Bluewater Sweatshop 10k
The race organisers of the Bluewater Sweatshop 10k describe it as “an event like no other” because “where else can offer a fast 10 kilometre mass participation race followed by unlimited shopping in the UK’s premier retail environment?”
Supposedly the same size as Bath city centre, the Bluewater shopping centre is certainly big, but with words such as “uphill” and “undulating” in the course description, the 10k can’t really lay claim to being flat.
It wasn’t retail therapy that was on my mind when I entered the Bluewater Sweatshop 10k back in March it was more to do with the fact that this year the race incorporated the Kent County 10k Championships.
Being born in Kent I’m eligible to run in the county’s championship races but because I’ve competed in Hampshire championship races for the past six years I’ve been unable to enter championship races in Kent. UKA rules state that athletes can’t compete in championship events in more than one county during the same competition year.
However, being out injured from the end of September 2009 until the beginning of May this year meant that I hadn’t raced at all in the new competition year which starts on 1st October. Therefore, 2010 seemed like the ideal year in which to make my Kent county championship début.
The race started at the Sunday unfriendly time of 8.30am which meant setting the alarm for 4.30am in order to make the two hour drive down the A3 and M25 to Greenhithe, stopping off for breakfast at the Clackett Lane services at 6.30am.
Arriving at Bluewater shortly after 7.15am we couldn’t help but be impressed at the size of the place. You needed a map just to negotiate the different coloured parking zones let alone the shopping centre itself!
A race village was set up in one of the car parks and included a registration tent, a pre- and post-race massage area, a coffee shop plus stalls selling various items of race kit and apparel. Lucozade reps were also giving out bottles of their drinks to ensure that competitors were fully hydrated before, during and after the race.
After warming up and stripping down it was time to head to the start line that was located on one of the inclined slip roads leading out of the Bluewater complex.
The first half of the course took runners out along the main roads around Greenhithe, “taking in breathtaking sights of the QEII Bridge that stretches across the River Thames.” The second half consisted of a series of less busy, undulating roads that passed through small villages, such as Stone, before returning to the finish at Bluewater.
As with most large scale races that offer substantial cash prizes the pace at the front of the field was fast and furious from the gun. The winner was a Kenyan called Gordon Mugi Mahugu who posted an impressive time of 29mins 5secs. Jean Ndayisenga, also Kenyan, was second crossing the line just less than a minute after the winner in 30mins 1sec.
Unfortunately, my preparation for the race was far from ideal with a number of injury setbacks after the Netley 10k making any kind of consistent training impossible. Tightness in my right hamstring (the one that was torn in the injury that kept me sidelined during the previous seven months) proved to be the most problematic.
Therefore, a conservative race strategy was called for that involved making a steady start to gauge how my hamstring felt before gradually increasing the pace if there were no signs of a problem. Three kilometres into the race my hamstring felt fine and I was leading the Kent championships.
Around the halfway point that I was joined by Ben Louch from Dartford Road Runners who was also running in the champs (as indicated by the ‘M’ that competitors in the champs were issued with to wear on their backs).
Over the second, hillier half of the race we matched each other stride for stride but as we entered the final kilometre and approached the finish back at Bluewater, it was Ben who began to edge into the lead. He crossed the line in 33mins 28secs to win the county champs and take sixth place overall, and I was three seconds behind finishing second in the champs and seventh in the race.
It was a little disappointing to know that it could have been a different result had I been able to train properly in the weeks leading up to the race. However, a few days before the race I was still uncertain as to whether I would be fit enough to run so in the end I was pleased that I could and that I was able to make a decent challenge in the county championships.
Overall, the Bluewater 10k is a well organised race with a big race feel (there were 2092 finishers) and there was a great atmosphere with a steel band welcoming runners home at the finish plus a couple of bands on route. An Adidas technical t-shirt and a decent goody bag also justified the £18 entry fee.
If you enjoy bigger races and want to shop until you drop afterwards, or perhaps take a trip into the beautiful Kent countryside on the way home (and you don’t mind a ridiculously early start on a Sunday!) then you may want to add the Bluewater Sweatshop 10k to your race itinerary for 2011.