Friday 10 June 2011

Last Minute Preparations

Race Day
After all that preparation Race Day is almost here. Sunday morning will be the pinnacle of all your months of training and it is ready to unleash the racer in you!
Getting to the race and toeing the start line may have involved many miles of training so don’t let last minute lack of preparation let you down.
Now is the time to think about Sunday and your travel, kit, shoes, strategy etc.
Firstly the race starts at 10am. It wont wait for you so you need to be on site at the event area in plenty of time. That means getting up in enough time to breakfast, travel and arrive on site to have a warm up, visit the toilet and sort out any last minute issues.
I like to be at races about an hour before the race starts. This gives me plenty of time to sort out my kit, jog a mile or so, visit the toilet. This last hour at a big race like Redcar also gives you enough time to put your kit into the baggage store, familiarise yourself with the location of the start and finish as well as enjoy some pre-race “reflection” to sort your head out prior to the race.  
Here are my top ten tips for race day.....
1.      Arrive in plenty of time. The park and ride buses are running early and will run often but don’t leave it to chance. Better to be on site early than late!
2.      Breakfast well and early enough for it not to give you any problems. You should know by now what works for you and what doesn’t. Don’t eat anything you wouldn’t normally eat but maybe lay off the fry up!
3.      Drink plenty of fluid – sip little and often but don’t overdo the coffee and tea! There are drinks stations at 4 miles, 7 miles, 9 miles and 11 miles.
4.      Sort your kit out the night before and do a checklist....shoes, watch, socks, shorts, vest, number, CHIP!!!, safety pins, old t-Shirt to wear pre race once you have put your baggage in, baggage label, Vaseline (to rub on parts of your body that may chafe!), race instructions, drink, snack and anything else you may need.
5.      If travelling with others ensure they are as prepared as you...you don’t want to be turning round half way into the journey because someone hasn’t been as organised as you!
6.      When on site check out where the finish is and also check out the start. The start on Sunday is about 500m from the finish area. It is located near Salisbury Grove so allow enough time for the short walk or jog to the start.
7.      Don’t fight to get to the front unless you think you are likely to stay at the front.  Your chip will record your time so an easy start will do you more good than harm.
8.      Maintain a positive attitude....it has been proven that a positive outlook will help you run faster! It might not be true but every little helps! Also please be aware that most of the marshalls are volunteers giving up their Sunday to help you. If something goes wrong please don’t give the marshalls a hard time! Everybody wants the race to be successful in every way but sometimes things go wrong.
9.      Don't wear new kit to race in...the kit you choose to race in should have been worn a few times so you know it wont rub etc and cause problems.
10.  Finally please remember there is a load of information available on the website www.runteesvalley.co.uk  There is also an event helpline to help with any last minute issues such as lost chips, missing numbers etc. The number is 0757 278 3796.

Enjoy the race and best of luck!

Andy

2 comments:

  1. Had a great day today, the organisation was spot on an the marshalls were really helpful. Looking forward to next year.
    Particular thanks to the random female runner who gave me her last black jelly baby at mile 6

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  2. Excellent organisation. The chaos of late running park and ride bus of last year had been rectified. Thank you organisers and all the volunteers who made it a memorable day.

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