out the window good luck to all the runners that we passed, I think they liked it!
Stage 11 â Cycling from Bungay to Scole
The first year I joined BBDRC I was asked to help out at the change over for the Round Norfolk Relay, I had no idea what the race was about or what to expect but given it was just at the bottom of my road it seemed rude not to. I was on pointing duty from about 10pm, making sure people got safely past the chickens on the roundabout and on the road to Scole, and I loved it. The sight of nearly 50 runners and their neon cyclists appearing out of the dark over the next few hours and cheerfully heading off to run 14 and a half miles through the night was inspiring and made me feel glad I had left my sofa for the evening. As I waved them off I knew I wanted to be part of it and so the next year I ran from Horsey to Great Yarmouth (stage 9) and then came home to point people on their way once more!
This year however I got a bit braver, I offered to be a support cyclist and was given stage 11 Bungay to Scole, this year it would be me appearing out of the dark in all my neon glory! Well and Chris Chorley of course who had the real job of actually doing the running!! I have to admit I was very nervous leading up to it, the A143 is a fairly busy road and I am a cyclist more suited to riding on the pavement. I neednât have worried, as soon as we hit the road our support mini bus appeared out of the darkness and purred along behind us with their headlights guiding the way. My job was to support Chris, provide him with drinks and snacks as required and talk his ears off (I added that last bit on). Coming up one hill I was so slow that the bus had to over take me, but that was due to an issue with the gears, mainly that I didnât know how to work them⌠Chris, however, was a running machine, consistent and steady, despite my constant chat, and even more impressive given that he and Bobbie had been up since 5am timing the race from the very start. He finished his stage in an impressive 1 hour 45 minutes, handing the baton on to James Maycock, and then hopped in the car to meet the team at the next stage and carry on timing the event, his part in the race would not be over until later on Sunday morning when the final runner arrived back at Kingâs Lynn. As for me, well I drove back home down the A143 marvelling at the sight of the blinking lights of the minibuses crawling along the road protecting their team mates as they ran through the cold night and I felt proud to have been a part of it.
I really thought I might be able to fly, for one split second when I saw the gate and I sized it up. I was gaining on it fast and was in full flow, the blood was pumping, adrenaline surging through my body. I was ticking along, surging forward through the wind and the rain with ease and I felt so confident. I decided not to slow down and waste valuable seconds loosing my rhythm opening the gate, no I would vault it, I used to jump 5 foot gates all the time when I was a lad, no problem, yep, here I go, this is the RNR and I have to deliver the baton.
The Round Norfolk Relay is an exceptional race. It is one of East Angliaâs most unique events and it always brings a challenge to any runner or supporter who decides to get involved. It always gets me excited and I want to push myself every year for the team. I was running stage 2, 14 miles along the coastal footpath from Hunstanton to Burnham Overy. The stage has a small stretch on the road, but mostly it was run on grass, mud, boardwalks and sand. I had done a recce of the course, which was a good idea because it has a lot of twists and turns, I was ready to just run, enjoy the atmosphere and push myself hard in what would be my first competitive off road race.
So back to the gate, I had just helped two runners who were looking lost, I had re-assured them that they were going in the right direction, and had re-assured myself that with all this knowledge, planning and athleticism, vaulting a gate would be a breeze, a momentary obstacle on my way to the finish. No. Before my brain could even catch up with this monumental bad choice I was landing on the ground with a painful, loud slappy mud thud right on my hip, in front of a bunch of spectators and team support cyclists. I let out a surprised and embarrassed howl that silenced the initial laughter from the on lookers who are collecting their ÂŁ250 from Youâve Been Framed as I write this. The reason they laughed was not out of cruelty but simply because it must have looked hilarious watching a complete pillock failing spectacularly to vault a gate. Ever see that episode of Only Fools and Horses when he falls through the bar? That is how I felt after. I tried to act very cool and like nothing hurt, especially when running alongside my cyclist Leigh who saw it and very kindly said nothing more than âare you ok?â
One moment of mad over ambitiousness that I will never forget. I learnt a big lesson about off road racing, your legs donât do what you want them to do after running for a while and obstacles have to be sized up a long way in advance to avoid tripping and tumbling your way to the finish, or worse not finishing at all.
I finished in 1h 35.07 which was 9th on my stage. A total of 14.38 miles, slightly over length possibly due to a last minute route change before âthat gateâ. A brisk wind on the nose and some very tricky paths were around every corner to keep you focused, but the baron open landscape was so beautiful to run through especially when you were totally on your own.
Another year over and another great team result, well done everyone who ran and helped, I canât wait to hear all of the stories.
Graham Sampson said his experience could be summed up in three words -
If you've ever tried to run the prom at Cromer, then up the zig zag at the eastern end then up Happy Valley and finally up the bank beneath Cromer lighthouse you would appreciate that!!!!!!!! I went with him cos he hadn't had any time to recce his route (being the final Friday afternoon substitute) and when we got to Cromer golf club he
chucked his hat at me. I think he meant it - ho, ho, ho!
