RNR 2009
Well, it’s all over for another year! And it was just as enjoyable as ever. The Round Norfolk Relay never seems to disappoint. Much fun is had by all, and many funny stories and anecdotes emerge that provide talking points for many months to come.
The day started at 4am, with very little sleep gained from the night before due to the anticipation of the weekend ahead. The rendevouz point with the minibus was 5 a.m. at the Chase car park, to pick up the Chief Timekeeper Corrina with bike, the first-stage runner Phill, with Cliffy driving. Cue the first mishap of the day – Cliffy and Phill managed to both find the present a doggy had left on the pavement. One of them wiped it off, but the other decided to contribute to the minibus aroma for the first few miles.
Then it was off to the
Sports Centre to collect Audrey and the other bike, to Lynford to pick up Mick,
and to Mundford to pick me up.
We made registration at Kings Lynn nice and early and cheered the 6:30am
starters off. As official timekeeper for the team it was Corrina’s Most
Important Duty to start the stopwatch on time. Last year the two stopwatches
were 11 seconds out as we failed to start them on time. This year only one
didn't get started, Corrina’s, it was six seconds out so a PB by our standards
J (If you watch the 7.00 start video on the RNR
website you will see us trying to figure it out!)
Once Audrey and Phill had decided on a route (bit late for that guys!), Phill
set off at 7.00 precisely, just after sunrise, with Audrey in hot pursuit on the
bike. We had a swift coffee and then it was back on the bus to get to Wolverton
to pick Audrey up as Phill went off road. Several other vehicles were waiting
at this point, and we saw the Norwich Road Runners’ support vehicle with the
“Mad Frogman”. Soon Phil and Audrey were in sight,
Audrey
finished her cycling and Phill went off into the distance. We piled back into
the minibus and went to the next viewing point on a beach somewhere near
Snettisham. Phill was running well but glad of a bit of encouragement.
Next stop was Hunstanton to see Phill in, wave goodbye to Richard, and partake of the very agreeable bacon rolls. Phill wasn’t too keen on his so his loss was the dog’s gain. The skies were still overcast, but the promise was for a sunny day ahead.
Our mini bus driver for the first 4 stages, Mad Mick as he became known,
encouraged us back onto the bus. He thought he was in a little sports car the
way he threw the bus round the corners. Much giggling from us girlies as we
threw our arms in the air in a roller coaster experience kind of way.
Next stop was Burnham Deepdale, to see Richard running through a marsh-type landscape on his way to Burnham Overy. Then we went to Burnham Overy to find the Tylers already there and raring to go. Tony informed us that Lucy had gone for a warm-up, which was slightly worrying given her track record in this department!! However, she returned safe and sound, and soon Richard appeared and Lucy set off on her stage, with Rhys in hot pursuit with strict instructions to go at Lucy’s pace. The sun had put his hat on, and the temperature was starting to rise.
Next stop was Wells, where we met up with the rest of the gang. Much fnarring
and photo taking, t-shirt exchanging and stripping off (of jackets you
understand) took place. Lucy and Rhys appeared, and Lucy handed over to papa
aka Hoofy. Audrey was under instructions to get a photo of the three of them,
but an interloper (lady in cardigan) spoiled the family reunion. Lucy had
another excellent run, finishing third junior on her stage, with all 3 juniors
beating the first lady runner.
The (now quite numerous) minibus crew enjoyed a welcome ice-cream in the
sunshine, then it was on to Salthouse for the next changeover.
Sitting on the shingle bank chatting with the Fetchies took our minds off Tony’s
time. He was longer than expected and we were concerned that his calf injury
may have proved a problem. However, soon he was running towards us trying to
avoid all the vehicles, cyclists, hangers on etc, to hand over to Tony C and his
support runner, Nick. Off they went towards the very high mound, on one of the
toughest stages of the race. We made our way to Cromer in the minibus, having
left Mick with the Tylers, and Cliffy took over the driving. The next event is
told in Cliffy’s own words.
“Picture the scene
The sun was shining, Black Sabbath Paranoid (absolute classic by the way) had just come on the radio as we turned into the car park for the Cromer changeover. Team Thetford were just about to make their entrance and everyone was going to know about it!! The windows went down - the radio volume went up to 11 on the dial
"Finished with my woman cos she couldn't"............................................................................................BANG!!!!!......................Sh*t what the f**k was that!!!
Well..............
Some idiot - probably a jobsworth tit of a marshal from Wissington (you had to be there) had put a 2.1 meter height restriction bar up on the entrance to the car park. (In my defence the small minibus went under this with no problem last year) It became apparent to me when Jimmy M stood there with the radio aerial in his hand that the height of the minibus was disproportionate to the height of the barrier.
