As a few of you know, I do a
'bit of running' to supplement the cycling (there's been some weeks when I've run 40 miles, including 25+ cross-country)
So, bearing that in mind..............
Recently I was co-erced into entering a 'Santa-Dash' at Pontefract Racecourse (happened this morning) by a 'joint strike-force' of Amelia (my 8 year old), a classmate of hers, & Kath - one of our Hospital Matrons :doh:
I'll guess that you all know what a 'Santa Dash' is?, if not read the bumf on this link;
http://www.pwh.org.uk/events/santadashAnyway, back to the tale...........
Most of my friends (okay, I have the two!) & all of my family know I have a certain dislike (almost contempt) for the allegedly (& so called ) 'festive season', so I agreed -
but the costume had to be my own idea :-k
Which I'd had since the second that the 3 of them asked me to join......................................
However, if I couldn't source my original idea at a good price, there was a second option of a Wolverine costume
Then I could run as
Wait for it............
'Santa
Claws' :dance: :dance:
Anyway, I found a source for some of the required material
'Fabworks' in Dewsbury), & also an outlet for the other items............................
So, we arrived at Pontefract Racecourse at 10:00 this morning to see a plethora of red-suited beings, some with white beards :shock:
The men even had them as well
(even some Pooches too!)
On the whole, it was a rather amusing little event 8-[
I was slightly surprised at the numbers there, perhaps 160 - 170 entrants?
I arrived incognito, in Ron Hill running tights & Featherstone RC long-sleeve top, which, always gets a good reception from the Hospice volunteers (as the Club & its sponsoring shop both support the Hospice 'big time')
Once I'd checked in, & had a little run around in that kit to stretch/warm-up, it was time to get changed............
I attracted a bit of attention, after all, slipping off tight trousers & pulling on furry ones in open view is not something you see (or wish to?) everyday?!?
There seemed to be a 'photo-call' too, as a lot of people wanted a picture of the 'idiot in the furry trousers', especially once the mask was on
Mask ! ?, read on.................................
Once lined up for the start, I was placed well back (photo-calls :roll: ), and standing with Kath & Sue (our 2 Matrons)
To say it's not deemed a race, the front line rapidly disappeared - leaving me some chasing to do.
Quite surprisingly the trousers were't too bad to run in - I did envisage them falling around my ankles at some point, then me going full-length along the grass
I passed a heck of a lot of people all the way round - despite only having a combination of 'monocular/tunnel vision' (as the eye-holes in the mask were considerably at odds with the distance between my own eyes)
Bar the last 1/4 lap, the mask wasn't too bad to run in; in terms of breathing, but I wouldn't want to run a 10K in it
Once across the line, I'm sure it had steam coming out of the eye-holes :lol:
I think that I did manage to get up to about 10th - 15th place by the end - even though it's not a race (oh yeah!?!?)
(I reckon, but didn't time myself, on about 15 minutes for the circuit)
Click on pic to open/enlarge (5 images)
The photos continued after the event too, including someone who works at the Hospital, & took some for the (Hospital) staff magazine, & quite possibly the 'Pontefract & Castleford Express' too (there goes my reputation!!!, if I ever had one)
However, best of all, was making a couple of kids cry by looking at them, & asking if they'd been good or not; My day was complete!!! :dance: :clap: :dance:
Sadly.............. there were no
'Miss Saucy Clauses', possibly too cold for them??
(or not that I saw, or was told about - more likely
)
Apparantly there was a fair few 'honks' of horns from both the M62 (race-course runs alongside it for a while) & Park Road (A639; M62 to Pontefract town-centre)!!
I couldn't hear 'stuff all' in that mask, so can only go from what other runners were saying about it.
