It is a long way to Almansa but it is worth doing it. Last Saturday on 2oth May I drove to that town in the province of Albacete near the provinces of Valencia, Alicante and Murcia. I drove with Juan Pedro, who also took part at Cartagena half. We left at 11:15 am from Almería and after a few stops in Vera and Puerto Lumbreras where we had lunch at a restaurant. We only had a big ham bocadillo ( sandwich ) and a beer for him and a coke for myself. It was a hot sunny day and when we arrived at Almansa, it was quite hot, around 30º Celsius. We had to ask for the sports pavilion where the start was since there were no signs. There was a big free car park near the start. As Juan Pedro had not managed to get a race number since the 2500 limit had been reached ten days before, we asked the girls who gave me my race number if he could use one ot a runner who did not turn up. They told us that he would have to wait until five minutes before the start and he would be able to run with a race number but without a chip.
This race has grown a lot in the last years and has become one of the best half marathons in Spain. The reasons can be several: the entry fee, three euros, goes to a charity for parents of mentally disabled children, the bag of goodies is really generous since you get when you finish a rucksack with a pair of beach sandals, a pair of socks, a technical long sleeve T-shirt, a pack of chocolates, a bottle of water and something else that I cannot remember. Besides, the people in the town are encouraging all the time with even a band of drummers playing and with fireworks and firemen and people in some streets with hoses throwing water up to get a quick shower if you like. There are also a lot of drinking and sponge stands. The course has two laps around the town and in the city centre as well. There is a long steep hill in kilometre seven and seventeen but there are also downhills.
There I met some friends I had met in other races through the virtual club Carreraspopulares.com such as Josep1, Sergio, Pecigo, Orwell or Angelín and others I met that day like Elmurciano. Cepa, Marce, etc. The atmosphere was very nice.
The race started at 6:30 pm. I went with Juan Pedro and other Carreraspopulares runners. We were intending to do it in two hours. Angelín was disguised as a clown giving sweets to the children. He had done the previous Saturday Ronda 101 kms in 22 hours.
The first part was very hot and I got thirsty soon after drinking my bottle of water. I went with them the first three kilometres at a 6´ pace the kilometre but I could not follow that pace after kilometre 10, so I had to slow down and I met José, who works at a nuclear plant at Cofrentes in Valencia but he lives in Almansa and comes from Cartagena where I worked at a secondary school several years ago. We went together a few kilometres where we saw the beautiful landscape which surrounds this town with the castle in the background and the ranges of mountains further on. However, I could not follow his pace either and in the last four kilometres he went on. I walked for one minute in several drinking stations so that I could feel better and avoid stiffness. I had a piece of orange at a stand and a woman in the last hill before the finish offered us a bottle of water that I accepted. People said Ánimo, que ya queda poco. Come on, ( Courage ), it is nearly over. I remember a boy sitting on a wheelchair, who seemed to have a brain paralysis, saying Ánimo. It was really moving. Finally I arrived at the finish, seeing how the people were clapping.
My watched showed 2 hours 15 minutes 5 seconds. A bit disappointing since I had hoped to lower the two hour barrier but it was not bad since I had finished without getting injured, which I had feared since in Cartagena I had to run 14 kms with some discomfort in my right calf. I got my rucksack with a lot of goodies. There were some stands where I had a coke and a lot of pieces of oranges because I was very thirsty. There was another runner who told me that he preferred having oranges to coke or beer which was in another stand. I agreed with him. That was the best after the race as well as just some water. There was a stand with a typical dish from La Mancha, gazpacho manchego but there were too many people waiting to get a plate. Apart from the bag of goodies, they had done a draw before the race to give some more presents depending on your finishing position but I hadn´t been lucky. However, as I arrived among the last one hundred runners, I was given a bottle of wine from Almansa.
I looked for Juan Pedro in the finishing area but I could not find him so I went to the car park but I did not see him. I saw some friends from Carreraspopulares.com who had done the half in around two hours such as Marce, Pascual, Angelín who had taken off his clown fancy dress. After getting changed, I got back to the start to look for him but he was not there. So, I went back to the car where he was waiting for me. He had finished in one hour 57 minutes, which is quite good but he did not feel completely satisfied. Then, we drove back to Almería where we arrived at 2 am. It had been a tiring day but the experience had been great.
Those afternoon races are killers because of the heat. I've done a few around here and I've never liked them. Anything over 25º is too much for me...come back winter all is forgiven!
Sounds like Almansa should receive the goodie bag of the year award.
Thank you, BB. I also find it hard running in the evening due to the heat and also the stomach, which is usually heavier than in the morning.
If anyone is interested in doing 103 kms on foot or 123 kms on bicycle, there´s a competition on Saturday 30th September. I want to do it just walking in 24 hours.
Good race Antonio - especially considering the extremely late start and the heat. Running an early morning race is much easier on the body I think. So your time for this race is great. Well done!
anlu247 Wrote:I also find it hard running in the evening due to the heat and also the stomach, which is usually heavier than in the morning.
Ain't that the sad truth Antonio.
Actually my stomach seems to get heavier no matter what the time of day or night. But congratulations for taking on the heat of the day and having a good run despite the painful calf.
Greetings from sunny Hamburg.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
great running in that sort of heat - haven't got that problem in the UK at the moment :-( more likely that we'll end up with webbed feet as we come to the end of a May that has recieved record dousings.
Yeah it's terrible, isn't it LJS? One of my traditional domestic duties was to stand around holding a hosepipe for an hour or so each evening after work, not in the least thinking how much better it would be to be in the pub. It's terrible that I've been deprived of this important domestic function. It gave meaning to my life.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Not that it has been needed with the recent downpours, but the alternative to standing with a hosepipe in one hand and a bottle of beer in other on a nice evening, is the horrible watering can!! It involves too many trips to aforementioned hosepipe to fill up watering and walk back to water plants. It also, at least for me, doesn't seem to be as easy to drink beer while attending to this version of this domestic task, which of course doesn't count as a domestic task, at least in the eyes of Mrs LJS :-)
Women have an odd idea about what counts as work. My wife doesn't appreciate that internet research is an important part of my daily workload. She thinks I enjoy all this stuff, and (the logic goes) if I enjoy it, it can't be work.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
VII Medio maratón de Almansa. 20th May 2006
