The Zoo Run

08/03/2016 21:33

Started off steady, but fairly near to the front. A lot of people overtook me in the first kilometre. A little while later several of the volunteers and marshalls were telling me that I was third female - this was not a timed race, there were no prizes and no placings, so I just kept running steady and looking around, enjoying the scenery!
I did the 12km race here a few years ago but with my extra baby weight to carry up each slope it felt much, much hillier than I remembered!
We started in the "day" zoo. Most of the way I passed men who had started faster than me.

At about 2km I ran past a big "it's a boy!" sign at the giraffe pen. I couldn't help smiling to myself, "how did they know?!"

I passed an arch where the route split for the kids and family 2.5km race then we went into the night safari area.

After about 4km I passed a woman into 2nd place, i slowed for a few drinks on the way and then we were finished at 5.5km.

I walked all the way to the finishing area, had a drink, waited until I stopped sweating and changed my tshirt.

My husband and the kids arrived for their runs which started a lot later than mine. We sent the eldest off first for the kids 2.5km race, went to the finish (after being misdirected no fewer than 4 times!) and watched him sprint the last few hundred metres from the polar bears to the finish.

We trekked all the way back to the car park (about a km) to collect his drink, banana and finisher medal and then went all the way back to the start again to meet Daddy and younger brother finish the family run!