Retford Half Marathon

Sunday 16th March 2025 | Retford | Author Paul Bednall

The Retford Half Marathon, held on March 16, 2025, was a remarkable event  that showcased the dedication and talent of runners from various clubs,  including nine from Dronfield Running Club. The race, organized by Retford  Athletic Club, saw a strong turnout despite chilly weather conditions, with 677  finishers. 

On the evening before, I found myself at a lively celebration at Pride Park  Stadium— no the super Rams haven't won the cup, it was a 40th birthday party  that promised great company and over indulgence (yes alcohol was consumed).  However, it also doubled as an unorthodox warm-up for the half marathon  scheduled for the very next morning.

This race preparation style is not new to Kirsty and I, remembering back to the  2022 Cambridge Half Marathon which became the stage for unexpected  personal best achievements, following a whirlwind day of over indulgence  (continuing well into the morning of the race) at a wedding celebration. Its all  about balance! 

Driving over to Race HQ we realised it was Sarah Sanderson in front, I didn't  know it then but this was going to be the narrative of the day, Sarah in Front!.  Pulling up to the entrance Sarah charmed her way into the car park, but alas the  parking gods were not in our favour. The bollard man blocked our way and waved  us on destined to park in the nether streets of Retford.

Determined not to get frost bite (as suffered at Bolsover 10K) I’d bought my  gloves for the walk to Race HQ. Here we collected our race number, met fellow  Bees and joined the obligatory line for the you know what. 

A word about race strategy, having never done this race before, I checked out  the route on Strava and noted 3 miles were slightly uphill towards the end.  Determined not to go off too fast, I reviewed my recent 5K races from parkrun  (average 22:30) and NWIP (22:05). This converts to a minutes per mile half  marathon pace of 7:57 and 7:46 respectively. Knowing it was not an easy finish,  and being my first half of the season, the plan was not to go out too fast. 

 And we are off! For the first three miles I ran in a swarm of Bees, in front of  us were 3 speedier drones. Gradually we began to split, breaking away with  Sarah Sanderson and then realising my pace was too fast I slowed to take on  water around mile 4 and Sarah pulled away. I chatted away to some other  runners and then refocused and got back on pace, the correct pace! Mile 6 the  gloves are off and I’m nibbling on the super charged Voom cubes to give me a  boost on the out and back section where we had chance to support fellow Bees  as they passed running the other way. I took on water at every station and an  iron rich water (blood donors tip) at mile 9 to combat loss through sweat. In the  final stages I was still feeling strong, the pace dropping slightly due to the  slight incline and fatigue but I held my position overtaking a couple in the final  stretch and gave a strong finish. Average pace was 7:51, in the middle of my  predicted pace. With a chip time of 1:43:00, not a recent PB, but the race for  me was about building running confidence for Manchester Marathon next month  and running sensibly to my current fitness.

The club's runners were well-prepared and represented their club with pride,  adding to the spirit of camaraderie that defined the event, being in the club  Road Race League this year. Several PB’s were achieved by club members  including Simon Alexander, Jim Crooks and Stuart Hazlehurst. Sorry if I missed  anyone. Well done to all who took part. 

The Retford Half Marathon continues to be a highlight in the local running  calendar, bringing together athletes of all levels to celebrate the joy of running  and community spirit.

See you next year!