8 A&T runners made it for our latest adventure in Benidorm. Myself, Bob, Craig Bradbury, Ray, Bacon man, Steve Coleman, Paul Basnett, and Alan Steeple.
First up was the 4.30am meeting at Gin Pit for the minbus to the airport. Might as well not have gone to bed. I nearly didn’t bother because by the time I had packed my stuff it was 2am but Alan went one better. He decided to start the party atmosphere early and came directly to the airport after a long session with his mates in Salford.
The flight out to Alicante was smooth. The entertainment on board was provided by BA Baracus and Rambo. Didn’t quite cause an international incident but thought WW3 might start when it was asked where the Germans were!
At the other end we had to wait for our baggage, well Ray’s baggage as he comes prepared! Must have had the kitchen sink etc in his bag. We were inside the airport waiting at belt 6 while Alan decided he would wait outside the airport at bus stop 12! We then booked our rental cars with no sign of Alan. Bob got on the case to find Alan, based on Bob’s sense of direction it was now doubtful if we would ever see either of them again! Eventually found Alan by the bus stops and we went to pick up our cars. Ray had kindly volunteered to follow me in the other car. Seem to have a different volunteer each time, can’t understand why! Anyway usual case of cutting people up and jumping red lights while you get used to driving on the wrong side of the road and we were safely on our way to Benidorm.
First job when we got to our Hotel as usual was food, well you might as well make the most of full board! Then it was off to get our numbers. Bob and Craig (due to injury) weren’t running. The numbers were in pb order. Bacon man’s number was 68 (pretty impressive from a race entry of 3000) due to his half marathon pb of 1.13. As a result for the rest of the trip he was rightly referred to as the master and you had to bow down to speak to him. Everyone had a fairly early night and most missed the Parrott show this time. Alan had his photo taken with the parrots and then decided to show the locals some dancing techniques with his marathon number on.
Big breakfast the following day and off we went to the race start. All the runners made way for the master and he even had the top Kenyans weighing him up. Think word has spread about his bacon! Thought the Basque separatists had descended on Benidorm but then realised it was fireworks and we were on our way. As it was such a big race there was a lot of weaving in and out for the first couple of miles before you could really get into your running. By mile 3 I was already knackered so slowed down, didn’t really help as it was still one of the hardest races I’ve done. Mt tip for a half marathon, get some mileage in! The course is pretty flat and loops around a bit which was great as you got to see the frontrunners quite a lot and every time we passed an A&T runner we gave them a high 5. There was great support all around the course including our fan club of Bob and Craig. Half marathon expert Steve (15 this year) had his usual good run and beat his previous Benidorm time. I was next in and then the battle royal was between the master and pupil, Ray. Ray hauled back over a minute lead and was next home. Even though the master wasn’t at his best he still couldn’t help himself trying to shave fractions of a second off his time as he literally dived over the line! Paul was next with a great first run over this distance. Alan didn’t make the start, think he ran his race the previous evening!
After the race it was a quick shower and off to the Guinness bar for a few drinks. Started to rain so unfortunately we had to stay a bit longer than intended! Thought we had brought the weather from Manchester because up until then it had been really nice. A few hours later and we made our way (staggered) back to the hotel. Had our tea and then we were out on the town to see Benidorms finest entertainers. The entertainment in Benidorm ranges from extremely good to dire. We were pretty lucky this night with a good comedian, singers and dancers. Our favourite act, the three tenors wasn’t on though, I suspect he’s been signed up to play Las Vegas. Anyway Ray reckoned we could form a boy band so Ray, Bob, Me & the Master will be playing at the Xmas do and we’ve canceled Glamorize. Just need a good name, open for suggestions but Bacon Man and the rashers springs to mind. Eventually we got back to the hotel at about 5am.
Next day after breakfast as it was nice and sunny so we decided to have a wander around Benidorm. Tried out some exercise machines that they have along the front. Don’t think the locals liked our technique though as we got told to get off. In the afternoon we had a trip to the hill of death. We drove a few miles uphill and it still looked pretty daunting. We managed to walk about 50yds up it though. Maybe need Paul Jackson & Mark Ruscoe and some ropes next time! We made our way back and settled for a run along the front. The next evenings entertainment was more of the dire sort. The comedian was that bad we had to walk out, think he was the worst I’ve ever seen. Later on we decided we’d do our own version of the 3 tenors as me, Ray and the Master emptied the karaoke bar. Once you’ve heard us nobody else compares! Found our way back to the hotel at a similar hour.
Next morning I decided to do something about my mileage so joined the master for a run before breakfast. Then is was checkout of the hotel and a day trip out. Last time we had a trip to Calpe a very scenic little town. This time I took the guys to Denia as I had to nip off. Think my mind was playing tricks on me as I remembered it as being similar to Calpe whereas it was more like Liverpool dockland. Still the guys made the best of by eating their way through the town, they even managed to find some pasties! Then it was back to the airport for the flight back to rainy Manchester.
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