MoRunning Greenwich 10K 2011

I signed up to the Greenwich 10K because MoRunning is a great cause and lots of fun, but mainly because it was a lovely chap from my running crew Glenn Hancock’s first ever race, and I wanted to support him. Glenn got knocked over by a car while out running a couple of years ago and subsequently had nine operations on his leg, so to see him fully recovered and running his first ever race was incredible! No less than 42 members of my running crew Run Dem Crew were also in attendance, and my chivalrous boyfriend ran the entire course with me even though he’s capable of running much faster/further/harder/upside down, so it was a great day out.I knew it was going to be a fun race because so many of my friends were there, all in moustaches! But having had three weeks off running due to a nasty cold and then a well-timed holiday, I was a little nervous about running, as I really wasn’t feeling my fittest. Alas a PB eluded me and my race time was 1.03; I blame the pesky hills, but I still had a great day. Just some of The mighty Run Dem Crew take on the MoThere were so many members of my crew there, including a cheering squad complete with rainbow banner, that I saw someone wearing a RDC t-shirt at least every five minutes, and spent most of the race cheering and screaming my head off! Greenwich Park is considerably hillier than my city legs are used to so it hurt like hell, but seeing so many happy smiling faces made it all worthwhile. I highly recommend joining a running club. Having the support and enthusiasm from friends made the whole experience extra exciting. One of our crew James Broderick even won the whole race, coming in at a cool 38.18 despite claiming he had a cold.The male/female ratio was 50/50, although it was hard to tell, as most of the girls were wearing moustaches! There were some excellent costumes. Lots of people had moustaches on or had made extra effort, but the best costumes were the Cookie Monster, the female Storm Trooper and a guy painted head to toe in orange.The most challenging part was definitely the three sneaky hills. Who knew London was so damn hilly? And adding a big hill on the home stretch was a bit mean! But I made it round the course alive eventually. Groucho Marx and Groucho MarkoThe best part of the course was definitely the finish line. Sprinting as fast as I could with my boyfriend by my side and my running crew all cheering me on was a very special moment. No one ever usually calls out my name because they can’t work out how to pronounce it. Hearing all my crew chanting ‘Go Rhalou’ was amazing, and probably the closest feeling to being a rock star I’ll ever get.Despite the pesky hills, Greenwich Park is a beautiful place to run; especially when blanketed in red and golden autumn leaves, and I’d recommend a MoRun to anyone looking for a fun day out. It’s not a PB race, the hills and crowds put a stop to that, but the atmosphere was electric and reminded me why I love running. So much so that my boyfriend and I ran home afterwards (minus moustaches, for fear of public ridicule).