Dudley Ladies’ ménage à trois strike the Stratford Summer Six

Jacky Fellows writes:-

I quite like Stratford and the thought of running around quaint little village streets really appealed to me. I always enjoy running with Marion and Kay during training (when I can keep up that is!) and they didn’t need much persuading to tackle this race with me.

I agreed to drive and Kay offered to navigate in her best airport/tannoy announcing skills; Marion supervised the operation from the back seat. We started off quite well and got as far as the M40’s junction 15 before we encountered any problems. Now, it’s obvious to me that the Midlands Constabulary are having problems finding legitimate work for their members...or why else would they send five of their finest officers to block off an island exit for absolutely no apparent reason? We were completely bemused and baffled as to why we weren’t allowed to carry on our merry way. We ended up heading in the opposite direction to where we needed to go! Desperation prompted me to ask Kay to phone my husband who promptly informed her that he wouldn’t have gone that way anyway!

 We did eventually get back on track (thanks to Marion) and arrived at Mary Arden’s house (William Shakespeare’s mom apparently... she wasn’t in).

 We eyed the competition, all of whom looked decidedly fitter than us. Marion psyched out a few other club runners as we made our way to the start then headed for the back of the pack, determined to start as we meant to go on!

It really was a beautiful night for running, sunny but cool. We soon settled into our pace and despite our fears we weren’t consigned to the back. I pointed out the beautiful views to Marion who remarked that “yes the tarmac did look rather fetching”! It wasn’t exactly village streets we ended up running around, more like country lanes. But never-the-less, the route was pleasant enough. The race was relatively flat except for a steep, long hill at about 5.5 miles. We were already tired at this point and all three of us ended up walking up the last little bit of hill. I have to say that the race marshals were very encouraging all the way around the course. There were quite a few spectators lining the streets shouting encouragement and runners who had finished the race were telling us how well we were doing. It was a lovely atmosphere and all the support was just what we needed to give us that extra boost towards the finish.

We kept well clear of the M40 on the way back and just followed our noses. We managed to navigate back to Wombourne... eventually... tired but contented.