After months of preparation and hard work the Downlands Dash was held on Sunday 7th July to raise much appreciated funds for the Friends of Compton Primary School.
The team first get together in March to begin the organisation. There’s a lot to do but the hardest part is recruiting plenty of volunteers for the day to help with setting up, registration, marshalling the course etc.
Advertising the event is also a major part, trying to reach as many potential runners as possible. We try to use all the social media platforms along with good old boards and leaflets.
I ran the route 5 days before the race to check that the paths had been cut back and that the runners have a clear path. The evening before the race we put the signs out so no one gets lost and that there is no confusion about the course route.
This is my son helping with the signs
6.45am on the morning of the race we were setting up at race HQ so that we are prepared to welcome the runners and spectators.
I love the buzz around the start of a race, people warming up, butterflies in my tummy, the countdown, the adrenaline kicking in… The lovely Vero, who runs the boot camp on a Saturday morning in Compton, took the runners through some stretches and warm up moves.
The horn went off and we all began, out of the gates and up towards the ridgeway! The course takes in the beautiful countryside with undulating paths and stunning views across the ridgeway… this is code for hills a plenty, but I guess what goes up must come down!
After completing the race we were rewarded with our fabulous medals along with a well earned slice of flapjack.
I met an inspiring man before the race called Darren, he was running his first 10km having lost 1.5 stone and quit smoking after 30 years of 20/day. General health is very important, looking after your body as well as your teeth. Smoking is a risk factor for many conditions including accelerated bone loss around the teeth putting you at an increased risk of loosing teeth early. Diet is also a very important factor affecting both teeth and our general health. It gives us our energy so that we can participate in activities such as running, it enables our mind to focus on our daily tasks and the right diet can also reduce incidence of illness and improve general health. Darren completed his 10km in 1hr6minutes which is an achievement that he can be proud of! Well done Darren!!
This is Darren and his friend before the race
All finished for another year! Thank you to The Briars for supplying our fabulous medals!
The results have been published along with the professional photos on the Downlands Dash website
Results 2019
I’ll be back for another blog soon, in the mean time, stay fit and healthy…!
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