Review by Nick Carter.
This is a race review of the Southampton half marathon, from our very own Nick Carter.
Grab yourself a coffee, and enjoy Nick trying to summarise his morning/day in a location he’d rather not be, running a distance he’d rather not run.
Southampton Half Marathon. Sunday, 7th April, 2024.
I’m going to attempt to review the Southampton Half Marathon without letting my dislike for the red quarter influence what I write.
I can’t explain exactly why I don’t feel the love for Southampton but when Mrs C and I completed the very first Great South Run in Southampton in 1981 (I think) we both agreed that we hadn’t enjoyed the experience.
It may have subliminally had something to do with following Jimmy Saville for 10 miles, but for some reason, the impact it made has lasted a lifetime.
I know that a fellow 545er and Gosport Road Runner has vowed never to return following his own scars but onto this year’s event.
First impressions and amenities
The initial booking was straightforward. The half marathon is pricey but that’s reflected in everything else at this time so it was booked as a joint ‘Birthday present’ no less! Great!
Communication pre race was good and were it not for the fact that I was trying to forget we had entered my preparation may have been better but come the day, I reckoned that having been required to race around Southampton many times as a Copper, I’d have no problem finding somewhere to park. That was the first mistake.
Access and parking
The city was completely closed down and diversions in place on every junction that took me further and further away from where I wanted to be. Spying an official looking chap with an armful of cones stood on a street corner, I thought that I would politely ask him where best to park but the sentence hadn’t even formed when he shouted… ‘ No. I haven’t got time for this. Move on.’
My fragile state of mind was offended and I may have told him so but I dumped the van and we walked the mile and a half to the Start via the High Street, confident that we could at least enjoy a pre race caffeine hit and use the facilities before getting on with the job in hand.
Well, an extra 5 to 7,000 people in the City for the morning and the only places open were Greggs and Starbucks who, in their wisdom had decided to close one of their two toilets as per their usual Sunday routine and despite a queue longer than that for Noah’s Ark, they weren’t for changing their minds.
The race village
So, having waited 20 minutes for Mrs C to wee, I was served water from their sink that they insisted was coffee! Leaving that behind and with my mood not being enhanced in the slightest, we made our way to the Race Village where folk seemed to know what they were doing at least. Lots of portaloos and massage tables. Plenty of charity and specialist stalls to part you from your money as you would expect and a PA system that allowed someone from the local gym to warm us all up… well, those who were in the mood anyway.
We met with Rachel and Dayle Morgan who were there to support their daughter Charli and her friend Abbi. The mood amongst the runners was convivial and we all took our places in the starting pen before the Marathon and Half Marathon races started together and on time.
During the race
Just over the starting mat and some local person of dubious intellect and intent decided to wheel his council hired pushbike across the road and through the runners who were very surprised to see him. Their vocal remonstrations fell on deaf ears and only made him smile more!
Half a mile later, we’re in the park when everything comes to a halt as several thousand runners attempt to negotiate an exit approximately 2 metres wide!
Eventually we’re away and as we experience Itchen Bridge for the first time, the gale force wind is behind us. Happy days.
Through Woolston, where there has been a lot of development and the residents from the swanky waterside apartments turned out in their numbers to lend their voices which, even early on was appreciated and we got to see the leaders of the race for the first time as they ran towards us.
Crowd support from local clubs
Back over Itchen Bridge and saw Busi who was doing the full Marathon (legend) and heard Stubbington Green’s Andy Simpson shouting abuse or support… I’m still not sure which. Thanks anyway, Andy.
There followed another 8 miles of what I can only describe as hills.
I thought I had the wrong race and was on the Isle of Wight for a while but the crowds were encouraging and kept us all going. Having run no further than 5 miles since straining a hamstring, I was only hoping to finish but, feeling okay I decided to maintain a pace that would keep me ahead of the 2hour 10 minute pacers. I reviewed that decision at the start of each new hill but surprised myself with my resilience and kept going.
At 13.1 miles, I still couldn’t see the Finish and resisted the urge to ‘sprint’ to the line as I couldn’t be bothered.
After the race
The race village adequately issued the medals, water, cakes and bananas which I accepted before starting the long walk to the van where I bumped into Mark and Martine McDonald fresh from his 10K and resplendent in his new ADP T shirt.
Mark’s experience of his morning did not reflect mine. He had enjoyed his 10K and had been complemented on his 545 club shorts (they do stand out). As Mark and Martine went to find a coffee (not Starbucks) as the coffee shops were now open, I found the van and returned to the race village in time to see Mrs C and Charli Morgan finish before sitting in a traffic jam for a further 30 minutes… to be expected I suppose.
Final thoughts
Overall:
- Easy registration.
- Good communication.
- Satisfactory marshalls but thank you to everyone who stood out there for us. (They’re not 545 marshalls!)
- Decent race village and medal.
- An ok course that takes in 3 bridges, two lakes and a football stadium. A coastal path and three parks with lots of pleasant spectators, live bands and a hundred hills.
Would I do it again? Absolutely not.
Would I recommend it? Bizarrely, yes.
I don’t want anyone to take my lack of preparation and planning and inexplicable loathing of Southampton as a reason not to give this a go.
Take that.
https://www.southamptonmarathon.co.uk
The photos found in this article were taken from the A545RC facebook group, snapped/shared by Rachel Morgan.
