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Running Down Dementia in the South Atlantic

At the finish of the Stanley Half Marathon
(the medals are stuck on a container ship somewhere in the Atlantic)


The past few weeks have seen me back racing again for the first time since I arrived in the Falkland Islands in July. It wasn't that I didn't want to race, only that there weren't any races to enter. So with that in mind I decide to create my own running event based on the Parkrun format I have enjoyed in the UK all year. The cost and time of trying to set up an actual Parkrun here is currently prohibitive so I instead created the MPC Run (Mount Pleasant Complex) which entails a 5k run at 0800hrs on a Saturday morning. After snow, sleet and gale force winds, I was praying that the first event on the 6th of October wouldn't be a wash out and I was so happy to wake up in the morning to sunshine and low winds. The race went well with 17 runners and 1 dog completing the course which turned out to be .5km longer than I was expecting (I probably should have measured the course but I didn't get round to it and just hoped for the best!). I was so happy that it had all gone to plan and that everyone had a good time and it added a vital 5km onto my running total.


17 runners and a dog at the start of the inaugural MPC Run


The following Saturday's race proved to be a bit more challenging with 25mph winds to run into. Luckily the route is circular so whilst the wind made the first part difficult, it was extremely satisfying to turn the corner and have the wind push you along. I also moved the start line so that the race would be closer to 5km. We had a slightly smaller turnout of 14 runners this week although with the Stanley Half Marathon the following day, it was expected that some people would give the 5k a miss. I chose to run it but slowly at the back just to give my legs a good old stretch before the big day.

We were once again incredibly lucky with the weather on the morning of the Stanley Half Marathon. I had been working until midnight the previous two evenings, which isn't my usual race preparation, and was concerned that I was going to feel really tired. However the sun was shining and our team from the Service Police Station was all buoyed up and ready to go. Our team mainly consisted of first time half marathon runners so there was a lot of apprehension but excitement too. The race started about 10 miles out from Stanley on the main road (which is still gravel in many places) and ran past Stanley and ended at Surf Bay a further 3 miles later. Our main goal was just to finish the race in one piece and hope the weather held out.

The JSPSU running team at the start. Note the beautiful blue sky!


The race started and most of the 96 racers sped off ahead of me. I knew that I wanted to have a slow, relaxed start and so tried not to worry about the others and just pace myself with my watch. My first 3 miles were around the 9:15 pace which was actually faster than I was planning on going and I was worried that I was going to burn out. However the rest of the race seemed to pass like a breeze. The hills were long and hard work but I seemed to be smashing out 8:30 minute miles and bringing down my average mile time much lower than I had anticipated. I knew this race would be the final chance I would have to get a sub 2 hour half marathon this year but I had already dismissed that knowing how the weather and terrain was going to be. I was therefore overjoyed to find myself nearing the end of the race knowing I could run the last few miles at a 10 minute mile pace and still get under the 2 hour mark. I didn't slow down though, I got faster and even overtook a few people in the last mile or so. I finished the race in a time of 1:58:07 and wearing the biggest smile on my face. I finished in 59th place out of 96 runners and was 10th female out of 21. Not a bad morning at all! We also met the JSPSU walkers at the finish who had walked the distance in uniform and carrying weight in their day sacks. You wouldn't catch me doing that! When everyone was finished we started driving back to MPC just as the heavens opened and the hail storms began. We really couldn't have timed it any better!


The JSPSU Runners and Walkers at the finish.

A huge thank you to Dan Martin, Lou Henley and Luke Hamilton for sponsoring me. Your support is invaluable to helping those living with dementia. If you can donate then please click on the link below to visit my fundraising page. I am only £165 from my target!

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/HelenFrancis10


KM Complete: 293KM
KM To Go: 7KM


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