First reaction? yep reverse the van.......................................BEEEEEEEP!!!! by now I had a queue of cars behind me waiting to get in, one of which I could only been a knats knacker from reversing into.
Second reaction? yep drive forwards again, now I had removed the aerial I should get under the barrier. As I inched forwards the scraping noise from the roof confirmed that there was no way we were going under.
"You have got cars behind you" a helpful guy pointed out "Well I can't go anywhere until they back up" was my whitty reposte! and fair play to him he got everyone to back up and we eventually went in through the exit.
Big entrance? Perhaps we might tone it down a bit for next year.
Washing powder? DAZ not aerial from now on”
Cliffy and Jimmy went off to buy fish and chips, and cue the next panic – they had taken the keys and we had left the stopwatches in the minibus! Audrey sprinted off down the road to retrieve the keys, luckily she returned before Tony came in. Tony handed over to Paul, who set off with Jimmy following by road on the bike, to catch Paul up at the golf course. The day was proving hot and breezeless by now, so we waited while Tony and Nick got their breath back and cooled down a little. We were about 18 minutes behind schedule by now, but there was still a long way to go.
Then it was on to Mundesley
to see Paul finish and send me on my way. The lure of the caykes was too much
for several people’s weak spirits and sweet tooth, and yummy slabs of syrup
sponge were purchased for the bargain price 50p. You have gotta love old women
and village halls 
I set off with Richard on the bike, in the hot afternoon sunshine and still no breeze. When Audrey, Corrina and I looked at the profile my stage seemed quite flat, but that did not prove to be the case. The first 5 miles were quite undulating, but I managed to keep the pace going. The minibus went past us and stopped in a small village right by the sea. Audrey and Corrina waited on the sea wall for us to pass, and from then on the temperature cooled and the breeze picked up, which made for much more pleasant running. Soon the changeover point was in sight, and I happily handed over to Audrey, pleased that I had finished under the time schedule (it was Nicki’s time rather than mine admittedly!), but 3 minutes is 3 minutes!!
Audrey set off with Tony on the bike, while Cliffy had a quick nap in the bus
and Corrina did a quick change into her running gear, race bunches sorted and
she was ready to go!!
Then onto Horsey and Corrina’s turn to do her bit!! Soon Audrey was in sight,
smiling as she passed the baton onto Corrina. Audrey managed to pass several
runners on her stage. At one point Tony asked her if she was going for her
hat-trick (3) and Audrey asked who was Patrick?!! After that, three overtakings
became known as a Patrick! Audrey was very pleased with her run, 4 minutes
under her time, and she hugged and kissed Tony, much to his surprise!
We then set off for Yarmouth, tentatively planning to double back on Corrina’s stage if it got dark before Yarmouth. Paul was driving by this time, giving Cliffy a break and chance to change ready for his stage. We arrived at Yarmouth and met up with the two Steves, one driving and the other cycling. Corrina came into the changeover point and handed on to Cliffy, who set off with Steve N on the bike. We had to hand the timing sheet in to the race marshals before leaving Yarmouth, but they had got into such a muddle that we had a 15-minute delay while they got it together. Then Steve M and I set off to catch up to Cliffy and Steve, who had nearly made it out of Yarmouth by then. Steve and I missed the turn at the first attempt so had to double-back (my poor navigation!), but soon we caught up to the boys and started the long night stages.
Cliffy had a good run, and soon we arrived at McDonalds er sorry, the changeover point at Geldeston. The marshals nearly sent Steve the wrong way – shouting at people sitting in a minibus is slightly pointless chaps! Anyway, Cliffy handed over to Dean, and Kevin and Nev took over the driving and timekeeping. Cliffy had a few minutes to stretch and cool down, and then it was back in the minibus to get back to Thetford. At the changeover, Steve had been accosted by the Safety Manager for the RNR who told him the rotating light wasn’t working properly. We debated what to do, but decided to try to manage as we were unlikely to see him again!!
We set off for Thetford, quite a long drive, but got to Cliffy’s house at 11.45, for a quick comfort break and drink. Then it was off to the Sports Centre to collect Stuart, Tony C and Cathy ready to head off to the Scole handover. We made it to Scole in good time, so parked the minibus and Steve managed to fix the light – hoorah! Dean soon came down the hill, and Stuart and Tony set off. Dean wasn’t feeling very well, Kevin had gone to park the car and we really needed to leave. However, Dean looked in a bad way and then the Race Director himself appeared. He got Dean a chair and we found him some water, the Race Director asked for his jacket but we didn’t have it as it was in Kevin’s car! Cathy and I felt so bad for leaving Dean, but we had to get on the road to follow Stuart. However, I rang Kevin later and he confirmed that after a hot drink Dean was feeling much better. He had pushed himself and managed to finish 5 ½ minutes under his prediction. Well done Dean!
