Over 50 runners from Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Couch to Relay programme at the Melvin Sports Complex are looking forward to the exhilarating reward for their 12 weeks of hard training when they take part in the Strabane Lifford Half Marathon relay next week.
The teams of three have been preparing under the watchful eye of former World Masters Cross Country Champion and Everybody Active Coach at Council Mark Connolly who says they are raring to go ahead of the inaugural relay element of the popular cross border event.
The ninth edition of the Strabane Lifford Half Marathon takes place from 9.30am on Sunday May 19th when runners will set off from Meeting House Square to take on the 13.1 mile course that straddles both sides of the border before concluding with a grandstand finish at the Melvin Running Track.
“The group all committed to training three days a week back in February and together they have worked hard to get themselves to a good level of fitness,” said Mark.
“They are all buzzing for race day now, it’s a great opportunity for them to run in an event of this scale and get their first medal and commemorative t shirt.”
The group assembled nine weeks ago after Mark made a call out at the event’s launch in Strabane and, although they experienced some early teething problems, their coach has been delighted with their progress.
“The group had a wide range of abilities when we assembled nine weeks ago, we had people who do regular physical activity, some who had run previously but hadn’t for years and some who have never run at all,” he added.
“We’ve had a few bumps along the way, many of them learned the importance of the right footwear and good form early on when they experienced strain injuries such as shin splints but having changed their shoes to ones with more support and with some guidance on their alignment they were able to continue their training.”
The aim of the programme is not only to prepare the group for their 7km leg of the Half Marathon Relay but to give them a grounding in running that could lead to bigger challenges in the future.
“In my experience as a coach the ones who stay with it are the ones who build their training and distance gradually,” Mark noted.
“Some people decide they are going to do a Half Marathon and end up pushing it to get their distance up for race day and with that comes strain injury and they fall away from running.
“The relay is the ideal gateway into running where you can prepare for a manageable distance and get the experience and atmosphere of race day and then aim to complete the full event down the line after you have completed your first 10k and 10 mile event.
“If you can run 5k in the parkrun you’ll have no bother doing 7k on the day if you run at a slightly slower pace, the combination of the crowd and not wanting to let your team mates down will spur you on.”
As runners from all over the Council area and beyond prepare for May 19th, Mark had some nuggets of advice for the field of over 1,000 runners who will take part.
“You have to put the training in obviously but hydration and nutrition are so important too,” he said. “I’ve been telling the group that it’s not just about getting fluid on board on race day, your training will go much better if you are drinking water before and after your sessions.
“In the weeks leading up to the race, focus on eating sensible food with a good balance of carbohydrates and protein, carbs are important the day before the event but it’s important to avoid any heavy sauces too that might upset you during the race.
“On long runs a lot of athletes begin to lose their form in the second half and that can lead to tension injuries, particularly in the lower back, it’s more important to get the miles in and keep your form rather than running fast and not being aligned.
“I wouldn’t recommend taking caffeine gels unless you have experience of taking them on all your long runs, it can often do more harm than good if you are not used to them and can upset runners stomachs and end up spoiling your run.”
The Strabane Lifford Half Marathon is hosted by Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Events team.
A small number of entries for the relay, wheelchair and full Half Marathon are open now at www.derrystrabane.com/slhm, registration will close at the end of this week or when the event reaches capacity.
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