Race report: The Ignis Asset Management Glasgow Women's 10K
Despite the incessant rain, Online Editor Rhalou Allerhand takes on the Ignis Asset Management Women's 10K in Glasgow with a smile
My dad lives in Scotland, and as I had signed up to the Ignis Asset Management Women’s 10K in Glasgow, last weekend I decided to kill two birds with one stone and pay him a visit. Although he actually lives in the borders, getting to see his daughter in action, with the added bonus of watching 12,000 ladies running around in tight Lycra, was enough to persuade him to drive me around! So we set off early on Sunday morning to join in the fun at Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park.
Glasgow is a gorgeous city, with a great mix of verdant greenery and beautiful old red brick architecture, and would have been a delightfully tranquil place to hang out, were it not for the 12,000 feisty women lining the streets! But that was definitely half the fun, and so despite the horrible weather, at 9.30am I deposited Dad at the finish line amongst the other supporting fathers, husbands and boyfriends, before joining the other runners at the start line.
Someone had optimistically put me up front with the elites, so I had to sneak back a block or two to avoid any embarrassment. But my fellow runners were in such high spirits that no one seemed to mind. As I made my way through the park to find my spot amidst the droves of race-ready women, I realised I’d made a rookie mistake and forgotten a bin bag (vital for the weather) so did get a bit cold at the start line. But the rain didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits and we all enthusiastically warmed up together, before setting off for the first few kilometres down the winding streets of West Glasgow.
As the route wound its way through the city streets there were a few hills to contend with, but the crowd support really helped. My high point was the enthusiastic gang of Sikh guys handing out water bottles to thirsty ladies at 3K, and then the mysterious army section, with gents in full army fatigues offering up energy drinks, followed by some bona fide Scotsmen on their bagpipes.
At 4K the scenery took a dramatic turn and I found myself in Pollok Park, running beneath a beautiful canopy of lush greenery. There were yet more surprises in store in the park, including a topless rock duo going at it full pelt on their drum kit, and a gang of lovely ladies on the steel drums.
After scaling one suspiciously large hill, the route swung back towards Bellahouston Park, where I dashed across the finish line to a massive cheering crowd and into the entertainment village set up in the park, where I spent half an hour looking for my dad, who despite being given a mobile phone has yet to work out how to answer the damn thing!
I finally found him at the finish line enjoying the view. He’d gotten rather excited about the elite runners (‘she wasn’t human, she was like a cheetah!’ he exclaimed several times) and proceeded to tell everyone in close proximity that his daughter was also an elite running champion. At 58.23 I’m not quite up there with the Kenyans, (coming in at 31 minutes, the winner Linet Masia was almost exactly twice as fast as me) but after a great run surrounded by lots of amazing happy ladies, I certainly felt like a champion.
A well-organised race with a lovely route and an exceptionally fun crowd, I’d recommend the Ignis Asset Management Glasgow Women’s 10K to lady runners of all levels. It was a fun day out, and even the enormous downpour (thankfully well-timed for just after I finished the race) didn’t dampen my day one bit. And I got my dad to drive me home and feed me scrambled eggs on toast, bonus.
Glasgow is a gorgeous city, with a great mix of verdant greenery and beautiful old red brick architecture, and would have been a delightfully tranquil place to hang out, were it not for the 12,000 feisty women lining the streets! But that was definitely half the fun, and so despite the horrible weather, at 9.30am I deposited Dad at the finish line amongst the other supporting fathers, husbands and boyfriends, before joining the other runners at the start line.
Someone had optimistically put me up front with the elites, so I had to sneak back a block or two to avoid any embarrassment. But my fellow runners were in such high spirits that no one seemed to mind. As I made my way through the park to find my spot amidst the droves of race-ready women, I realised I’d made a rookie mistake and forgotten a bin bag (vital for the weather) so did get a bit cold at the start line. But the rain didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits and we all enthusiastically warmed up together, before setting off for the first few kilometres down the winding streets of West Glasgow.
As the route wound its way through the city streets there were a few hills to contend with, but the crowd support really helped. My high point was the enthusiastic gang of Sikh guys handing out water bottles to thirsty ladies at 3K, and then the mysterious army section, with gents in full army fatigues offering up energy drinks, followed by some bona fide Scotsmen on their bagpipes.
At 4K the scenery took a dramatic turn and I found myself in Pollok Park, running beneath a beautiful canopy of lush greenery. There were yet more surprises in store in the park, including a topless rock duo going at it full pelt on their drum kit, and a gang of lovely ladies on the steel drums.
After scaling one suspiciously large hill, the route swung back towards Bellahouston Park, where I dashed across the finish line to a massive cheering crowd and into the entertainment village set up in the park, where I spent half an hour looking for my dad, who despite being given a mobile phone has yet to work out how to answer the damn thing!
I finally found him at the finish line enjoying the view. He’d gotten rather excited about the elite runners (‘she wasn’t human, she was like a cheetah!’ he exclaimed several times) and proceeded to tell everyone in close proximity that his daughter was also an elite running champion. At 58.23 I’m not quite up there with the Kenyans, (coming in at 31 minutes, the winner Linet Masia was almost exactly twice as fast as me) but after a great run surrounded by lots of amazing happy ladies, I certainly felt like a champion.
A well-organised race with a lovely route and an exceptionally fun crowd, I’d recommend the Ignis Asset Management Glasgow Women’s 10K to lady runners of all levels. It was a fun day out, and even the enormous downpour (thankfully well-timed for just after I finished the race) didn’t dampen my day one bit. And I got my dad to drive me home and feed me scrambled eggs on toast, bonus.