Soon we caught up to Stuart and Tony, and set off on the long road to Thetford. The rotating light was working intermittently so I called Kevin to ask if he would catch us up to borrow his light, but then Steve managed to get our light working again. Sorry Kevin!! Steve pulled the light within his reach on the roof and each time the light went out he wiggled the wire and it came on again. It kept him occupied during the long drive! Stuart was running well, so much so that Steve became an expert at overtaking other runners and drivers. It started to rain but this did not deter Stuart, in fact he speeded up. He managed 5 Patricks (15 overtakings) on his leg, a fantastic achievement in his first RNR! Stuart finished 14th on his stage, what a fab run! Soon Thetford was in sight, fortuitous as the light had now packed up completely. Thetford changeover was very busy, Corrina and Paul were coping with exhausted runners, mad drivers, and eager supporters. They did a marvellous job! Stuart handed over to Caroline, and we stopped for a welcome hot drink and cayke. Audrey was receiving donations for our refreshments, very ingenious and funds much needed for a good stopwatch!! Jill was enjoying her tea-making, Steve and Stuart set off for more water, and Cathy was relieved of her timekeeping duties and took over from Audrey on the cake stall.
Caroline had a marvellous run from Thetford to Feltwell, finishing 10 minutes under her predicted time and second lady on her stage (third time lucky for a stage prize next year Caroline!) She handed over to Jimmy, who set off with Tony C still cycling (how’s the seat, Tone?!)
In the meantime Steve M and I went back to the house with Audrey hoping for a rest, but we just had time for tea and toast before Cliff arrived at 5.00 a.m. with Gill, Wendy and Louise, ready to head off to the next handover. We all set off in the minibus, collecting Corrina and some left-over cakes at the marshal point, before heading for Wissington. We passed several runners still on the Thetford to Feltwell stage – they had a long night ahead of them! We arrived at the chaos that is Wissington at 5.30 a.m., to wait for Jimmy. Ang was already there ready to cycle the stages with Gill and Wendy.
Soon Jimmy came over the hill and Gill and Ang set off. We met up with Kevin to exchange rotating lights and retrieve the timing sheet from Nev, who had done a sterling job of timing his three stages with a third stopwatch! Our sheets agreed exactly, no mean feat when he had no clue of our total running time. Kevin and Corrina had a quick hug, the light was fixed to the minibus and off we went. The sun was just starting to rise, and Gill was running well. By daylight Gill needed to find a bush, so we went on ahead to Downham Market so that Wendy could prepare for her run. It was drizzling by this point, but Wendy was ready if a little nervous. We parked in Heygates yard as there was a barrier into the main car park (not that again!) Soon we could see Gill and Ang in the distance, Wendy received the baton from Mum and off she went.
We followed Wendy in the minibus for the first couple of miles, but by then it was daylight and the roads were very narrow, so we drove on to Stow Bridge so that a very nervous Louise could also find a bush, and prepare for her run! Unfortunately one of the stopwatches got zeroed on the way (I nodded off and hit the button!) but I managed to restart it on the 24 hour point, so we had two running again. Wendy got to the changeover just after 8.00 a.m., having completed her longest run without stopping and her first ever race. Well done Wendy!
Louise set off on the final leg of our journey, with Audrey accompanying her on the bike. Wendy went home with her partner, and the rest of us – Gill, Corrina, Ang, Tony, Jimmy, Steve and myself with Cliffy driving – set off for Kings Lynn for the grandstand finish. We arrived to see several other teams coming home, with the Race Director holding the finishing tape for every finishing runner, a very nice touch. Dean was also there, and Team Thetford cheered Louise home in style!! By now we were back to one stopwatch, but as we were at the end it didn’t matter. We handed our timesheet to the Race Timekeeper, who was one second ahead of us! However, we were credited with our stopwatch time of 26 hours 58 minutes and 35 seconds, 13 minutes behind our schedule but 47 minutes faster than last year. Well done us!!!
We had finished our third RNR, and had enjoyed it every bit as much as the previous two years. All our runners had been in the right place at the right time, had put in excellent performances, doing their very best for the team. The camaraderie and friendship within our club is second to none, and it was a pleasure to spend the weekend with such a fabulous group of people.
Debate has already begun on which stage to run next year, and the anecdotes from this year will provide topics of conversation for many months to come. (And the nicknames for next year are already being planned!)
Cheers everyone!!
Rosemary (Might need a bush) Matlock
RNR Team Captain
RNR 2008 race report - click here