Bay To Bay

 The Bay to Bay Festival of Running is an annual event hosted by the Terrigal Trotters, which was back for 2021 after a coronavirus hiatus for 2020. The festival consists of a half marathon, a 12(ish)km race and a 5K run (there is usually a kids' run but the coronavirus constrictions meant that this could not happen in 2021).

All the runs finish in Gosford stadium with both of the longer events starting down on the waterfront in WoyWoy (hence the name "Bay To Bay"!). I was in two minds about taking part as I felt exhausted after work and a bridge match on the Saturday, but after a sleep at my rellies' house in Koolewong, I decided to run down to the start line and give it a go. It was rather windy and wet, which meant it was all about getting the job done rather than about trying to record fast times.

The "elite" men set off first, and soon afterwards (with a rather disorganised "Ready....Go") we ladies were off. I was definitely not ready for the start as I had expected some notice and at least a countdown, but luckily there were not many of us, so it did not take long to wake up and then settle into the run (avoiding some decent puddles, kerbs and bollards in the first hundred metres or so).

The "slightly convoluted" HM route

The problem with having such a small field and separating the men and women meant that there was really noone to run with. I could see a group of 3 ladies running together up ahead of me, working together into the wind though getting some shelter from the lead bike, but I was all alone in No Man's Land as I knew that I could not run their speed, but I'd dropped all the other ladies. Some of the Trotter men might have been running my speed, but as they'd set of before me, this was of no real comfort to me :-( 

One of the weird things about the half marathon is that you set off from WoyWoy in what seems to be the completely wrong direction, ie heading away from Gosford. After a short while you find yourself practically crossing the startline of WoyWoy parkrun, and running the whole out and back course (initially along the shoreline cycle track and then across a grassy stretch liberally strewn with tree roots and puddles).

We actually turned at the parkrun turnaround, so it was nice to see the lead runners flying past as I was still heading out, and be able to cheer on (well, gasp out some encouragement anyway) the Trotter boys.  I was still running solo as I started to head back towards the start line, but by now there were many other runners heading out, due to the nature of the wave starts, and so I got to see several familiar faces. Somehow I managed to reel in and pass Mark LJ (who I'd run with at Canberra). This did surprise me slightly as I knew he had pace over the HM distance but had just faded at the end of the marathon. 

The parkrun cycle path on a nicer morning!!

Not long after that I realised that I was also closing up on Al (who'd had a great run to smash the 3 hour mark at Canberra), but I didn't want to go all out to catch and run with him, as I thought that I'd then blow myself to pieces. It was nice to run back through the start area as there was quite a lot of support due to the 12K runners gathering before their race. I tried to raise a smile rather than a grimace as the race start announcer warned Al to get moving as "she's coming to get you"!!

I caught him just before the 10K mark and expected him to then come with me, as although he had started ahead of me, I passed through that marker faster than I'd run both the Sydney 10K and our last club 10K time trial and Al is way quicker than me over short distances. I must have been running better than I felt as I soon opened up a gap much to my surprise (and slight worry as I thought that really meant that me blowing up was more or less a certainty for later).

It was a slightly less pleasant course now as the cycle path snaked alongside the main road and there was not really much shelter from the weather. Encouragement from the friendly Trotter marshals helped as I ran up and down the small inclines on the road, and I could see the lady in front of me getting slightly closer (albeit ever so slowly so).

We left the road, ducked under the railway line and were then back on a winding waterside path taking us ever closer to Gosford. A couple of good friends were marshalling along this stretch and they tried to encourage me to keep chasing the girl down, and although she had better flat speed than me, every time there was a slight slope to run up, I 'd make inroads into her lead.

In order to make up the distance (it was a proper certified half marathon course) we had to run a circuitous route round one of the parks but luckily there were many marshals keeping us right as to the course as we had to keep our wits about us due to the roughness of the running surface and a couple of obstacles en route that had to be avoided, and had little brain power to spare for finding the way.

Coming down off the bridge into Gosford

Some tight corners and a little bridge took us back to the main road and we were guided across a slip road and up onto the bridge that would take us into town. I might have felt like I was almost "done" but I also almost caught the girl in front due to having to run up that bridge! As we ran down the other side of the bridge I was gutted nit to be doing the 12K race as they would be directed off the bridge, underneath it and into the stadium, whereas we half marathoners had to run along the foreshore away from the stadium to make up some extra distance before turning round and running back towards it.

As you turned and ran back towards the finish, you knew you were in the homewards stretch and so should have been able to pick up the pace and "go for home". Unfortunately I had nothing left and was just praying that I'd make it in one piece.

For some reason I had thought that the final lap of the stadium would be on a track and so the grass caught me completely unawares. The lady in front had had more left in her legs at the end and so had managed to open up a wee gap again, but I was very happy to cross the line in 4th place (1st vet) way faster than I thought I could run, and indeed my time was faster than previous winning times!

With Al, Mark LJ and Charlie at the finish

It was lovely to catch up with so many people at the end and cheer as many in as possible (before we were moved along, as Covid rules prohibited hanging around). Mind you, the weather wasn't exactly conducive to hanging around much so I grabbed some food and then jogged back along part of the course so my rellies' house, stopping to chat to and thank all the marshals that I saw en route (and dodge/cheer on all the oncoming runners!). That evening's beer with my fellow Trotters were very welcome (especially as I'd actually had my second Covid vaccine between the race and the celebrations)!!