2010 A running oddity

[Bierzo Baggie]

Is the shortest distance between two points always a straight line?

The inexhaustible Chus Alonso, veteran athlete, organizer and course designer of the Cacabelos 10k is a man who loves straight lines. The straighter the better. The 10ks and half marathons that bear the Chus Alonso hallmark are to be run fast. Right angles are a necessary momentum-breaking evil which bring you inevitably back to the start/finish line. And if there was a shorter distance between 2 points than a straight line then Mr Alonso would have discovered it.

Thursday April 1st was race day in Cacabelos. Went with Roel and as expected the straight line prevailed although the circuit was not unattractive. A short first lap took us around town in a linear sort of way and the second lap took us out into the country.

Here we met the race walker tearing along at an astonishing pace. Having recently pondered on the subject of racewalking this was mere confirmation that walking is just another form of running. Ran alongside him for a chat. The guy was Galician and usually ran 20k races....or rather he walked them. His best time was 1:29. And his sister lived in Notting Hill and supported Chelsea. Nice chap.... but yesterday he was way too fast for me. He walked off into the distance as we plodded on gloomily in his wake . I wonder if he took “run breaks”.

A long long straight straight road took us back to Cacabelos where the Dutch powerhouse outsprinted me into the village square. Our time was around 48 and a half minutes.

Next race; the Monte Pajariel half marathon. April 11th.