This was my first ever race in Ramadhan that took place on 20th May 2018 and had registered for this at the beginning of April, thinking that, the race should be not that difficult. Now, not have done any running in Ramadhan before, I wasn’t really sure how to go about with fluid intake or any energy levels that I would have on the race day. Up until a few days before, I was thinking of not taking part, and happy to part with my registration fee, to assist with the charity.
A few days before the race, I decided to do a slow run totalling just over 10K, and I was delighted to see, that I was able to cope with the rest of the day, and not fall apart. So, keeping this in mind, I decided, that I would definitely take part, and see how I got on.
As per usual, I try to get to the race an hour early, ensuring that traffic and any queues for registration don’t give me any problems. After collecting my number, and pinning that to my shirt, we started to hang around the various tents with fellow Striders and C25K members. We were called to the start line approx 5 mins before the start time, which was delayed by approx 5 mins.
I started off pretty casually and decided that I would go at a reasonable, but chatty pace, so that I would not overwork myself. After a few kilometres, we were able to see markers for the second lap and was very upsetting, that we had to come all the way back around again. After about 4k, there was a water station, and as I was fasting, decided not to take it, this I regretted, as the temperature was quite high, and I needed a way to cool myself down. So I had to keep going, at a steady pace. On the second lap at a similar point (approx 7km), I decided to take the water bottle, and use it to cool myself down. I am glad I did that, as it helped with my overall performance.
Another annoying point of the course was that, as you approach the smaller lake close to the finish line, you assume that you’re about to end, but what you don’t realise is that you have to go around the small lake, and back through between the 2 lakes into the finish.
Overall, I managed to finish my race in a good time of 53:29, only 46 seconds off my 10K PB. Considering I didn’t push in this race and didn’t go flat out, I was really chuffed with this. I know now, that I can beat my 10K time in my next race at Dronfield on 1st July when I should be able to push a lot harder
Strava Activity:
https://www.strava.com/activities/1583686091
Official Result Below:
http://www.sportstimingsolutions.co.uk/rcd.php?id=246&bib=3
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