Over the years, I have been lucky enough to run in some amazing places around the world.  This post is dedicated to remembering some of them.

Helen Sharpe ran a great time of 2.47.22 to claim a top-10 finish in the 2014 Virgin London Marathon. She joined 31,000 other competitors on a warm morning in the capital, and finished in 453rd place in the overall field (i.e. including the men). The effort was enough to record a personal best in her second marathon effort, beating her debut marathon time from London two years ago by over 10 minutes.

The race was Helen's first marathon for new club Bristol & West AC, and it saw her pitted against former club-mate Meagan Crawford from Fife AC. Meagan took the early initiative, going through the half-way point in 3rd place in 1:18:17, exactly 3 minutes ahead of Helen. The early pace took its toll however, and in an exciting sprint finish, Helen caught Meagan in the final 300m to win by 7 seconds. The pair claimed 9th and 10th places in the UK Marathon Championships.

​At the front, the elite women's race came down to a sprint finish between two Kenyans, Edna Kiplagat and Florence Kiplagat. Edna Kiplagat won the battle of the two unrelated women and finished in a time of 2:20:21, five minutes slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2005. Florence Kiplagat finished second, three seconds back. Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia finished third in her marathon debut after winning gold medals in the 10,000 metres during the previous two Olympic games.

Yesterday was the Bristol 10k.  I ran a quite fast time of 36.17. Not quite a PB (that is 36.12), it was fast enough to earn 13th spot in a competitive international field of runners.
Gemma Steele shattered women's course record by over a minute in a thrilling race to take first place. Just seconds behind were Katrina Wooton (32.23) and Selam Abere (32.21).
The Bristol 10k is organised by Run Bristol, and has grown into one of the biggest 10k road races in the UK. It attracts a large field, with over 9000 runners starting in 2013. I finished in 13th place, or 126th position overall.

Yesterday (20th January 2013) I made my debut for my new club Bristol & West AC, racing in the McCain Cross Challenge in Cardiff.  I had to work hard over the icy and snowy course around Blackweir Fields.  I finished a creditable 14th overall and was third counter for the South West squad, a solid performance in difficult conditions.  I like a few hills, so this course was a bit too flat for me.  

I ran a time of 36.31 in the 10km Rock'n'Roll race in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York, placing 5th women and 10th overall in the field of 7000 runners.  Here are two photos from the day.
Below: the start of the race. Above: after the race, Helen is pictured with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed men, Mikael Tesfaye Kahsay (30.24), Mulugeta Wondimu (30.30), and Kumsa Megersa (31.10).

Today I ran the Dam tot Damloop, Amsterdam, with a personal best time of 59 minutes 59 seconds.  It was my first time running under the hour for a 10 mile race! I finished in 17th, not bad for such an international field.

Last year I finished just 4 seconds over the hour, so I was determined to finally break under the barrier. When I came around that last corner in Zaandam, I saw the clock on 59.30, so I just ran as fast as I could. I didn't know if I made the hour or not, until I saw the results at home.
​
With over 35,000 competitors, the 10 mile road race is the largest in the Netherlands, and it runs from Amsterdam to Zaandam.  I was in with the prominent women, the Kenyans, Ethiopians, and best of the Dutch girls, so it was a tough field. But my number was F16, so I thought that I was just going to try and live up to that and fly through it!

