It’s 7 years now since my first half marathon and my race calendar tends to have a familiar feel about it these days. So when the opportunity sprung up to run a local race I’d yet to complete, I decided to get involved.
Thank you to Marie, who lists the Kings Head Canter as her favourite race, taking her back to her local village where one of the marshals was an old flame from 20 years ago. Had Marie not alerted me to the lack of spaces in the build up I would have missed the chance to take part.
The route is a point to point, from Chiddingly to East Hoathly, thus creating the dilemma of where to park. We opted for the finish line and thank you to Kevin for getting us there and back safely, albeit with a bit of slipping and sliding on the back seats (more innocent that it sounds).
Luckily the Wealden Way path provides a short cut, reducing the distance between the villages from 5k, closer to 3km. A perfect opportunity to get in my pre race warm up jog in, nip for a cheeky wee in prickly bush and inevitably place my shiny white trainers into some cow shit.
The race organisation was excellent with Director Stuart Mills doing a grand job. This was the 25th staging of the Kings Head Canter and they welcomed back past winners with a complimentary entry which I though was a nice touch.
For £13 including a free pint glass and drink at the end, left me with the rare feeling I’d actually got value for money entering a competitive race. Even the race results were all printed out and on display before our pint glasses were empty.
I've just registered for the ONLY race that matters… The King's Head Canter 5k – bank holiday Monday, 26th Aug. Surely to God you'll join me… https://t.co/qeWxxu7GMx #PointToPint #GnashingFest #OutsprintedAgain pic.twitter.com/7xFjs6JtL3
— David Bradford (@DeeBeeFree) August 14, 2019
The route itself is quite a challenging one as kilometres 2 though 4 are uphill. The 10 mph wind was also against us, although others might claim I’m just making excuses. I’m good at making excuses when it comes to races (aren’t we all?).
Having flopped at Eastbourne parkrun on Saturday and done a 2 hour long run on Sunday I was breaking my own rules and clearly over exerting myself this weekend, but I promise you that doesn’t happen often. It did mean the legs were feeling a little fragile, so my expectations of running a fast time were not particularly high.
The route was a little congested at the start but we soon found space. I can’t really remember much of the course, but once you reach the final kilometre it’s a lovely downhill finish and the site of the line and large crowd spurred me to finish with a sprint.
I was pleased with my sub 21 minute time and this will definitely be a race I enter again. Well done for the rest of Team Orange who took part on Monday.
Marie couldn’t stop smiling as she caught up with old friends and ran another very good time. Jacqueline is back from a 4 week layoff and ran a strong race. She came in under her target of 30 minutes, even with her PB runner hoodie flapping around her waist as she narrowly avoided a camper van to dash across the finish line.
Sarah who just 8 days previously completed yet another marathon ran a very respectable race and took on the challenge I set her with willingness and determination.
Sue who had just come back from the annual trip to Belgium found the East Sussex hills less demanding to continue her recent improvement.
If you’ve yet to run the Kings Head Canter then I can highly recommend you enter next year. All the information is on their website, which I love, as it reminds me of how websites used to look when I first started creating them. Please don’t update it!
I’ll be at Battle on Sunday, hopefully better rested for the challenge that awaits there and I’ll post another race review on Monday.
Team Orange Gun Times
Simon Linklater: 20:58
Marie Crawford: 26:04
Jacqueline Scott: 29:36
Sarah Marzaioli: 30:44
Susan Mann: 34:18
