Third time lucky in Cross Island Run

I’m absolutely delighted after the third time of asking to say I have finally run/walked across the horizontal length of the Kingdom of Bahrain (around 16-17kms) in two hours 45 minutes 50 seconds in yesterday’s Cross Island Run organised by Bahrain Road Runners.

My previous two attempts failed as the first time in 2013 I didn’t register properly and last year, I took a wrong turn and needed a lift in a car and a sand buggy to get me near the area of the finishing line.

With last year’s mess freshly in my mind, I was nervous as all of us runners were taken by bus to the start line and had horrible thoughts of messing up again.

Before the start a number of fellow runners said it was nice too see me again and they loved my account of what happened!!

This time I noted the marshals and organisers did a splendid job and the route was marked so well with flags and personnel.

So to the race and the first five kilometres were so hard due to the soft sand, including either scrambling over a huge pipeline or going under.

Though it was the same route as last year, I thought it was different in my imagination.

After crossing the loose rocks and the gravel plains, I came to the dreaded ridge which caused me so much stress last time, but I got it right this time around!!!

Once passing the last of the high ground, Ileft a group of two men and three ladies and bolted off down the hill and on to the flatground and was so chuffed seeing the finish in the distance. It was lovely doing the final couple or so hundred metres with people shouting congratulations, good job, well done as I felt so proud at what I had achieved in perfect weather conditions and the of all the other runners.

File Photo