The Fife AC women represented Scotland at the AAA's/English Road Relay Championships at Sutton Coldfield, the first ever Scottish female team to appear at this elite event. Rising to the occasion, Fife achieved a top twenty place in the women's 6-stage championship race, the blue riband event of road running in the UK.
GB junior international Halina Rees opened for the club coming home in 22nd place timed at 17 minutes 50 seconds for the undulating 3 mile circuit. Jennifer Kibble's 18.49 held 24th place while Helen Sharpe brought the club up to 14th with a fast 17 minutes 28 seconds. Amie McKimmie improved further to 12th (18.46) before over-40 veteran Kirsti Sharratt placed 18th (19.41). Alison McGill anchored the team home in worsening conditions in 19 minutes 30 seconds to secure 20th place, ahead of chasing Shaftesbury Barnet.
Aldershot Farnham and District retained their title boosted by a 16 minutes 02 seconds clocking by Scottish Commonwealth 1500m silver medallist Stephanie Twell bringing the south of England club into the lead at the halfway stage. Lily Partridge, who led Dundee Hawkhill to the Scottish Cross-Country Relay title three years ago, matched Twell's time of 16.02 on leg five leaving Georgie Bruinvel (16.36) an untroubled run to victory over the anchor stage.
The Fife AC team were delighted at having achieved their aim of a top-20 finish. Helena Rees thought it was a worthwhile experience for the team. "I am glad we made the trip down to Birmingham, the race was a good experience and the course was tough. I hope to go back next year, I can't wait to go back fitter and faster next time, hoping for single figures."
Kirsti Sharratt continued: "It was a privilege to be asked to join the team. The race was tough, with a tactical course and a brutal final hill. We all felt the responsibility of being part of a team, and the sense of achievement was heightened by the prestige of the race - there were so many exceptionally fast runners."
Amie McKimmie and Jennifer Kibble took up the theme of the tough course. "The race was hilly with a slight head wind," said Amie. "The competition was tough but we were prepared." Jennifer continued, "I am glad we made the trip down to Birmingham, it was a good experience and the course was tough. We were so excited to finish in the top 20, better than we expected. We hope to go back next year, it was a great event!"
Helen Sharpe said, "I was quite nervous going into it. I caught the bus with Bristol & West who kept telling me I had the right colours but the wrong team! When I took over from Jen, I was feeling good and I was pretty pleased with my time of 17:28, 8th fastest on my leg."
Fife AC Team Manager Ron Morrison commented: "I'm delighted by the overall performance of the team in their first attempt over what is a very difficult and technical course against the best in Britain. Racing against the great English clubs was an inspiration for the athletes who are looking forward to improving the performance in next year's race for which they have already qualified."

Helen Sharpe has moved into the top 20 of the UK rankings after a fine display at the Falkirk Cup on Wednesday (26th August 2009). Helen competed in the 10,000 metres, posting a fine time of 38.02, enough to move her into 19th place of the UK ranking and 5th place in Scotland. She picked up a bronze medal in this international event, held in front of a bumper crowd at Grangemouth Stadium.
The Falkirk cup is an international competition, this year fought between teams from Scotland, England and Ethiopia, amongst others. Scotland lost the title, as the cup headed south to arch rivals England. Helen, however, was racing as a guest, competing in Fife AC colours.
Helen’s performance was her first on the track this season. Although she failed to post a personal best, Helen was happy with her performance, saying, “This was my first track race this year, so I was happy to pick-up a bronze medal. I felt I could have got a better time, but was suffering from a blister on my heel towards the end of the race.”

Helen Sharpe was in cross-country action representing the Scottish Universities team at the Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country at Holyrood Park on Saturday (10th January 2009). Sharpe was the only representative from the University of St Andrews in the race, which also featured the likes of Britain’s Stephanie Twell (three-time European Junior Champion) and Kenya’s Linet Masai (World Cross Country bronze medallist). The race was televised live on BBC1.
Sharpe had an outstanding race, finishing 3rd Scottish University female, in her most testing run to date. Her time of 22 minutes 17 seconds put her in 43rd position in the overall race, finishing just a step behind Great Britain international Maxine Czarnecka.

The women’s race was 5.6 km long, containing two short laps on the playing fields of Holyrood, and two long laps containing the infamous “Haggis Hill”. Race conditions were challenging, with strong sweeping winds.
When she isn’t representing Scottish Universities, Sharpe also runs for Fife AC. The race on Saturday tops an excellent season for Sharpe, who has already taken several local titles, including winning the Tour of Fife and Fife AC Club Cross-Country Championships.
​
About the race, Helen said, “I knew it would be very challenging – it’s two steps up from my usual level. It was a good experience racing with such established internationals, and now I am keen to represent St Andrews and Scottish Universities in more races.”