Hi all,
My first race report so hoping this is sent to the appropriate group!
I ran the Suffolk Coastal Path 50km race on Saturday. A fantastic trail race and one I would recommend to anyone looking for a testing but flat 50km.
This is a point to point race meaning I was on a coach from the finish to the start at 06:30. The sun was just rising above the sea without a cloud in the sky at this point which made for a memorable start to the day.
The event was very well organised with 4 coaches comfortably taking runners to Lowestoft where we were greeted with a clinical registration and bag drop. The start was perfectly on time and enough facilities to handle the pre start surge!
The race started in a beachside garden and within a few kilometres we were on a main road. The Race Director (very nice guy) had warned us that due to coastal erosion, this part is now “naff”. He also warned us not to talk to him about sand at the end – see next paragraph…
After an initial few kilometres of being on road, we then hit some beautiful trails. Some being fairly easy to handle (dirt track and well trodden ground) while others being more technical underfoot. At a few points in the race we came onto the sandy beach. At this point I thought it might be a few hundred metres at worst and then we will return to proper trail but I was wrong. The sand kept coming so I slowed up, took it easy and tried to not waste any energy during these sections. The views throughout the race got better with every KM, passing through farms, hamlets, villages and then hitting the more coastal track. The spectators were very supportive and the support crews at the well stocked aid stations knew exactly what to do – telling us what they had available, where to find it and what’s to come without asking. The stations were well positioned in the race too, with more concentration towards the end compared to the start. Very impressive!
The end is at Moot Hall in Aldeburgh and it was a very welcome sight. With ~5KM to go I thought I was looking strong in 3rd place with no one ahead or behind but coming through some sand dunes I spotted 2nd position meaning I had to put that little bit more effort in to give him a proper race. Fortunately I cross the line in 2nd with a time of 2:42:01 and a blister which had completely engulfed my big toe. Also to note, the race winner was ~30mins ahead of me which is surprisingly satisfying knowing I am so far off their racing credentials.
All in, a really well organised race around a fantastic route – kudos to the Race Director (Chris) for putting it together!