A newbie to the Promote PR team, Sophie McKimm, did us proud at the weekend by running the Boutique 10k event in the blistering heat. Here she tells us all about it…
On route to the Boutique Run...
Saturday 10th July, was the hottest day of the year and as most people tucked into to a delicious BBQ’s or admired a golden tan I, along with hundreds of other female running novices, prepared for a 10k run around Battersea Park.
The Boutique 10k run, organised in aid of breast cancer, was the first of its kind. A female only event, the organisers went to town on providing ‘a girly day out’. The run’s base camp- the boutique village, was decorated with pink and sported two huge glittery stilettos. There were rows of marquees housing nail beauticians, masseuses and make-up artists all offering free beauty services for runners after the race.
At 6pm, the race start time neared and the boutique village began to flood with girls of all ages dressed in the black branded boutique run t-shirts and clutching Gatorade hydration drinks. After a warm up from the Pineapple Dance Studio legend Louie Spence the hundreds of keen girls made their way to the start line.
Before the start of the run
Waiting for the race to start, I started to feel incredibly nervous. What had been described as a ‘fun run’ with friends, now seemed a competitive serious race. My two friends, who had told me they had not been training and were probably going to walk the course, turned out in the newest running trainers and were performing stretches, which to me looked like a move from an Olympic gymnast. The other ‘competitors’ standing around starting reeling off their quick times and how they were aiming for a personal best. The little training I had done, involved a few ‘jogs’ around a field with my dog in tow often stopping for a mobile phone call, started to feel very inadequate.
As the race was opened I was carried by the sea of black t-shirts across the start line. As one of my friends started to sprint off I initially began to panic- everyone seemed to be gliding past me. As I treaded out my first paces I began to set into a running rhythm leaving one of my friend’s steps behind.
The run seemed extremely long and at times the heat unbearable. Pacing myself I was motivated by the passers-by shouting encouragement and by other boutique runners determined to keep going. As I passed the 3k mark I seemed to find my pace and began to enjoy the run along the Thames and through Battersea Park.
Crossing the line an hour later was the best feeling, not only because I was handed a glass of champagne and given a glamorous pink medal but because I had finished the courses without stopping, without having a heart attack or collapsing from heat exhaustion.
Greeting my ‘I’ve never run before’ friend who had finished two minutes before me, we headed to the marquees to get our nails done and for a much needed massage.
As our last friend joined us, we all celebrated our survival of the Boutique run and even agreed to sign up for another organised 10K together. Although our usual Saturday past time of shopping can be extremely satisfying we realised coming to a sporting event together and joining hundreds of other people in pushing our bodies to achieve a distance we never thought we could do was a lot more rewarding.
After finishing the race with our medals!
