Organised by Crowborough Runners, the Crowborough 10K and 5K returned in 2019 for a 33rd time, with Chip Timing provided by Nice Work.
For some unknown reason I’d never considered taking part before, and had heard that the route was quite tough; but have just moved house into Crowborough town and thought that it only seemed right to give the 5K a whirl. Mum is getting into running and was interested in joining too, and she only lives in the next town, so we signed up together. The entry fee was the cheapest yet at just £8 each – amazing! Our race numbers were sent through the post a week or so prior to the event, along with printed race information.
So on Sunday 24th November, mum drove to mine and we walked the 15minutes to the race HQ at Beacon Academy school. There was limited parking available on-site, but it seemed silly to drive! When we first walked into the grounds, there weren’t any signposts and we were confused as to where to go, so stopped and asked someone who pointed us in the direction of the sports hall. The hall was rammed and included an information desk, stalls selling sports clothing, gels etc; and toilets, changing, showers and baggage. We didn’t use any of the facilities and headed back out shortly afterwards to the start line, situating ourselves right at the back!
I was wearing Karrimor leggings, Primark sports bra and London Marathon ‘rejection’ jacket with black trainer socks and Brooks Glycerin 14 trainers, resulting in a super comfortable outfit. The weather was dry, mild and autumnal – perfect running conditions! I’d consumed a bowl of Rice Crispies cereal with a mug of Beanies coffee and felt good and ready to go.
The race started at 10am from within Beacon Academy school grounds. The 10K route was two laps of the 5K route, which followed the back lanes surrounding Crowborough and the East Sussex countryside. The course was brutal with some really steep hills – which just kept going! – and some muddy sections. I didn’t take my AirPods out of choice and stuck with mum the whole way, who is doing so well at running and managed to jog the majority of the course. We chatted and had a laugh and even saw people we knew! The event contained both experienced runners and beginners, and there was a lovely atmosphere.
We didn’t see a water station en route, but the finish line was surrounded by marshals and supporters all cheering us on, which was nice. Volunteers hung medals around our necks before we walked the 5-10minutes back to the Beacon Academy race HQ. From there we walked straight back to mine, but the race information advised that there would be refreshments for sale afterwards in the hall, along with post-race massages and taping.
Overall, we had a lovely morning and both enjoyed the run. The medal is a generic one with the event name engraved onto the back, but is still pretty and we were very pleased with the value for money. The event included St John Ambulance first aid, a sweep marshal; and the online results came through that same day. We both agreed that we would take part again, and I would recommend this event to others, too. 😊
NEXT UP: Movember MoRun Greenwich Park London 10K, Saturday 30 November 2019
Laura's footprints 