Sunday 4th August 2024.
Darlington.
What started as a bit of a wet and grim morning gave way to warmth and sunshine and a fantastic turnout at the Darlington 10K road race.
Ran on entirely closed roads and well marshalled, with water stations and great support from participants families, friends and the town in general, what's not to like?!
While I very much enjoy my trail runs these days, there's a lot to be said for a good road run, especially one as well organised as this and with such good support all through the course.
It's a 2-lap route, but it never feels especially like laps, as the crowds and the other runners keep things moving along so nicely you barely notice! Flat for about 85% of the course, there are definitely flatter courses, but it's certainly not anything that'll challenge you too much so is ideal for a first go at a 10K or, like me, trying to shave off minutes from a previous attempt (almost 12 minutes quicker this year than last!)
Look out for lots of members of Darlingtons many running clubs and groups including the Quakers, Harriers, Up & Running (Social Run Group) and Darlo Runners.
Finally, i tried to keep the footage as steady as possible, but apologies for some odd shaky footage in the last minute or so (after the jelly babies!), not sure what happened there, but the camera was not my friend for those few moments!