NWFPAC ‘Michael Page’ Championship 2025 – Race 2: Wigan Half

A bright and fresh spring morning with a cool breeze made for perfect running conditions.  Feeling well-fuelled, well-rested, but severely undertrained, my usual list of excuses was running thin.  Having arrived early to collect my race pack, I was pleasantly surprised and somewhat bemused to hear a live rendition of ‘Take me home country roads’ serenading the queue for the toilets.  A nice touch for 9am on a Sunday morning.

The race started in Mesnes Park, straight in line with the bandstand, in what felt like a very narrow pen to house c. 1,500 runners.  Not really knowing my possible finish time, it didn’t matter much where I stood, but I found myself packed somewhere at the back with the start line in the distance ahead.

A slow trundle out of the start left me eager to get going as we headed out of the park and onto the road.  My focus on weaving through the crowd resulted in an overzealous first two miles.  Given this was only my second half marathon, the novelty of running on closed roads was still fresh, adding to my enthusiasm.  However, touring the industrial estates of Wigan at miles 3 and 4 certainly didn’t bring the inspiration I needed but it did allow me to settle into a steady pace as we looped around the (relatively newly named) Brick Community Stadium and headed onto the canal towpath.

Feeling somewhat at home following the flat canal for around four miles, I started to think all this talk in the office about the race being hilly was somewhat of an exaggeration.  If only I had studied the route beforehand…

A sharp left off the Leeds and Liverpool Canal led us onto the trail entering Haigh Hall Country Park.  Suddenly, the bleak industrial estate was a distant memory, but oh, how I would soon miss it!  As we ventured further along the undulating trail, I began to see the start of what would be possibly the longest three miles of my life.  The steep initial climb, followed by a short period of flat, lulled me into a false sense of security, only to be shattered by yet another climb, another brief flat and yet another climb.  I had no idea when it would end, other than noticing that the fast runners flying past me downhill had finally stopped.

Just as my spirits were hitting rock bottom, cursing Dave for ever signing me up for this race, I spotted a wheelchair racer ahead, using poles to push his way up the steep incline.  Suddenly feeling a lot less sorry for myself, I pulled it together, stopped my whinging, and gave him a cheer as I passed.  The woods finally opened up, revealing the Hall at the top of the park, I knew I had the downhill stretch ahead and some time to make up, so I widened my stride and picked up speed, turning my descent into what felt like a loosely controlled freefall.  Despite overtaking several runners, my wheelchair hero cruised past me with ease, nearly taking me out in the process!

Now at mile 11, having recovered from the traumatic incline, I knew the end was near.  But the park had one last sting in the tail, one final short and steep hill before spitting me back out onto the flat road I had been hoping for.  Turning left onto Mesnes Road, the finish was in sight, and the final mile was lined with supporters who provided that last burst of energy.  Back into Mesnes Park, the finish line was just a 100m sprint straight ahead, setting the stage for some entertaining head-to-head battles on exhausted legs.

Sadly, with the exception of Daisy, who kindly drove us to the race, I didn’t spot any other NWFPAC runners on the day.  I am aware there were a few last-minute dropouts due to injuries and niggles, which might just help our team standings now that my teammate Dave is out with yet another injury.  I’m starting to feel like I might get a back injury from carrying the weight of the team at this rate!

All in all, it was a fantastic morning out on a course that was both challenging and entertaining.  Next time, I’ll be sure to read last year’s race report before signing up!