Well we did it! We successfully managed to hold the Gin Pit Half marathon with social distancing. There might only have been 25 runners who completed the course on the day with another 21 having completed the virtual version but we did it! Everyone seemed to enjoy the day and our new Covid way of running the event ran seamlessly to my relief. After all that has happened or not this year, I found it so heart-warming to be finally be able to put on the event for everyone who had entered and the lovely sunny weather was a welcome bonus.
I must thank my small but FANTASTIC team of helpers, Yuk-Lam, Abbey, Chris and Medic Vicki. I wonder how many half marathons are put on by only 5 people, this could be some kind of record! I must also thank all the runners for obviously having read my race brief, kindly social distancing and adhering to our new set of Covid-19 race rules. It looks like all the runners were still able to enjoy the new race event normal. I think a few were just pleased to be able to pin on a race number and step on to a start line of an event for the first time in many months. As always great support from my club Astley & Tyldesley Road Runners but also from GMRC who members were a credit to them.
Having the race start staggered to 6 runners every 5 minutes went well but meant I had to do some number crunching in the evening to finalise the runners’ times. Well done to Tim Campbell for winning the men’s race and Rachel Millard for taking the Ladies title. I will get your trophies to you both in the near future.
Now for the Gin Pit Double in two weeks’ time. Hopefully everything will go as smoothly. Just need to keep my fingers crossed that the increase in the UK’s Covid-19 cases doesn’t mean more government restrictions stopping us holding the event for a second time this year.
Stay safe, be kind and keep running,
Malc
View from Marsland Green Bridge in Astley
