Roger in the 1st mile [results below]

Plymouth Half Marathon - 10am 29th May '05
22nd Hugh Marsden 01:17:07 2nd V45
64th Anthony Yates 01:23:07
66th Roger Rowe 01:23:12 1st V55 & 60
125th Shaun Lock 01:27:43
293rd Hannah Dupain 01:33:45 10th Senior Lady
1,089th David Woodley 01:55:08

Cool, but humid day with little wind. Delayed start due to 'an incident' whatever that means. Very fast first 5 miles through the town and out over Laira Bridge into Saltram Park. The long drag from 5 to 6 is always tough -- it took me an extra minute to the pace. But once up the second hill at Elburton there is very fast downhill running back to the Plym and the turn into Cattedown. For some reason most find the Cattedown loop difficult. Odd really, not exactly hilly or particularly twisty, but chatting to the finishers at the end, most say they felt 'flat' in that 1.5 mile loop.

The last two miles in Plymouth are of course notorious, including the cobbles on the Barbican and the final climbs back up to the Hoe. As always most found maintaining any sort of pace very difficult. The Hoe Promenade comes as something of a relief after such a struggle, but with a 200 metre final straight much can happen there. I was overtaken by Anthony Yates after I thought I had left him for dead -- the hills again! Youth wins over experience (or is that age?)!

There were 2,183 finishers. Sorry Mary did not get Shaun and Dave during the race. Pot luck I'm afraid!

Roger R.