UKC

As thread title - what was your first race? Was it good? Bad? Indifferent? How long was it after you'd started running?

N.B. no 'egg and spoon race at school' responses please!

In reply to Tall Clare: spoilsport

In reply to Tall Clare:

As a senior: Either the inaugural Coniston Fell Race or the Fairfield horseshoe. Hard to say how long after I started running as it's so long ago and I'd been running on the fells off and on for most of my life.

ALC

In reply to Tall Clare:

Midsummer Munro, Box Hill in Surrey.

It's a yearly trail half marathon that takes in vertical equal to that of a munro (isn't it 3,000 feet)?

I did it about 3 years ago and enjoyed it immensley (surprising myself with a decent time of just over 2 hours) and it got me into trail running which has led to marathons and ultra marathons, and more importantly, just running in the mountains for fun.

I'd been running maybe for 6 months before - and I chose it purely as a goal to keep me training.

Surrey might not seem like a haven for mountain running, but Box Hill is very steep and the surrounding North Downs have lots of trails so its the best thing we Londoners have on our doorstep. There's even a yearly fell race there as part of the main fell running calendar (I did that once too - good fun).

In reply to Tall Clare: My first ever race after I left school (many years after) was the first ever Peoples Marathon, it was held at Solihull just outside Birmingham and I ran 3.33 on very little training, my second within the year was the first London Marathon which I did in just under 3 hours (though officially 3.01). I then took up running seriously for a while

In reply to Tall Clare:
I'd run a few "fun runs" when I was a kid, but the first "proper" race was the Great North Run a few years back. I got the place in the Jan and the race was in Sept so had a few months to train. The only problem was the training knackered my knee and I ended up having keyhole surgery 6 weeks before the race. A decent knee support and I completed it in 1.54.

GNR is a great run, mainly because of the support from the cheering crowds en-route. The downside is it is so so busy - you have to be at the start line a good while before the gun goes off.

I've run a half marathon or two every year since my first GNR including the Great Birmingham Run last week end. I mainly enter them because it gives me a reason to train to/stops me getting too fat!

In reply to Tall Clare:

My first race would have been a 5k as a 10 year old, I remember being dead keen and enjoying myself.

My first race as a member of a club, which I suppose is a good indication of me taking running a little more seriously, was a fell race. It hurt, a lot, but I enjoyed it. I have run about 50 races since then, they have all hurt a lot.

In reply to Tall Clare:

1st - Dumfries Half Marathon - did it as a challenge to show that "anyone can run", was me and about 40 "club runners" sos I bumbled about on my own at the rear end, finished 6th last !
2nd - Dunfermline Half Marathon - a bit busier, lots of "fun runners" like me, more fun
3rd - Dunfermline Half Marathon - the following year, had actually trained for this one so was a bit more enjoyable
4th - Edinburgh Marathon - thought if I could do a Half then a full marathon would be easy, biy was I wrong, torture

The Edinburgh run was in 2003, have not run since and have only begun to recover.

Good luck

In reply to Tall Clare:

It was the Sport Aid "Race for Life" in 1986. Did bugger all training for it(I was 14 though) and spewed up on the finish line from the effort. Still really enjoyed the day and have never eaten a Lucozade dextrose tablet since!
I used to run loads as kid though so just was part of my life then. Think it's stood me in good stead as I find running nowadays still pretty easy and fitness returns quickly even after months of layoffs.

In reply to Tall Clare:

Totley Moor fell race. 37th Place in 39:11.

I'd not really run before, got into it massively after this. Not looked back since then.

In reply to The New NickB:

To full answer your question, it was about 2 months after I started running with the club, I had a little bit of a running base before that, but was pretty unfit and a good stone heavier than I would have liked, when I joined the club.

In reply to Tall Clare:
Otterburn stages in a Mk2 escort. We didn't win, we didn't lose and we didn't crash.

In reply to Tall Clare: My first running race was the Leeds Abbey Dash 2007. I'd been running sporadically for a few months before, though not with any consistency. It was ok, but having no idea how to race, I struggled at 7k, and then was fine after about 8k. I think the next time I raced was a year later at the Abbey Dash 2008, again on rather sporadic training.

