Birmingham Half Marathon Race Report

   Sunday, October 26, 2008

Birmingham might be Britain's second city (no argument about this one with a passionate Brummie ok?) but it's taken until 2008 to get its act together to have decent race worthy of the city. The inaugural running of its half marathon (apparently actually it's third one since the 1980s, but for all intents and purposes a new beginning) took place on a grey and blustery autumnal day that long threatened rain, but never delivered on its sordid promise. It offered to run past many of its landmarks, such as the space age, Barbarella set piece Selfridges and St Martins church - heart of the city centre, but on the changed route instead we got Broad Street, the Mailbox (a shopping centre converted from the old mail depot) and the leafy lanes of Edgbaston.

While the Midlands is undoubtedly flatter than a lead sheet to most in the South West, at West Bromwich in the suburbs it boasts the highest football ground in the country, and with a route starting at the base of one of the many flyovers that duck through Brum's myriad of rabbit warren tunnels, the course was definitely undulating and certainly hillier than several of our local courses such as Bideford. Birmingham City Council's organisation of civic events has been a long standing joke (whether Labour or Tory) with locals, and it was no surprise that several shuttle buses of runners were stranded in heavy traffic, resulting in three delays totalling 25 minutes. Ashia Hansen and the local mayor were there to get on under way for those not frozen to the A34 by this point.

The mile markers were distinctly out of kilter, the first one appearing almost instantly (after only 6 minutes for me). Plenty of mile PBs had to be later scrubbed, as it was confirmed to be at 0.85. After a mile we were then sent up and over two flyovers, down two tunnels and into the city centre proper. The route then seemed to take a ziggurat like approach of uphill flat, uphill flat, uphill flat until we hit Edgbaston at 6 miles and a long downhill stretch to see the eventual winners flying back past at about 9 or 10 miles. The residents of Edgbaston, normally used to scaring off unwelcome nocturnal visitors under the red lights were only marginally more friendly to the runners, standing in silent bemusement, occasionally noting our geographic origins - "Wow Cornwall". The 9 to 11 miles were a further uphill trudge, but the last 2.1 miles were a downhill charge through Broad street and a fantastic crowd, Irish fiddlers, Carribean drummers and a highly enthusiastic crowd, leaving all runners finishing on a definite high, I nicked 2 and half minutes off my pb, and would definitely do it again and recommend those who'd like a change from hills and greenery and the quiet of Cornwall.

chrisullman@tiscali.co.uk