On Sunday 12th Sheffield I ran the Plusnet Yorkshire Half Marathon – Sheffield with over six thousand others including Burngreave’s own Pauline Neita and Kate Thomas.
Standing at the start line I knew that I wasn’t ready. I had only signed up to the Yorkshire Half Marathon three days previously, and I hadn’t done much training. But it was hard to feel nervous – the atmosphere was amazing. There was a group of medics running with a stretcher for St John’s Ambulance, women dressed in tutus for Breast Cancer, and a man dressed in a giant beer bottle. There was a mixture of people from all ages, backgrounds and fitness levels.
The Plusnet Yorkshire Half Marathon was new to Sheffield this year, and had a new route. It involved an initial five miles of hills – getting gradually steeper, reaching a peak at Ringinglow Road, before tapering down to the city centre. The last steep uphill section was a mile long and timed, and was named ‘King of the Hill’. By the time I had reached this mile I was seriously struggling, but the support of the people that had come out to watch pushed me on. Getting to the top of that hill was like coming first in an Olympic race – people cheering and offering sweets and bottles of water.
This support was constant throughout the route. This is unusual as you often find a lull of activity around the middle section of races, and this is when you most need inspiration to carry on. It would have taken me longer to finish without that support. As it is, I finished in 2hrs 43 minutes.
That was my first half marathon and I cannot recommend it enough. My initial barrier was fear – 13.1 miles is a challenging prospect. However, once you cross that finish line you realise that your fear was groundless. Afterwards, my legs were killing almost straight away. I could barely walk for two days, but the sense of achievement was immense. I was immediately wondering what race to do next, and have now signed up to the half marathon in Clumber Park in June. It definitely motivates you to want to do more!
Story: Helen Brown Photos: Helen Brown