A last minute, register on the night whim. I had never run a 5k race before, preferring slow and long over fast and short. I had no real standard to compare so went out with the attitude that sub-20 mins would be good.
The race was organised by Kirkintilloch Olympians and at £2 for entry was the bargain race of the year so far.
As a route this was a well-trodden path me and I must have done 000s of laps Broadwood in my time now. The race starts at the main car park of Broadwood Stadium and finishes at what we would describe as the away end. In between the run starts by following the road round the stadium towards Westfield. Then, it peals left down via the underpass and heads towards Condorrat via St. Maurice’s, but halfway up the hill sharp turns brings you back down and towards the Loch for a lap to finish.
At £2 clearly the race wasn’t chip timed but with only 203 starters even the stragglers would be over the start line in seconds.
For me, I exceeded my target and finished in 19:26. I was delighted with that effort and I finished 25th of the 203 times quoted. I don’t expect I’ll do a lot of 5k races but I will be back for this one next year. It’s proximity allows for a nice warm-up and cool down run.
Garmin file for the race: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/211341726
(PS: in the picture above I am in my usual race red in the mid-background. The only photo I can find.)
James Stewart 