Sara Thomas is a 30 year old Events and Community Fundraiser for Motor Neurone Disease (MND Scotland). She has been running seriously since the summer and The Baxters River Ness 10K was her first race.
Sara (right) and her friend Emma celebrate with their medalsAbout the route:
A flat course boasting a scenic route that winds through the historic Highland capital of Inverness, past the castle and along the banks of River Ness.
What made you decide to sign up for the Baxters River Ness 10K?
My friend Emma had been talking about signing up, and I wanted a target event to help me focus on improving my fitness levels. I also really wanted to do some personal fundraising for MND Scotland, the charity for which I work. (www.mndscotland.org.uk <http://www.mndscotland.org.uk> ) We had around 25 people taking part across the day in various events.
What were your expectations for the race?
I just wanted to get round! I’ve never been a sporty person so that felt like enough of a challenge… I’d set a vague target of 1 hr 10, and came in at 1 hr 8mins – so I was pretty happy…
Who did you run with?
My friend Emma, for whom this race was her 2nd ever 10k, and upon whom I blame this entire experience, including my rather sore calves.
Did you manage to stay together?
Pretty much. We’d agreed in advance that we’d start together, and see how we got on – if one of us pulled ahead, no worries, we didn’t need to wait or hang back. As it was, we only came in 15 seconds apart!
What were your high and low points during the race?
My knee started to twinge at about 4-5k, which was quite worrying, and I was starting to think that I’d not paced myself properly, my breathing was all wrong... But then the point just after the 7k marker felt wonderful, as I realised that it was now my longest run, and only a few k to go. As we were rounding on the last leg, I head someone behind me saying that we were hitting the hour mark, which gave me a huge boost. I sprinted the last 20 metres or so – crossing the finish line was just fantastic. Absolutely wonderful.
What was the best part of the course for you?
I think my favourite part of the course (despite my knee twinges) was the section just before half way, single-track road with forestry on either side, over a stream or two. Absolutely wonderful to run through. Seeing my fiancé cheering for us at the side of the road was great, he had this massive smile on his face! From a charity point of view, it really was wonderful and so very heartening to see the other runners who'd taken part to raise money for MND Scotland. It's a real buzz to know that together, we've raised thousands to help fight Motor Neurone Disease in Scotland.
What was the most challenging part of the course for you?
It wasn’t a physical place but a mental one – when my knee started to twinge I could feel myself getting anxious, it did take a bit of effort to calm myself down and focus on just keeping going.
How would you describe the crowd support?
There were less people out for the 10k than I’d thought there might be, but they were so enthusiastic and friendly – gave me a real boost as I was going past! The numbers increased for the marathon, again with everyone being so supportive.
What was the male/female ratio roughly in the race?
Slightly more in favour of women, maybe 55-45?
Did many people run in costume?
A few, but not huge numbers. We saw someone dressed as a teletubby, a few tutus, a few fairies, and a 4/5 person Nessie.
What was the best costume?
The teletubby, by a whisker – cannot imagine how difficult that must have been to run in!
What’s your overall verdict of the race?
Really enjoyed it – great day, good communication at every stage, well-organised event and enjoyable event village activities, obviously well liked in the area, and well supported by the headline sponsor.
Would you recommend it?
Absolutely.
Would you do it again next year?
Definitely!
What one tip or piece of information would you like to pass on to anyone thinking of doing this race for the first time?
Enjoy the route, it’s lovely! Quite level, no killer hills, lovely friendly crowd.
