Kinver Action Heart Rotary 10K Race Report
by Sophie Johnson
View the 2010 Race Photos Here
What an adrenaline rush!
Sunday the 26th of September 2010, 10am, it’s a bit cloudy and rather chilly in the South Staffordshire village of Kinver, however, there is a great atmosphere and plenty of excitement as up to 400 runners gather to take on the challenge of the rather hilly but beautifully scenic Kinver Rotary 10K!
Action Heart & Organisation of Facilities on site
Action Heart are the charity behind the Kinver 10K and upon arriving I was impressed to see that the area was well marshalled with plenty of people around to direct runners and spectators to the start line. We were also kindly informed by the marshals of the best places to take photographs of the race, this ensuring Ross could get some top shots of me crossing the finish line! At 9:00am (an hour before the race started) hot sandwiches and drinks were available next to the conveniently located finish line, just a couple of minutes walk away from the main car park and toilet facilities – the spectators were going to be more than comfortable!
The Runners
A number of local running clubs turned up to take part but there were equally as many lone runners (like myself) who were competing purely for the challenge and for fun. Lots of Kinver’s locals were running too, many of whom had completed the race a number of times in previous years. The age of the runners varied dramatically and there were a fair few families, father/son and mother/daughter groups taking part – all adding to the friendliness of the race.
And they're off!
The Route
The start line of the Kinver 10K was just metres away from the finish line, located on the very edge of the village so that within half a mile we hit beautiful countryside and began to embark upon the long winding paths towards the rather daunting ‘sheepwalks’. I had practiced the hills on previous training sessions so knew what I was in for, taking it slow and steady uphill one, fully aware that when having reached a flat, hill two was just around the corner! There were clear markers every 2 kilometres around the course which were both useful and encouraging to keep you going (The 8K marker more so than the 2K!) On every corner marshals were set up to direct you and cheer you on and at the 5K point cups of water were handed to you as you ran past meaning you could quickly rehydrate without stopping or really having to slow down. The final mile which took you back into the village was the most invigorating with locals coming out of their houses to cheer you on, assuring you that the end was in sight. The final half mile led runners downhill to the finish line and allowed me to really pick up my speed and embark upon a sprint finish.
Crossing the Finish Line
Action Heart had set up a huge inflatable arch to run through at the finish with a large digital clock next to it, making it easy for all runners and spectators to clearly see the finish times of each individual runner. Marquees providing free water and free souvenir t-shirts for everyone taking part had also been erected. I crossed the finish line at 53 minutes and 40 seconds, my personal best!
Me crossing the finish line!
Conclusively, I think the Kinver 10K was very well organised and enjoyable to run. With a 2K family event set up for later on there was something for the kids too making it a great family event to get involved with. I will definitely be taking part next year!
My Garmin Statistics
See the following link for finishing line photos of the 2010 Action Heart 10k
Awesome
Hello Sophie,
That was really great moment. The above pics in which your are crossing the finish line,is really a nice pic.
Thanks Ashok! It was such a great feeling to cross that finish line!