I’ve decided to split my report into sections as it covers three events and quite a few races. It’s also getting unimaginably long 😬 and I don’t like to keep folk waiting.
This is the first instalment which sets the scene and covers the 100 metre event. Make yourself a nice cuppa tea and maybe even some popcorn and, if by some chance, you somehow reach the end, have a gold medal on me. 👍 🥇
If you’d told me 6 years ago that I’d be representing Great Britain in two European sprint finals, I might have laughed. This rather overweight , stressed out, bottle of wine a day, cigar smoking 57 year old? On the other hand a part of me might also have said “Absolutely. Why not? Let’s see.”
Couch to 5k, without doubt, was the key to unlocking a brighter and healthier future for me and, once I’d started, there was no turning back! After a lifetime of caring for others, be that family or students, it was my time to look after me! Let’s scroll forward 6 years!
And so it was, this past week, a week of precious memories, victories and near misses, that I did actually get to represent Great Britain in two European sprint finals and, quite astonishingly, come home with a gold medal.
This is my story and I hope you enjoy it. I’m going to describe the first race in more detail, especially the preparation and call room, so that you can get a feel for the atmosphere and tension, but after that I will focus only on the races themselves otherwise this report will be in danger of becoming rather hefty and I will lose your interest.
It was my boys who insisted that I go to the Europeans. They even chipped in to help pay for it. I also sought out sponsorship and managed to secure assistance from my wonderful Chiropractor, Matt Bateman at Core Chiropractic in Brighton, himself a great sportsman and tri-athlete, as well as my club, Brighton and Hove AC, and Skins compression wear.
The championships were hosted in Pescara in the beautiful Abruzzo region of Italy on the Adriatic coast. It is truly a stunning area of Italy, especially the mountain villages which cling to the sides and tops of the slopes.
Arriving a day early meant I had time to rest and relax and get my bearings before my first race at 13.00 the following day. I had managed to find an amazing airbnb just 15 minutes walk from the stadium which made life much easier and would prove immensely useful as the event progressed as I would head straight there for an ice bath directly after my races!
There were over 5000 athletes taking part in these championships from all over Europe and it was truly wonderful to be a part of. The place was buzzing the whole time.
The stadium at Pescara was built in 2009 and is a nice venue for athletics with a lovely blue 8 lane track and fully seated with a big grandstand.
I made a pre-visit to the stadium that first day where I registered for my races and declared my intent to race. I was given a small goodie bag and my event number, 1616. “Oh that’s strange”, I thought. “I’m 61 and born on 06101961 and my competition number is 1616. What could all these 6s and 1s mean?” “And that 9 is sitting there on its own too.” Mmm 🤔
I hardly slept at all that second night before my first race. I was still wide awake at 5.30 with my alarm due to go off at 7.30. When it did finally go off I was in a very deep sleep, but once up, I didn’t feel particularly tired. The adrenaline was clearly pumping!
I put my racing gear on, grabbed my bag, and headed out to the stadium. I left in plenty of time to get my warmup started. It was a cloudy but pleasantly warm day and the walk was a leisurely one that took me past a few pastry and cake cafes where people were having the most delicious smelling coffee, eating those amazing Italian cakes and chatting away. I loved it here, and I felt completely at home. I had a bounce in my step and was truly happy, smiling at everyone I passed. It felt like I was home.
Realistically I stood no chance of an individual medal in either the 100 or 200 as my European rankings in the 100 was 13th and 21st in the 200. A look at the declared season’s best performances of the athletes attending the championships for the 100 put me at 13th/54 fastest and, for the 200, I was way down the list at 33/66 entries. My realistic goal was to reach the semi final of the 100 with an outside chance of the final, and for the 200, well, just a run out and see what happens as I hadn’t focused on that event at all this season. I was just glad to even be here, as I haven’t had a holiday in over 5 years.
One thing I did know was that I was in great shape and fully rested before I left. I had to be. The schedule was intense and, as I’d never run so many races on so few days before, I had to get my nutrition and hydration spot on as well. It’s a fine art at our age knowing when to rest and when to push. I felt good physically and as strong and ready as I’d ever be. I was under instruction from my coach to leave it all on the track and have no regrets.
The 100 Metres
The 100 metre heats were on the first day of the event followed by the semis and the final in the morning and evening of the second day. The 200 heats were on the 3rd day followed by the semis and final on the day after that. There would then be a day of rest before the 4x100 relay.
I was rather overwhelmed by the thought of all the events at first but decided quickly that I would treat each race as a final, taking it one day at a time. If I was lucky enough to progress to the next round, then that would be the time to focus on that.
