David Lloyd 5k
IT was definitely brass monkey weather on Sunday morning as just under 100 runners lined up for the David Lloyd 5k in Southampton. For those who had run the race in previous years, a last-minute change to the course made the map included in the race pack totally redundant.
As in previous years, the start and finish were located within the grounds of the David Lloyd leisure centre, but the twisty, two lap course took an out and back route around the adjacent business park, and at the end of each lap included a longish climb at a gradient similar to that of Coach Hill.
This year, Mark Le Gassick was the only athlete from Stubbington who was stupid enough to get up early on a bitterly cold Sunday morning to run twice around an industrial park. Mark was on schedule to run a sub-16 minute time, but on approaching the top of the hill towards the end of the first lap, he opted to tuck in behind the aging lead cyclist as he struggled to keep the pedals turning up the incline.
However, with the clock ticking and the finishing line beckoning, there was to be no such mercy shown on lap two and it was the Stubbington athlete who hit the brow of the hill first and began to make the final descent to the increasingly distant and hapless cry of, “Turn left at the bottom and head back towards the David Lloyd centre!”
After a mad sprint that 32 year old Francis Obikwelu would have been proud of, and dodging bleary-eyed club members as they took their lives in their hands crossing the car park for their early Sunday morning swims, Mark eventually made it to the line in 16 minutes 2 seconds. Ant Gritton (David Lloyd) was second in 16.27, a few seconds ahead of David Blackman (Southampton AC) who was third in 16.29. The ladies’ race was won by Elinor Kirk (Swansea Harriers) in 17.36. Mark Le Gassick