The Surrey Half is one of many half marathons run this time of year and attracts a strong field. Starting from the Woking Leisure Centre, the course heads out onto undulating country lanes and a testing out-and-back section of around 2k each way.

With many of our Bels recovering from the Big Half, TM Arne Dumez and new member James Nutt were our sole representatives on the start line. The two had been teammates at the University of Manchester where they both ran for the Alehouse team, but they had not raced together for years until the SEAA XC Champs on Parliament Hill in January. James secured a splendid 79th place there while Arne stalked him the whole way to come in 90th.

Now, a month and a half later, they knew they were in very similar shape coming into Woking, so they had decided to work together in the early stages of the race. When the gun resounded, they set off sensibly and merged into the lead pack. After about 3km, the formation started to rip a little at the front and Arne eased off slightly. James stuck with the hot pace.

It took another 5km for the small gap which had sustained between the two to dwindle, and by the 6-mile mark Arne dragged two runners with him to overtake James. With his eyes on London Marathon and an extremely demanding month of February at the office, architect James had been combining huge mileage and long days at work. That first 34:10 10k was just a little too hot for him on the day.

Before long, Arne had completed the ups and downs which he knew announced the awful ‘out-and-back from hell’. Local favourite Ben Goddard had latched onto Arne and the pair headed down the long stretch together. They knew that once they reached the U-turn it was a relatively straight 5k to the finish, so they tactically conserved as much energy as they could.

On the way back, Arne spotted teammate James who had bled a few spots but was still churning out strong miles with good form. They high-fived as they passed each other and cracked on. Goddard soon put in a little surge and put some daylight between himself and our Belgian. They were so focused on each other they barely noticed the two runners they passed on their way to the finish.

With 1k to go, Arne started to really feel the pain and did everything he could not to ease off the pace he was so desperately trying to pick up. His girlfriend was stood at the final turn - she swears he still looked fast and strong. He strongly denies these allegations. He somehow managed to end with a ‘sprint’ down the final straight and stopped the clock on 72:41. He had set himself a goal of around 72:30 so, considering the undulating course and the U-turn at the 10Mi mark, he was very pleased with his effort. And that was before he realised he had secured a top 10 spot!

James managed to drag his sore legs over the finish line in 75:31.  Any runner knows that finishing a long race when the body isn’t cooperating is just about one of the most painful experiences on Earth, so James’ grit is an achievement in itself. We cannot wait to see what he pulls out of the bag at the London Marathon!

Following a string of strong results from the Big Half, this outing confirms out men’s road racing season is well and truly underway now. All eyes are on the SEAA 12-stage road relays in Milton Keynes on Sunday 22nd March. Last year, we came 5th in an ultra competitive race. This year, we aim to shoot even higher. Our squad has done nothing but grow in strength and depth since then. We are extremely excited.

Results

1. Ben Cole (Tonbridge) 70:17; 2. Max Dumbrell (Horsham Bluestar Harriers) 70:53; 3. Alastair Campbell (Stroud & District AC)…, 10. Arne Dumez 72:41; 24. James Nutt 75:31