Have you come across Huddersfield Park Run btw?

In reply to Tall Clare: I did the Kinnoul Hill Race which is a '4 mile dash' over Kinnoul Hill in Perth. I did run/walk/run up the steep bit (after knackering myself by starting out way too fast!) and then tanked it down the downhill. The down hill was so much fun! There was a sharp bend in the forest track at one point and I was going so fast that I nearly didn't make the corner and would have gone flying into the trees instead (the hill is wooded)

Can't remember my time (but it was rubbish as usual) but I remember feeling really chuffed as I hadn't come last

In reply to Tall Clare:

I remember you saying a month or two back that you didn't fancy the competitive side of running, have you got the urge to test yourself against others?

Park runs are a good starting point, if nothing else, you know you will beat lots of people.

In reply to Liam M:

I have indeed - I'm about to leave Huddersfield, though, and Skipton doesn't seem to have one. Bah!

In reply to The New NickB:

My very slow progression into running does seem to be working, if only from a non-hurty-knees point of view, and as being 35 has thus far involved quite a few other significant achievements, I'm toying with the idea of something grand before my 36th birthday (which is at the start of April).

Mostly just interested in how others started, though.

In reply to Tall Clare:

No, but Bratfud does in Lister Park, so you can be there in half an hour from Embsay. I take my 9 year old down about once a month. They're also considering one on Otley Chevin apparently.

And of course don't forget:

http://www.skiptonsantafunrun.com/

In reply to Tall Clare:

Bradford and Leeds do though. I've done Leeds a couple of times (it's in Hyde Park). There's a WIDE range of finishing times, you won't be last if you're worried about that!

In reply to Tall Clare:

Representing my school in the mile race at the Yorkshire Schools Championships around 1970. Some uppity tw*t called Coe won.

After school, the Edale Skyline around 1975. I finished!

In reply to Tall Clare:

On reflection my first proper race was the LAMM in 2008. I was 36 so definiately the best age to get involved

Go on you know it makes sense... ;O)

Probably 'I ran the world' in about 1985? Bits and pieces up to first half marathon 2000. Current incarnation, Kinder Downfall 2008.

In reply to Tall Clare: West Highland Way race.. as a bet for a £5... told a mate I could run the WHW in 2 days, then found out about the race..

Died at 80 miles and DNF'd.. but that got me into running.

In reply to Tall Clare: first run and so far only competitve run i've done is 9 edges. i entered and then started training (read as started running). was pretty fun but i'm not sure if i'll do another run, it did kill me a bit, but a lot less than i expected.

In reply to Tall Clare:

Coniston 14 the day of the Hillsborough disaster, so '89. Mind you I've a training log going back to 1971 (in the wake of the Edinburgh C'wealth Games where Lachie Stewart took gold in the 10k - he lived locally and kids would shout at me 'Hey mister, are you Lachie Stewart?' and I'd tell them 'No, I'm Lachie stamina') but I wasn't much into racing.

In reply to Tall Clare:

The 2005 LAMM on Mull.

Excellent - we finished 20th in our class (have never done as well since)


After? It was the spur to starting running properly.

In reply to Steve John B:

There are loads in the area - Bradford, Leeds (Hyde Park), Roundhay, Pontefract, Hudds and if it ever gets the go ahead the Chevin. No lack of 5ks on a Saturday morning in West Yorks. I think they're up to almost 100 Park Runs in the country at the moment (and a couple overseas I believe). Though this is detracting from the thread.

In reply to Tall Clare:

A road marathon, about a year and a half after I started running. Really enjoyed it, couldn't wait to do it again.

If I were to do over the 'just starting racing' time, the one thing I'd do differently would be to train more. I did train, and I thought I was training enough, but looking back on it now I can tell that I had no clue what I was doing, I wasn't training enough, and it was probably only because I was young that I didn't get injured.

In reply to Tall Clare:

Was running regularly for ages before finally doing the Snowdonia Marathon in 2007 which was my first "proper" race.

Ran 3:33 then things got worse before they got better from the same event in 2009 onwards.

