XMiles Preston: Home Turf for Paul

Race Review by Katrina Howarth

Sunday saw our club out in force for the XMiles Preston Half Marathon & 10k, organised by Epic Events and sponsored by running specialist brand XMiles. This one had a bit of extra meaning ; Paul, Preston born and bred, took on the half marathon, while I lined up for the 10k.

The Route

Starting and finishing at Winckley Square, the course heads down Fishergate before looping through the green spaces of Avenham and Miller Parks. From there it hugs the River Ribble out to Walton Bridge, returns via the Old Tram Road and the nature reserve, and crosses back over Penwortham Old Bridge to the finish.

It's a genuinely lovely route ,but a word of warning for anyone tackling it next year; everyone tells you it's hilly, but nobody mentions that the last half mile is the hill. That final climb meant digging deep when the legs had nothing left to give.

The Atmosphere

You can always count on a race to bring out some brilliant fancy dress, and this one didn't disappoint , we shared the road with a cow and a dinosaur (all in aid of great causes). It never stops amazing me how many different abilities and reasons people have for lining up on race day, whether that's chasing a time, running for charity, or just ticking off another challenge.

Around the 2½-mile mark it was great to spot a familiar face , Simon from Skelmersdale Boundary Harriers was out marshalling and cheering runners through.

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Case of Mistaken Identity

While waiting for Paul to finish, I was cheering from the sidelines when I started hearing my name called out. My first thought was, ‘there must be a few Katrina Howarths running today.’ Then I realised they were actually calling me to the finish line , apparently I'd been recorded as first female finisher, with a time of 37:00!

For one glorious second I let myself believe it. Then I checked my actual Strava time and had to break the news that there was absolutely no way I'd run that , my 5k parkrun time barely gets close. Timing chip error sorted, reality restored, and a good laugh had by all.

Paul, meanwhile, smashed the half marathon on home turf, crossing the line in a brilliant 1:35.

A great event all round, made better by sharing the route with such a supportive crowd of runners and spectators. Roll on the next one!