Race date: Monday 22nd June 2015

269 finishers, 33 juniors, 13 Striders and loads of PBs.

Race was won by Nick Barber in 25:50 and Sarah Mccormack the first lady home in 26:13.

Nothing more for me to write, over to James Norton.

…an eventful Trunce no.5: with Natalie away treating our son to a third of the Pennine Way I was relying on babysitting from Grandma but had reassured her that we’d be back as soon as possible and wouldn’t wait for all the team to finish as per usual… …I’d also worried that this would be a bit short for my budding marathon-training-on-fours-days-a-week-schedule…
…this was before Lizzie Peake and I spent an hour in traffic in town watching the ETA on the sat nav approach and then click past 7pm…

We finally pulled / hurtled in at about five past, quick strip off, numbers on (luckily pre-fashioned by me) and across the field (quick pre run wee in a bush first… …there’s always time for a pre run wee) and off.

Charge up the hill past flying juniors and catch up with Lizzie (who wasn’t slowed by the wee in a bush situation). Lungs burning reach the first decent at the same time as the front runners are coming up. Lots of apologies from us, good to see so many Striders charging up that hill (albeit confused to see us coming down) apologising and skipping out the way all the way down. Across the river and on the road, flying past others going the other way… …and of course promptly miss the turn by about half mile!!!

Then back on course but now definitely looking at coming home last so enjoy a lovely run in the country… …but being hyper competitive sorts we push and push and just for good measure push each other a bit more…

Up down and up again, back on the road the right direction this time and then across the river the last time and Lizzie flys up the hill dragging me up too. Near the top the watch shows 3.9miles and 33 minutes ie on any other day without a late start and nearly mile diversion a PB by miles…

We crest the hill and we see him… …he may be in his sixties.. he may have a bandage round his leg but… We are NOT going to be last!!! 🙂

We overtake and are down the farm track; all the way down Lizzie is telling me not to hold back for her and to sprint on if I want… …from my wheezing stumbling perspective this is a surreal concept as she drags me on leading at the bridge by a healthy margin as I make an ultimately futile attempt to re pin my dangling number mid run.

Just enough left to sprint to catch up; like the gentleman I am I of course hold back and allow LP to finish first as I’d promised earlier 😉

Lots of great banter and chats with the marshals and exchanges of stories of lateness etc. Home in time to relieve grandma from babysitting duties on time.

4.7 miles 40 minutes a perfectly timed ‘tempo’ workout; couldn’t have planned it better.