When I arrived I headed straight for the coffee stall and ordered a double espresso, which I gulped down in one, and went straight over to the warmup area which was very busy with athletes preparing for their races. The short 3 lane warmup track was particularly busy and it was clear that I would have to modify my warmup to account for this.
I met up with a friend from my Worthing club and we did our warmup together. He is a good few years younger than me, and his race was before mine, so when he left for the call room I completed my warmup alone. Strangely, although I was now on my own, I didn’t feel particularly nervous, just excited. I then spotted the other two GB 100m athletes, Ronnie and Paul, and we had a short chat before we continued with our warm up, we were after all adversaries today so no small talk.
The 100 metre had 55 entries so there were 7 heats with the first two automatically qualifying and then the next fastest 2 athletes from all the heats going through to the semi finals. This wasn’t what I was expecting, and I was dismayed, as this meant the seeding was done on declared times, which I knew a few athletes had exaggerated, thus meaning they would be entered into heats with more athletes slower than them and therefore more chance of automatic qualification!
With just 2 places available for the fastest losers out of 55 runners I was going to have to run my heart out just to reach the semis with an automatic qualification. There was one athlete much faster than me and one with exactly the same time as my season’s best. I had no choice but to treat it as a final, give it my all, and pray I would get through. I was about to race the toughest race I’d ever had.
At precisely 20 minutes before the race athletes have to report to the call room which was a large darkly lit marquee with lots of wooden benches. Our shirts are checked for numbers and we are instructed to sit together on the bench indicated and prepare for the race. Spikes had to be put on and all excess clothing put in a carry bag. This was done in complete silence.
Not a sound from anyone. It was both a little spooky and eerie. The waft of deep heat caught my nose and I became very aware that we were minutes away from the start. My heart was pounding in my chest.
The marshal in charge of the call room called out our names in lane order and we were made to stand in a line carrying our bags ready to walk to the stadium.
I was in lane 6. Lane 3 had Patrice Carnier of France, a challenger for gold at this event. He was undoubtedly going to win, but it was lane 7 outside me to my right, where I had my biggest challenge. Carlos Valera Escobar of Spain who has registered the same season best as me at 12.74 seconds. This was going to be close. I had to get him if I wanted that second automatic spot.
We were led down a slope and turned right at the bottom to climb the stairs into the bright sunlight of the stadium. We walked in line to our lanes where the blocks were lying like sentinels in their respective lanes. We setup our block measurements, had the usual practise run out and stood waiting in a line for the starter. I’m just focusing on my lane and the finish line.
We are finally called to our marks and we settle into our blocks. This is routine for me and I mentally block out everything and focus on the starter and getting those all important first steps right.
So this is it Brian. Don’t let yourself down. Focus.
We’re called to our marks and I raise up. I tense up, weight balanced between my finger tips and my feet. I stare at the line between my hands and wait for the gun.
As it fires I immediately respond and feel myself flying out of the blocks. This is a really good start for me and I’m level and maybe even ahead after 4 steps (see pic). At 15 metres I’m out of the drive phase and I’m still in front, but the Spaniard on my right is pulling level and the French man in lane 2 is also making ground. He pulls ahead as expected while the Spaniard slowly edges past me. We’re clear of the rest of the field now but I just can’t close this gap. It’s tiny but he’s not going away either. I feel my self tensing up as we approach the line and despite my dip, I cross in third place. I’m very disappointed in my time 13.12 and doubts immediately cross my mind. I don’t think that time is fast enough to make the semis. There’s 6 more heats to follow and I now have a very anxious wait ahead of me.
Well, somehow I got one of the 2 fastest qualifying places! Miracles can happen! I went back to my airbnb and jumped into an ice bath. I’m getting to like these now strangely. The semi final was the next day morning 10.31 precisely! The final, should I even make it, was in the evening.
The next day I got up early after yet another bad night’s sleep and got to the track at 09.00. I headed straight to the medical team who gave me a pummelling and an adjustment on my back and hip as they were a bit tight. These guys were amazing and I honestly felt like a bouncy kangaroo after the session.
I’m going to stop the detail of the event here as this report will end up like a book and to be honest, the lead up and tension to the race is pretty much the same every time. So, quickly onto the semi final.
Despite yet another awful night’s sleep, I had a much better run than yesterday’s heat and another fantastic start. I came 5th but I was particularly pleased with my time which was 12.83 and just outside my PB.
Sadly I missed the final but by just 1/100th of a second. Despite this, I was absolutely over the moon with my performance and I’d met my goal to be in the top 10 fastest M60 100m runners in Europe. 9th fastest to be precise. I was utterly delighted!
Bring on the 200 metres!
Colchester Half