Got a real buzz from that event though and really enjoy testing myself from time to time - gives me goals to aim for.

In reply to Tall Clare:

Prolly a Scouts cross country in Spenborough.

I was about 11 and recall blowing out my arse, getting that nice coppery blood taste in my mouth, freezing my hamptons off on the start line and crawling in around 20th, aqll while wearing a pair of Action Man pumps from the John Street Market.

After that, an inter force Cross country in Durham while in the Police. got a top ten place, but then again, I was 18 and spent the last 3 monmths doing PT every day

In reply to Tall Clare: i threw myself in at the deep end and my first race was the Ben Nevis race...was meant to run it with a friend just for the "craic" but he had other commitments so i ended up doing it anyway and didn t do too badly for an old git! So if i can do it then almost anyone can do it!

In reply to Tall Clare:

parkrun, as a yardstick for getting me going on my OMM training. The great thing about those is because they happen every week, you have little mini races with the same group of people (and your stats) every week. The downside is that because you get to know the course so well, I end up fretting that I'm feeling worse than last week, or getting pissed off that I felt better than last week but finished slower. The answer probably lies in going too fast and too slowly respectively!

When I started I did a whole series of PBs on the trot, then settled down. I then had some time away to go running with luggage, and was mightily pleased to do another parkrun and post a new PB.

All very satisfying.

In reply to Tall Clare:
As an adult - I ran a leg of the Edinburgh marathon relay - which was good fun but didn't totally feel like a race. So I'm going to say a little 5km round Arthur's Seat (this was the moment I made the distressing discovery that female runners over 35 go in the Veteran class )
It was OK - quite hard work going up the hill - but I enjoy that.
At least a couple of years but I'd just been running on and off with very little structure. It can't have been long after I met the bloke and got into training properly.

I expect to see you on the start line of the WHW race next year, as per IainR - that's insane!

In reply to Tall Clare:

First proper race was last years kendal winter league. Think the first race was Scout scar,kendal

It was excellent , realised that just because someone is older,fatter,female etc doesn't mean they wont spank you at fell running.

Have run on and off most of my life but never consistently or raced until last year.

In reply to Tall Clare:

One of the "Bunny Runs" on some moorland up above Bingley and Harden (as they were back then).

I don't think I've ever bettered that pace on any race!.

That was probably a decade after I started running regularly.

PP.

In reply to PontiusPirate: It used to be brilliant up there, til the pub asked for some ludicrous amount of money on top of the extra trade they got.

Didn't that pub feature in some BNP bloke's prosecution for inciting racial hatred?

In reply to Tall Clare:

I did a 10k somewhere in London just before I turned 30 (it was my pre-30 challenge to myself). It was fine, but slow. But all my 'races' are slow - I've learnt to accept, that I race to set myself a target to train, not to compete. I've done the Manchester 10k since - which was actually a great race, but I was completely unfit (it was about a month after my 'base jumping' incident at Staden Quarry). I enjoyed the atmosphere. I've done 3 sprint triathlons.

For me it's all about the atmosphere and challenge. I always aim for a PB and have targets (Admittedly such pathetic targets I wont share here) - but it's definitely not about beating anyone else. Definitely a good way to keep yourself motivated when training - particularly if you hate running (like me). Glad you're getting into running, he'll have you triathling before you know it!!

In reply to Tall Clare:

It was actually the Screes Fell Race in Nether Wasdale this year... as in 5 days ago. It was good. I mean, the climb up to Whinfell was absolute misery and there were moments I was thinking "Why the hell do I do this to myself?!", and I only came in about 70th out of 74... but from the summit of Whinfell back to the Screes Inn was magic!
I've been fell running for about 4 weeks. I use to do a bit on roads but never anything competitive so it was an absolute first for me. I loved it.

Dunnerdale in a couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to that one too.

In reply to Tall Clare:

Bolsover 10 km road race, ideal as its fairly flat & seem to remember on the last Sunday before Xmas.

Lots of different folk taking part so easy to blend in as a first race.

The next was the Dovedale dash, lots of fun with a river crossing, well worth the effort.