Nigel Barge Road Race, 2007

…Sorry,that bread “Nigel Barge Memorial Lucky Bag”

For £10 entry on the day ( £12 for non-SAL), you get a lovely Achilles Heel poly bag filled with Asics baseball cap ( or alternatively a shoe bag), a Mars Bar, a “Nigel Barge” pen, an Asics 2007 Spring-Summer collection glossy brochure, a medal, a “Nigel Barge” mug……..

Ahhh, the Nigel Barge mug, which I can add to my collection of running club mugs over the years. And a truly horrendous collection it is too Starting with our own Westies 10th anniversary special edition, there’s also a fine bone china Glen Clova container, a few Shettleston centenary mugs and a London Marthon 19 oatcake antique ( Muffy’s) However, the prize for the all-time worst ever must go to the Carnethy 35th anniversary piece, where someone has actually tried to write the complete history of the race onto the outer surface…… Unless, of course, you have any other nominations?

Anyway, back to the lucky bag. To complete the booty there is a Scottish Road Safety Campaign windscreen scraper and a DrinkAwareUK alcohol unit calculator ( a few weeks late methinks!!!!!).

In addition to the lucky bag, and all included for your £10/£12, there is a 4 page coloured entry form for registration; this details the valuable cash prizes for all the elite athletes competing in the event.Presumably this is for the benefit of the rest of us to let us know what we’re missing. Then at the end of the race there are bananas, satsumas and as much Highland Spring Water as you can get down your throat. If you can be bothered afterwards to go back to the registration in Summerston, there’s free tea and eats. There are loads of spot prizes to boot, like drink and chocolate; you know, just the sort of stuff we all could do with at this time of year!

Oh, and by the way, for your £10 you also get to run a 10K! Here there was a sense of deja vu; 80% of the course is identical to the Glasgow Uni Road Race, but it’s not a bad wee course for all that. Cap’n Chris was in cracking form finishing in just over 36 minutes. Dave was next, followed by Hamilton. It was good to see Cap’ness Cat back out; she finished not long after Hamilton. Then came Muffy, Grimorr( in regulation yellow teacosy and banana shoes) and Ian.

Anyone want a never-worn Asics baseball cap?