Standalone 10K

For the second year the first Sunday in October means the immensely popular and very local Standalone 10K. 1650 runners entered this year with 1340 completing the course which was run in near perfect conditions.

After a dreary Saturday which included a very damp late afternoon loosener I was relieved upon waking to discover the forecasts were right and I was greeted by a slightly chilly but sunny start.  Being grateful for the 9:30 start to allow a little warmth in the air (this may well be my last race of the year without binliner warmth on the start line) I got on my bike and rode the meagre mile to Standalone farm for the start of the run.

An enjoyable route took us through Norton and up towards Stotfold before a brief section on the coned off A507 and then the hardest part of the run up the Hitchin road (becomes the Stotfold road) for an approximately 2km steady climb before heading back downhill towards the farm entrance and then a grassy sprint to the finish line.

For my part I smashed last year's time by over 5 1/2 minutes to come in a respectable 114th in 41:37.

Next up, a trip to the Shires to revisit the Stroud Half Marathon.  The first Half Marathon I ever ran way back in 1990.