On Sunday, Louise Patterson, of Newport & District Running Club, took on the Vilnius 5k during a weekend city break in Lithuania, having not known about the existence of the race a week beforehand! Below, she tells us how it went!
So, today I was supposed to be running the Great North Run for Mind. But, in the training for the Manchester Marathon back in April, I overloaded my Achilles and it’s still not fully rehabbed. In June, after speaking to my physio I decided to defer my entry. Suddenly, having a free 4 day weekend and a couple hundred quid I no longer need to spare, I decided to book a city break with a parkrun, and eventually decided on Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
Early last week when looking at what was on whilst I was in the city, I discovered that it was the city’s marathon this weekend. Ooh, that’ll be fun to watch! Then I discovered it was a whole day of running events and they had a 5k. The late entry fee was a bit steep. Did I get a medal?? I did!! SOLD!!
The race wasn’t until 2:30pm, so I could have a lie-in and a very relaxed day. I decided to just head to the Old Town’s Cathedral Square and see what was going on. I arrived at about 11:30 just in time to see the first female in the marathon cross the line. It was very enjoyable to be able to watch people and support them. I went to the 37km mark for a little while and then came back to the finish in time to see those I had been supporting at 37km cross the line.
Due to my ongoing Achilles rehab, I’m currently on a run/walk strategy, so I went into the race with no pressure, no expectations and no stress. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and really soaked up some of the atmosphere and just had a bit of a laugh. I’m very glad I decided to sign up and have another international race under my belt and of course flew the flag for Newport & District Running Club.
Newport & District Running Club 