Incorporating England Masters selection for 2026

Race Date: Sunday 9th February 2025

Report by Dot Kesterton

It’s 2025. A new year and a chance to try lengthening my race distance to see how well I can do against other runners of my age. I love the 5k and 10k races, even up to 10miles and have competed well in them over the years so now to have a go at half marathon.

Having already qualified to run in the Home International in Swansea summer 2025 I have to plan for the following year well in advance. I can’t do Chester because it’s too close to this year’s Championship race so have had to go further afield and race in Farnborough, Hampshire.

The build-up to this wasn’t particularly helpful. January snow and ice prevented the planned long runs so I went into the selection race less well prepared than I’d have liked.

After a long drive I arrived in Farnborough just as the England v France 6 Nations Rugby game started. The atmosphere in the hotel lounge was electric as large men with large beers shouted encouragement at the large TV screens. Small woman hid at the back and peered every now and then at the scoreboard. It was all very tense. England finally won by one point in the dying moments of the game to even louder cheers and more beer.

A February race means just one thing; cold, damp and gloomy. Breakfast done, kit on with an extra base layer for comfort, I jogged to the start at the Airship Hangar of the airfield keenly feeling those North Easterlies. Around 2.5 thousand other athletes went through their routines alongside. I learned later that Strider Fiona Tweedie was in the throng but didn’t see her in the start line crush. Only six of that huge number mattered to me, the W70 entrants. We were after a coveted place to run for England against the home nations sometime next year.
All I had to do was run my best.

At 9.00 the claxon sounded, watches activated and hardy supporters cheered. I had broken the race down into four parts in my head. I needed to set a pace, stick to my pace and dig in when the going got tough, around 9 miles in. The course was fairly flat, it being Farnborough Airport. That’s perhaps good in some ways but it makes for a dull and monotonous race. I think we’re just spoiled in Sheffield with our hills to enjoy, negotiate and race.

The first eight or nine miles on the lanes around the airfield went well. I employed my method of running alongside someone for a while using them for pacing and then either letting them go or easing ahead to find someone else to run with. The 1:40 pacer had disappeared into the distance and the next pacers, 1:50, were well behind so I needed to establish my own pace. At around nine miles both the fatigue and a slight nausea set in. It meant I couldn’t take a gel for fear of seeing it again a few minutes later so stuck to sips of water on the route and hoped for the best.

With absolutely no idea how my W70 counterparts were doing I finally hit the timing mats in 1:44:30 chip. It was too cold to hang about so I took a steady walk back to the hotel grateful that the nausea was subsiding. Eventually, coffee and sandwich in hand I checked the results to find I was first in age with a 94.31%AG and a guaranteed place for England selection. The next W70 was around fourteen minutes behind. Mission accomplished, I could go home along a very pot holed M1 feeling happier and warmer though decidedly stiffer as I got further north.

The race was won by Adam Clark, SM in 1:03:46. First Woman was Ellie Monks, W40 in 1:15:55 (No club information was available)

My thanks and appreciation to:
John Rothwell, coach, for wise words and attention to detail.
Donovan Blake, S&C coach for his intimate knowledge and application of how each set of muscles works in relation to the other.
Matt Rimmer and Tess at Myracekitnorth for advice and support.

Dot & Fiona were among 2398 runners who lined up for the Farnborough Winter Half.

Striders Results