Saturday 18th August, 2018

 

The Erewash half marathon is a point to point race rather than a loop or laps event. It kicks off at a place called Langley Mill and follows the canal through to Long Eaton and finished at the Long Eaton Rugby Club. From what I could gather I think it’s in its second year with a changed course. Apparently the previous year’s course involved a number of loops at the finish which runners didn’t like very much.

 

The runners were put into ‘waves’ and your start time was dependant on which wave you were in. The elite set off at 8:45 and the last group (group K) set off at 10:40. I was in group C and was due to set off at 9.20. As it is a point to point, you parked at the finish and then were bused the 13 miles up to the start. For some reason though they had allowed over 1 and a half hours for the bus to get you to the start. This meant having to be in Long Eaton by 7:50am. Not sure why they allowed so much time was there a good hour before my start time and there was nothing at the start apart from the officials and a few porta loos. To top this I hadn’t received my race number and was told I needed to get there around 20-30 mins earlier to ensure I got a new one picked up on time. This meant having to leave home at around 5:45am!!

 

The actual race start was a little way down the canal from Langley Mill. Each wave of runners was walked along to the start and were given a safety talk before we were allowed to start. The start itself was done purely on your chip, no gun to start you all. Literally once the safety talk was over it was just a ‘when you’re ready off you go’. All seemed very low key. In fact once we got through the first mile or so, runners started to thin out and at one point I was running along the canal on my own with what looked like no-one in front or behind me. Ended up feeling very much like a training run rather than a race.

 

The route followed the canal for just over 8 miles with mostly gravel paths, but there was a mixture of gravel, tarmac and in a couple of place cobbles. Along the route you also had frame barriers, some of which were narrower than others so did slow you down a little. Some of the bridges had steep steps to go down and in some cases anyone taller than about 5’5’’ had to duck. We also had to share the route with walkers, dogs and cyclists. Oh and the occasional very aggressive swan (to the point I had to stop and almost get into the bushes to get past it)

 

At just over 8 miles we were taken off of the canal towpath and round a park for a mile and a bit loop. This was to ensure that we got the required 13 miles in and did not need to do a lap of the sports field at the end of the race. Once the loop was completed, you were given a wristband to prove that you had completed it and then were sent off back along the towpath till mile 12. At this point you are diverted off into the school at Long Eaton and then onto the sports field into the finish at the rugby club. As it was a staggered start, it wasn’t until the results were published you had a real idea as to where you had finished. Oh and only those that had been placed into the ‘Elite’ group (based on your finish time) could win a prize.

 

Water stops were provided at around 3, 6 and 12 miles with water and hydration drinks available. There were marshals along the route but not a huge amount. However there were plenty of signs along route to ensure that we were going the right way. There were also a number of official photographers on route snapping away. You do have to pay for photos, but at £4 I didn’t think they were too expensive.

 

Once finished we picked up a medal, t-shirt, pot of sweets, water and a money off voucher for food/drink in the rugby club. There were great facilities available in the rugby club; showers, toilets, food/drink, bar (for those that wanted a stronger drink once they had finished) and plenty of tables and comfy seating.

Good Points

Not so good Points

 

Apart from the bus being far too early to ship you to the start, it was an enjoyable run. Felt very much like a Sunday run rather than a race, was very scenic and flat. Also, the facilities at the finish were very good compared to a lot of the runs I’ve taken part in.

Course Route

 

Course Elevation

 

Medal and T-shirt