Like the great adventurer Bilbo Bagins, I too had been signed up to an
unexpected journey. A Lord of the Rings themed half marathon in the
deepest darkest surrey, by a friend of mine on her last race before
becoming a mother, how could I refuse?
The course was 3 laps of a Thames-side out and back on a pan flat,
hard pack path, with the temperature at an ideal 14 Celsius and a fully
stocked snack table between laps. In my mind, a PB was a cert, and as
the only WACer present, 1st WAC home would be mine at last!
I hadn’t set myself up well for this race, given the trip down south
i’d decided to visit Bushy Park for the Parkrun pilgrimage, with the
idea that a gentle 5km with my old school friends would loosen up the
legs after the long drive, this evolved into an all-out test of
manhood and a Parkrun PB. not ideal.
Things unravelled Quickly, after the start we realised that due to
being distracted we had missed the turn around mark and our first 7km
loop had turned into a 9km loop. Regardless we trooped on and finished
the first lap, at this point I lost the Samwise to my Frodo, who had
decided that it would be best to duck out lest risk injury, we said
our goodbyes and I carried on toward Mordor alone.
The next 2 laps were hindered by the rising temperatures which (much
like the eponymous ring) was sapping my energy and will to continue.
However, other competitors were encouraging and friendly, and we all
helped each other along the journey.
The PB was out of the picture, but the first WAC home was still within
reach, this alone got me through the last 5km and my metaphorical
tossing the ring into Mount Doom was a shiny new medal and a frosty
beer and burger at the finish line.
The Medal
This medal is my favourite, a Heavy brass and enamel masterpiece displaying Frodo and Sam in chibi form, swords in hand, surrounded by the one ring, the quality of this piece is flawless and really stands out from the rest.
| Weight | 142g |
| Dimensions | 81mm x 74mm |
| Material | Brass and enamel |
The ribbon is also a work of art, silky soft with high quality printing, graduated gold with the text from the one ring along with ‘The Lord of the Runs’ and the Saturn racing logo. this race also includes a pin badge of Frodo in the same design as the pendant and a club badge denoting the distance run. this is a really nice touch as it means that all distances get a high quality medal but can be distinguished from each other.
Overall, I rate this Medal 10/10,
the artwork and quality of this medal with the size and weight really portray a sense of achievement, the ribbon and additional pin badges really set this apart from the rest of the pack. the only improvement I could see would be an iTab insert.
