R is for Run for Rick at the Roodee - Deva City Duel 2018

It's rare that I do anything other than go out for a bike ride on Boxing Day, but 2018 would be different as I returned to the site of the party season special, Chester Racecourse, for the annual Round the Walls Race. Now in its 46th year, it comprises a mixed terrain route that changes annually so as to keep people guessing. I was certainly second guessing my food and drink choices over the last few days because I parked up at Starbucks at 9:01am just prior to the Deva City for a soya milk gingerbread latte. Not that it calmed the pre race nerves much. So I drove to the racecourse and parked opposite at the Roodee car park where it's £5 all day, which is actually rather cheap by Chester standards. Only the Abode hotel was open for a quick loo stop and this came as a major relief given I really drank too much at the Green Rooms on Christmas Eve. Then again, in keeping with the theme of the day, it was a perfect opportunity to pay tribute to Rick Taylor, who would have celebrated his 33rd birthday on Christmas Eve had he still been with us. For Rick, for Avicii and for Aaron Reading this was the day to run for them and I would have further backing thanks to Claire Meadows who was here on her own Boxing Day trip out with Penny Lane Striders. We did a recce of the start and finish areas and I dumped off my warmup gear at the finish line. Come 10:25 it was time for one last loo stop at the racecourse ground and then we were called to the start by the race organiser. He missed a couple of attempts to fire the starting pistol but eventually he managed it, BANG and the race was underway.

I picked off a couple of fast starters before I'd even reached the first corner. This elevated me to 12th position as we turned onto the Roodee where we had 800 metres of grass to contend with. We ran round the hairpin and I was spotted by Claire as we returned to the tarmac, where I overtook someone who decided to run in a jumper of all things! Now I was into 11th position and picking up the pace on the way back through the start area as we made our way to the first set of steps. This launched us onto the road parallel to the racecourse and down more steps but I was struggling to get on terms with the man in P10 and I was getting very agitated because I knew that the top 10 get in the Chester Evening Leader. Imagine what my old piano teacher John Gough would say, me in the paper for a running race? Well, first things first, the descents on the greasy surface were far from easy and I kept losing time to the runners in front of me every time we had to fit our size 10 shoes onto the tiny platforms offered. We wouldn't go down the canal this year, but we did have to cross the road where you can turn off for Tri-active, however I couldn't look sideways because we were now climbing to the highest point of the course and I'm terrible at looking down at deep drops; not forgetting, of course, that December 29 is one year to the day since I made the trip to the hospital not knowing how I was going to be fighting for my life with an incurable balance condition. So I simply focused on the road and runners ahead and tried not to lose too much time, and if nothing else I mastered the "two steps at a time" method for climbing and, sometimes, descending. We were cheered on by spectators of all ages as we made our way past numerous posh restaurants and bars who obviously did extremely well during the market season. After finishing the walls segment we crossed the road to be greeted with the trail past the Roodee car park and it was here that I started to gain on Mr 10th place. It was a win or go home situation but the prospect of a place in the paper was worth it. For a muscular runner this guy was absolutely brilliant, but from my own coaching experience and knowledge of physiology I had an inkling that he might start to struggle around the 20 minute point, and as we approached the fence round the back of the racecourse I had the gap down to a couple of seconds. Could I snatch it with one kilometre to go?

Well, he suddenly slowed at the hairpin turn onto the racecourse and I completely overcooked it, skidding with my toes on corner apex. I must have cut off his beast mode focus with a certain four letter word but I was convinced that he would come after me. Instead I could set my sights on the South Cheshire runner ahead of me. Better to look forward than behind surely? Well, I lined him up for a pass on the slight right hander onto the last long straight and took to the hard packed gravel for a final push for the line. I was only safe once he failed to respond round the last corner and I could cross the line with a time of 26:22, absolutely stunned as I'd finished 9th in a field of over 500 finishers left, and John Gough will now see my name in his local paper!

After collecting the official commemorative mug I made my way back down the last straight to cheer on Claire, who was brilliant today in beating the 42 minute mark, and Heather and Nicola Heighway who make it an annual tradition to tackle the fabled walls. Given how expertly the event was organised it was only the right thing to do to attend the presentation and catch up with Carol Parsons who was first lady home (and ran with me all the way down the home straight at Arrowe Park last Sunday). We walked back together only to be greeted by the Ellesmere Port RC fanbase, and from there I jogged back to the car, bombed it home, and then bombed it to the pub to watch the red men extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to six points over their toughest rivals........that'll be Tottenham then (sorry Manchester City, you are the gift that just keeps on giving). An absolutely epic race and what a way to spend Boxing Day morning!

Now for the results, in association with the Abode Hotel, Chester:

Distance: around 6.8km

Time: 26:22

Final Position: 9/526

Santas: at least 50

Dogs: 3

Post Race Refuelling: 3 Doom Bars while watching four booms go off at Anfield

REJECT OF THE RACE: JP, Times Two (The skinsuit wearing Jon Park in the race who I passed on re-entry to the racecourse, and JP from HMCC because we beat his team 4-0)

Time to go and get a quick sandwich to stop me folding over with hypoglycaemia. Well done to Claire, Heather, Nicola, the race organisers and Liverpool FC, oh and thank you Leicester City!