Steve Haywood Health & Fitness

Robert Quinn - Winner in 9:50

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team organise races on the Meadows in Edinburgh most weeks. The races usually range from 1 mile to 10km and consist of laps of the park along footpaths. So on June 24th 2009, Rob and I trundled down to the park, where everyone was playing tennis, to take part in a 2 mile race that was to take place at 7pm. The Meadows were teaming with people enjoying the sunshine after work.

There were just over fifty competitors waiting at the pavilion on Jawbone Walk. The organisers were taking payment and shepherding first timers like ourselves to the start. The Sri Chinmoy races are only £1.50 to enter and you pay on the night, so you can just rock up if you feel like it. There is one toilet and some changing rooms which are locked during the race.

Among the picnics and the rounders games, we took our place at the chalked-out start line. The first 200 metres, as always, were very fast before people found their rhythm and spread out. Dodging pedestrians and cyclists was a problem, but a small price to pay for joining such a competitive, straightforward and cheap race. Onlookers cheered the field on. The organisers shouted out lap times as we ran past the starting point for the initial mile and I was pleased at my pace – well under eight minutes and a big improvement on my usual ten minute mile. However, I could feel my strength waning and soon heard the stragglers catching me up, breathing down my neck over the second lap.

It was now clear that I was going to be last as I rounded the final corner before the home straight. Refusing to be downcast, I kept my sights on the last men just a few metres ahead of me and pulled out a short sprint finish to salvage what I could of my time. In the end I finished two miles in 16:04 which would average out at 8:02, but in reality I did a much faster first lap and slowed right down by the second. I had promised myself a negative split, but in the end adopted a slingshot tactic – allowing the fast pace of the initial half mile to carry me along with it.

I came last in the field of 52 runners, but wasn’t worried about that at all. My time was fine and gave me a starting point at which to pinpoint my future training. As it was, there were only three women who finished the race and I ended up with a lovely big gold medal for my efforts! Rob finished in 13:20 and got a feel for the tactical edge of running with one of the groups up front. The field was very competitive, with nearly everyone running under eight minute miles and the winner, Robert Quinn, coming home in just 9:50. Click here to see the race results. A wide range of clubs and unattached runners were represented and the juice and hobnobs “after-party” was very lively.

There’s a 5km race next Wednesday 1st July 2009, starting at 7pm. Just turn up a few minutes before with your £1.50.