Les Croupiers Running Club Forum

Just a word to say thank you to everyone who made this event such a success.
Phil and his team work incredibly hard to make these events happen, and this morning seemed to go pretty much perfectly. Thanks, as always, to all the volunteers, whether out on the course or at the finish. Race HQ at the Scout Hall works really well too.
I particularly like these intimate style events, 150 athletes and no hassle. Something of a throwback really. By a strange coincidence, it's exactly 40 years to the day that I ran my first half marathon in Romford - 24 March 1979. I was 23. This, of course, is pre-Croups.
I dropped out of the race at 5 miles, which I ran in 26:05 and was lying 12th (leader 24:50). I knew nothing about Romford prior to the race. It is hilly. There were 170 runners.
By another strange coincidence, I found out recently that Steve Jones also made his half marathon debut in Romford - but in March 1976. He was only 20 and running for the RAF. He finished 22nd in 73:22. He didn't run another half marathon for 6 years, when he won Barry in 1982 in 62:40, then Rhymney Valley the following year in 61:25. He didn't taste defeat until the Great North Run of 1986, when Kenyan Mike Musyoki beat him, 60:43 versus 60:59.
Just shows what you can do if you persevere. That's all the stats for today. More on Thursday.