On Bank Holiday Monday 27th August I found myself adjudicating and therefore running the Canterbury Half Marathon.
For some reason I could not remember which course this was but on arriving and looking at the paperwork and the course plan I realised it was the half which ran out on the lanes to Petham and Waltham goes over the Pilgrims Way (Chartham Downs Road) dropping down and up to Petham where the course does a loop out round to Waltham before returning to Petham. Then at 10 / 11 miles it goes up, up over the Pilgrims way again. Once over this hill it is then a more or less cruise downhill for the last two miles to an uphill finish. It is a lovely run but certainly not flat and one of those courses where you seem to be mostly running uphill.
I thought for a while that I was going to be the only Harrier there but Dominic Taylor-Langley appeared and said he thought this half would be good training for the Great North Run. At the start Dom was away and although I could see him in the distance I didn’t really make any ground on him for the whole way round. That was until that hill at 11 miles where I passed him. He then overtook me again as we started the descent to the finish. I think he then remembered that he would have a report to write if he beat me home so eased off and let me go past again. I cruised on down to the finish thinking all the time he would come past me again but he never did hence the reason I have had to write this report. Apologies it is rather belated.
Winner:- Christopher Greenwood Kent AC V40 1:11:51
First Lady:- 12th AO Amy Clements Kent AC F35 1:22:51
76th Mark Taylor TWH V65 1:42:29 (2nd V65, 3rd V60)
79th Dominic Taylor-Langley 1:42:43
There were 486 finishers.
Mark Taylor