Great Manchester Run 2007 Special

Hello,

Quick results for those that don’t want to read the full report was:
Forename(s) Surname Race No Time Race Position
Andrew Shirres 9206 01:08:49 16266

Well 364 days ago I ran the Great Manchester Run, and today I did it again. However these two runs couldn’t have been more different. This time, thanks to the ever persuasive Kate Thomas of the Manchester British Red Cross, I got to run it as Sharky, the mascot of the Sale Sharks!

I knew it would be hard, but I did think that I’d still be able to do it in a reasonable time and had high hopes of trying to set a Red Cross Mascot record at the distance. After picking the mascot suit up though, my high hopes took a bit of a dent as the head weighed a bit, and the visibility was terrible! It was going to be harder then I expected!

As I got to the Charity village in the G-Mex and put the mascot outfit my hopes took another dent as with the head on it got quiet hot very quickly inside the thing… and that was when I was stood still, but it was too late to back out now! To the left is a photo of me in the Charity village before the start.

A special mention should go to two of my friends who were also running the Great Manchester run for the first time this year. Belch had come back from a long term annoying knee injury that had required surgery, and Justin who was running for Diabetes UK after being diagnosed with the condition a while ago.

After being guided to the start (the head meant I couldn’t see the curbs and bollards) all the mascots were gathered together. Our group consisted of Ronnie the Rhino, Wolfie, Red Ed the Roughyed (who’d told me he’d recovered from a heart attack after wearing the outfit during a match!), Rocky the Robin, Roary the Lion and the Cheshire Cat. The beginning of the race was quiet difficult due to the restricted vision and thankfully I had Kate guiding me during the congested beginning sections.

Running as Sharky was quiet an experience as he’s very popular and there were lots of shouts coming out from the side and so lots of arm waving from me. Very quickly it got hot in the suit so I had to tone the pace down. I’d picked up a pace band for a target time of 55 mins, but it was so hard to see anything I didn’t bother trying to track my progress and just plodded forward in a herd mentality with the rest of the crowd. The head got particularly humid due to the heat and not enough fresh air getting inside. Thankfully I’d worn my hydration pack under my mascot suit so had a ready supply of water to take on via my straw as I needed it.

Quite a keen race was developing between Wolfie and myself as we kept overtaking each other on the dual carriageway. I bumped into a great many people on my way round and as I was approaching Old Trafford I felt brave enough to leave my minder for a while and try my luck at a faster pace. This year’s run went in the tunnels underneath the stands of Old Trafford and so was a welcome diversion to the usual route, and as I emerged from the last tunnel, a BBC reporter grabbed me and interviewed Sharky! My moment of fame wasn’t to be sadly as it did not appear on TV, why this was I don’t know, maybe because by this point I was so dazed I couldn’t come up with a witty reply to any of his questions, or maybe it was the head stopping his microphone getting close enough to pick up my replies. After finishing the interview I saw Wolfie a good 50 metres in front and knew that it was time to start running again. Thankfully there was an empty lane at this point so I sprinted and caught up with him just as we got to the water stations. Drinking bottled water in Sharky is quiet a skill I tell you! As we went into Salford, I’m afraid I couldn’t see any of the sights, and as we crossed the bridge Wolfie announced to me he had to walk for a while. I felt good enough to carry on, but Wolfie’s outfit was even woollier than mine and I had my hydration pack and given the temperature I’m sure it was for the best that he toned it down a bit, it’s only a run after all.

The last 4 km seemed to take an age to get round. I’d realised by this point from a quick glance at my watch I had no hope of getting under an hour, and was really beginning to suffer with the heat. The humidity inside the suit must have been the highest rating in the UK, and I was surprised that it didn’t start raining inside the Shark head! I really have no idea how anyone could attempt a half marathon in a full mascot suit, let alone a full marathon. I have a new found level of respect for people who’ve managed that feat… incredible!

Around 8 km I was really suffering and my stride length had reduced dramatically. I had to walk for 30 seconds whilst I drank some water as I no longer had the energy to drink from my straw and run at the same time. As I walked I got lots of encouragement from other runners who were patting me on my shoulder and telling there wasn’t far to go, and which gave me enough energy to start running again. I quickly ran out of energy though and if it hadn't been for Kate and another Red Cross runner catching me up and offering further words of encouragement for the remainder of the race, I'm certain I'd have dropped back to a walk.

As the finish line approached, I used what little energy I had to stumble across the finish line in what was an attempted sprint finish, but probably looked more like the drunken end to a Saturday night pub crawl. I managed to finish in 1:08:49, and if I find out the other mascot times I’ll post them up.

It was a great experience, but very tiring and easily the hardest race of my life to date. I’ve not yet decided if I’ll run it again as a mascot though. After talking to the lad who ran as Wolfie at the end of the race, he said he’d run in a few of the other mascot suits and believed Rocky Robin was the best mascot suit to run in for getting a fast time as there are no legs or arms on it so you’re a little cooler.

My friends who also ran it had great races. Belch with his ex-dodgy knee got round in 1:04:08 and was rightly pleased with his time. Justin completed it 1:06:41 and seemed to relish the experience and I’m sure he’ll be back next year when hopefully we can get a few more involved.

I’d like to thank the British Red Cross and Sale Sharks for making it possible for me to run as Sharky. Sale Sharks were particularly hospitable and made me a guest of honour at the England Saxons V USA Eagles Rugby game which was a great surprise and hopefully I did them proud as Sharky

Cheers

Andy