"Nothing better than seeing a sea of red on the start line". Worcester 10K.
Roll up roll up, this is Championship Round #10, Worcester 10K. A brilliant turn out every year for a much loved event. Worcester is a beautiful place to be and the 10K always gets the excitement and adrenaline going!
Being relatively flat with some minor short inclines back into the town, the route takes you on a scenic tour of the old centre past all the old buildings and down the narrow streets before opening up for panoramic views of the river, Cathedral and racecourse beyond. This year, the first quarter weaved into the high street a bit more than last year creating the additional challenge of dodging some bollards mid-stride! Nice try ‘Events of the North’ but you didn’t catch us out…..
The race reports for this round come from Nicole Zorn and Sam Mills.
“Nothing better than seeing a sea of red on the start line.
You’ll have to forgive me for not knowing what championship race number this was. I’m only there to wear the red top with pride, for the love of a good race and a medal. Needless to say, it was a good turn out.
Being fairly new to CMRC, I still don’t know all of my fellow runners, but the red top gets plenty of encouragement from club members pushing you on and from members of the public shouting your name. I think we were all thankful it wasn’t as warm as the previous week, and so the dull and overcast day actually provided perfect conditions for race day.
Its not a bad course through the streets of Worcester City centre, it heads on down onto the river and through Diglis before burning glutes over the bridge and onto the home straight. I remember seeing the 800m mark thinking to put my foot down, then you remember you have to get up and over the bridge - so hold fire for a while, then its downhill sailing into the finish line. There’s always something special about racing through the streets of the city where you used to live.
A lot of PB’s, smiley faces and a whole lotta love at the end.
Personally, it was quite a tough race. Having missed a fair few weeks from my training block for Cardiff from Covid and flu, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped. But, an expected PB, the camaraderie of my club mates and cake afterward more than made up for it!!!
Worcester was my first 10K race ever back in 2021 and I remembered enjoying it immensely due to it being so flat. This time around, I think the Shropshire hills are growing on me. I was joining the chorus of ‘bit of a flat course isn’t it!’.
Roll on Cardiff…..”
Nicole Zorn.
“So, I was excited to be doing Worcester 10K again…. I ran it back in 2019 and it was my first proper road race ever having joined CMRC that year. It went OK, but I bombed in the mid section and just about picked myself up for the final 2K. I finished in 49:29. Very respectable and a huge achievement.
Since then I’ve done a few more races, mixed in a few other sports, had nearly 2 years of no running due to injury but come back stronger. I’ve finally had year of consistent training and despite some recent niggles and health issues, I was super excited to be at the Worcester 10K again!!
The CMRC people are just the best. There’s so much support and. encouragement. The event itself has an awesome atmosphere. It’s well run and considering its size - not stupidly expensive to enter. Having a finishers t-shirt and a proper medal is an added bonus.
The start is always the worst and in hindsight I should have gone further forward. Its a bit of a cattle pen and rather claustrophobic but starting a bit further back probably stopped me going out too hard! Managed to find a rhythm quite quickly, reminding myself to steadily build and not overcook it early on. I reached 5K and felt pretty comfortable. It was uplifting to hear the crowd cheering everyone on and the occasional person shouting your name. Such a good vibe. I managed to maintain my pace for the dreaded 5-7km mark where I usually drift off. At 7K I still felt surprisingly OK so I kept the pressure on as we approached Diglis bridge.
As we descended off Diglis bridge I thought I might as well see if I can go a bit faster, and I did! The last 1K the crowd was so noisy. It was madness on the new road bridge but I flew (complete with photographic evidence) round the last corner and managed a sprint to the finish line. I took a moment to catch my breath and do a body check, then just felt the overwhelming joy that I’d made it round in one piece and was proud with that. I then checked my watch and was doubly proud as I’d smashed my expectation and my PB.
I then went to find the CMRC crew, congratulating all the finishers, thanked supporters and enjoyed the finishers buzz. Its a good flat route for a PB and I wasn’t alone in improving my time. What a morning. What an event. Even better it didn’t rain and didn’t cook us! Hopefully I’ll be fit enough to have another crack next year and shave some more time off!”
Sam Mills.
Thank you Worcester City Runs for another super successful event. We had an unprecedented amount of PB’s this year and it really brought the club closer together! We have an amazing back of house team, run leaders, supporters, coaches and committee that keep this crazy train working so smoothly and as ever big thanks to you guys and lots of love always.
There are only a handful of Championship rounds left this season. Make sure you don’t miss them!
Next up is the hotly anticipated Cardiff Half Marathon, Sunday 1st October with what appears to be a record amount of CMRC runners entering. If you’re there why not give us a shout out, you won’t miss the sea of red….!
Good luck everyone and happy running folks!