SuperRunners

stats of the week: run 31 km

Valencia proved to be a truly wonderful city, with its extensive green parks, impressive old town, palm-lined streets, striking modern architecture and a magnificent, seemingly endless beach.

The Valencia Half Marathon was every bit as impressive as the city itself. With 76 half marathons under my belt, I can confidently rank it among the very best I have ever taken part in. Almost 30,000 runners lined up at the start, yet the wide streets and exceptionally well-organised starting pens meant that the race never felt overcrowded. Everything ran like clockwork, and the sheer number of friendly, enthusiastic volunteers added to the fantastic atmosphere.

As planned, I accompanied C from the very start. The wide streets, good road surface and relatively spread-out field helped her feel safe running alongside me. During the short walking breaks, I stayed behind her to protect her from faster runners approaching from behind. As the temperature rose, I also made sure she drank enough water.

After 12 km, the walking breaks became both longer and more frequent, but we were still comfortably within the 2:45-hour time limit. With just 2 km to go, C decided to walk the rest of the way to the finish. As she still felt safe, I left her to continue at her own pace and ran the final stretch as fast as I could, crossing the line in 2:36.

I was allowed to wait for her just beyond the finish line and was absolutely delighted to welcome her a few minutes later with a heartfelt, emotional hug. One of the volunteers was so touched by the moment that she took a photograph of the happy couple.

At the SuperHalfs Medal Box, we met S for our SuperRunner medal photo. What a joyful and emotional end to the day after the devastating setback in Cardiff!

Heading to the final One

stats of the week: just a bit of walking

My cold turned out to be rather severe. Although I had no fever, I felt extremely weak and lacking in energy. Since this weekend, however, I have been recovering and I am fairly confident that I will be fit enough to run my final SuperHalf in Valencia next Sunday.

The plan is to accompany C. around the course and help her finish within the 2:45 time limit. I am delighted that she feels mentally ready to return to running after the disaster two weeks ago.

Taking it easy in Valencia will also leave me in a position to run another half marathon in November. The local event at nearby Lake Baldeney offers a completely flat course and is well organised. I am therefore hoping to set a new personal best for the year.

Photo: Superhalf Hall of Fame, one race missing

Cardiff Catastrophe

stats of the week: nothing, zero, niente, null
stats of the previous week: run 33 km

Cardiff welcomed us with bright sunshine, although temperatures were low. However, the conditions were perfect for running. I had an easy job accompanying the group of Interair runners, as my fellow tour guide A. did almost all the work.

I had no idea that Cardiff was such a party town. The main street is lined with dozens of pubs, some of them unbelievably large.

All the signs were looking good for us to bring home our fifth SuperHalfs race. I had shown slight signs of a mild cold during the two nights beforehand, but felt fine when I got up in the morning.

After the first few miles, however, I realised that running felt rather more arduous than usual, although I was still able to maintain a pace that would get me to the finish in under 2:15.

The roads were narrow for much of the course and the field was densely packed, making it hard work to maintain a steady pace while weaving in and out to overtake other runners. On top of that, you constantly had to watch out for the numerous speed bumps in the road. When I nearly stumbled over one of them, I had a nasty premonition. Would C. be able to negotiate all these obstacles safely?

As I approached the finish, I really had to dig deep, but I crossed the line in a respectable 2:10:14. After changing into dry clothes, I made my way back to the finish area to welcome C. Her tracking showed that she was nearing the finish, and when my phone rang, I expected her to tell me she had crossed the line.

Instead, I heard the words, “I’ve had an accident.” Someone speaking English then told me that she was in the medical tent at mile 12. With less than two kilometres to go, she had suddenly stumbled and seriously injured herself. Thanks to some extremely helpful and friendly volunteers, I soon found her and had to face the awful reality that she had lost her entire row of upper front teeth. What a disaster!

As a result, we had to cancel our holiday in beautiful Tenby on the Welsh coast. The following day, we flew back to our home in France. I needed another two days to recover from what had by then become a severe cold before we could drive back to Germany and see the dentist.

photos: Cardiff Castle

The dragon stands for Wales

Coastline weekend

It's not the French Riviera, it's the Welsh one.

Party town. The main road boasts from hens and stags.

The world was still fine before the start.