Report By: Stuart Jones

Race Date: Sunday 5^th September 2021

Anglesey Half Marathon – a cautionary tale

Are you a ‘list person’? When you last moved house did you use one of those ‘who you should inform of your new address’ lists?

I moved and changed address at the back end of 2020. I thought the handy helpful lists were comprehensive, but I clearly didn’t think broadly enough about this – Rightmove only lists Utilities. The bbc says, unhelpfully, to make a list of everyone you need to inform, including ‘the milkman’. Which? magazine said it best, but I missed it: in ‘Leisure and family activity’ it said, ‘share your address with any other organisations that might contact you via mail.’

And that’s why my number for the Anglesey Half Marathon Ynys Mon did not arrive where I now live. Having applied for this race (which should have happened in March 2021) back in May 2020, and moving house some months later, I never thought about my registered address – until the final details arrived by email and my race number didn’t come in the post.

This meant having to get to the start even earlier than normal (by seven twenty) and handing over another £5:00 for a replacement number and chip.
I really didn’t mind, until the results started appearing online (within 10 minutes of the two-times winner – Martin Green of North Wales Road Runners, in 1:13:46 – crossing the line), then updating, but I could not find my result.

The first female was there – Anna Bracegirdle of Salford Harriers in 1:16:07 and 3^rd overall, as was the first in my new age category of V60 – Christopher Hugill in 1:42:26 and 67^th overall.
But no appearance on the results list for me. Never presumptuous but I did want to know if an extra Goodie Bag might be mine to claim for a category placing.
Strava, that infallible tool, has me completing the race in 1:44:29. I should be around 89^th finisher out of 347 runners.

I have photos (this one is on the sea wall, coming back through Beaumaris at about 9 miles, with my trade-mark sticky-out left elbow), I have mementos (an excellent t-shirt, a slate coaster, a packet of Jones Crisps), I have the sweat-drenched vest, but I did not have an official time or finish position.

Never mind the ‘if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen’ line. If you don’t tell all your favourite race organisation teams of house moves then this could be you. I await a manual correction of the results – the Aim High team will be sure to provide an update to include my result – but feeling like a fool / a ghost runner was unwelcome.

The race, by the way, is brilliant. I do not understand why so few ran it or why, this year, I was the only Steel City Strider out there. Join me in 2022, why don’t you?

The road closure, though not for the full course, includes this section at the start line, on Thomas Telford’s 200 year old Menai Bridge.
OMG!

Full results are available here.

Addendum:
As of the next morning, I am included!