Paddock Wood Half Marathon 2017 now live - and other stuff

Spring has sprung properly at last, and welcome to the first Half of April !

All go at the start in sunshine for the Paddock Wood Half Marathon 2017

The Paddock Wood Half Marathon with 2164 finishers in perfect running temperatures was the first time this year I've put a bit of sunblock on to stop myself from roasting. Yes, I think that's when the clouds started to filter over gently, sorry about that. Otherwise everything ran very smoothly with excellent levels of marshalling and medical cover around the course, as well as good food at the Elm Pub for the supporters !

The fully searchable gallery for Paddock Wood is available here:

http://sspimg.com/PaddockWood2017_Gallery

Past the fire station and off out of town

Almost 80,000 images from the race were online Monday, all fully catalogued and searchable, (even the ones where your numbers are hidden), taken by our intrepid team of four photographers with 9 cameras (if you don't count the live facebook feed we ran from a phone in the countryside) across 7 locations.  This compares very well to another similar sized event that took place on the same day but unfortunately we were not there to provide the coverage (instead they had 16,000 images, 4 locations with 3 photographers, 3 cameras - with only one on the finish).

lots of coverage everywhere, even here

Next weekend we are at the PP Grand Union Canal Spring version, and online entries close today (Tuesday) so get yourself signed up now ! (entries on the sunday cost £3 more, but the weather forecast is already set perfect for the day, so book with confidence and plan a bit)

http://sspimg.com/grand-union-canal-half-spring-2017

Bournemouth Bay Run
In other news, apologies to all the enquiries we have had about coverage of the Bournemouth Bay Run, after covering it for 9 years, we were not successful in our bid to be there this year, even though we cover it for free and raised quite a lot of money for the BHF from picture sales. We did try to be there - who knows what will happen for next year... Last years 2016 gallery is here: http://sspimg.com/BournemouthBay2016-Gallery

Other recent galleries you need to check yourself out for

Sat-25/03/2017	Bolt round the Holt (free race downloads) Sponsored by GUTS - Fighting Bowel Cancer http://www.gutsfbc.co.uk/  Just add the free downloads products to your order basket to get them for free [I think that's clear enought - Ed.]	http://sspimg.com/Bolt-2017-Gallery
Sun-26/03/2017	The MABAC Cranleigh 15-21	http://sspimg.com/Cranleigh-2017-Gallery
Sat-18/03/2017	Kelly's Clandon Park Run	http://sspimg.com/ClandonParkRun-2017Gallery
Sun-19/03/2017	Richmond Half and 10k	http://sspimg.com/RIchmondHalf-2017Gallery
Sun-19/03/2017	Hastings Half Marathon	http://sspimg.com/HastingsHalf-2017Gallery
Sun-19/03/2017	Brentwood Half Marathon	http://sspimg.com/BrentwoodHalf-2017Gallery
Sun-19/03/2017	Fleet Half Marathon	http://sspimg.com/FleetHalf-2017Gallery
Sun-19/03/2017	ETL Spring Badger Half	http://sspimg.com/BadgerHalf-Gallery2017

Discount corner
I'm also duty bound to tell you about a few events we are covering this year - which I think you really ought to know about, if you missed my little mid-week post last time...

Race to the Tower Discount code of PICTOWER

June 10th and 11th - 

Race to the Tower - Along the Cotswold Way in Gloucester from Stroud to the Broadway Tower 

click here to go to this race website to find out more and enter: sspimg.com/RaceToTheTower 

Your 15% discount code is "PICTOWER" (there was a small blip with this discount code at the weekend - it's now fixed)

Race to the Kings Discount code of KINGPIC

June 24th and 25th

Race to the King - Along the South Downs from Slindon near Arundel in Sussex to Winchester Cathedral.

Click here to go to the race website - sspimg.com/RaceToTheKing

Your 15% discount code is "KINGPIC"

Enter these races- they're great and well organised, and we'll be there to shout you on !

Sun-09/04/2017	HONC - mountain bike enduro	http://www.winchcombecc.org.uk/honc/
Sun-09/04/2017	PP Grand Union Half (One off - Spring special)	http://www.purplepatchrunning.com
Fri-14/04/2017	Folkestone 10 (Easter Friday)	http://www.folkestone10mile.co.uk/
Sat-22/04/2017	Brutal Windmill Hill	http://www.brutalrun.co.uk/
Sun-23/04/2017	REP Bluebell (Free Downloads)	http://www.rawenergypursuits.co.uk/
Sun-23/04/2017	Southampton Half, 10k, and Marathon	http://marafunuk.com/
Sun-30/04/2017	REP Steyning Tri (Free Photos)	http://www.rawenergypursuits.co.uk/
Sun-30/04/2017	Oswestry Half Marathon (Pic2Go Live Photos)	http://www.ukrunchat.co.uk/
Sun-30/04/2017	Ranelagh Half	http://ranelaghhalfmarathon.webs.com/
Sun-30/04/2017	YMCA Fun Run	http://www.ymcaeastsurrey.org.uk/funrun/
Sun-30/04/2017	3Forts Half and Full Marathon	http://www.threefortsmarathon.org.uk/
Sun-07/05/2017	7Oaks Tri (Free Photos)	http://www.7oakstriclub.co.uk/
Wed-10/05/2017	Mundays 5k (Free Photos) wednesday evening run around the park	www.mundays.co.uk

And now - some of the race pictures from Sunday

run with style and voom

All ok at the front. probably because he's not running

Always wave to friends

Hello friends

easy on the downhills

Enjoying the run so far

hip hop happy

top twisting

when you spot the remote camera and nobody else is looking

Lead Lady, surrounded by bodyguards determined not to be beaten.

All going OK

we are clang

Good teamwork at 10 miles

no selfie stick, so surrendered

Experience shows the right way to do it

"come back Dulwich....!"

Complete the sentence... (any comments about tri-belts obscuring things and not working will be acceptable.)

A good general shot of how busy these thing can be out on the course

Mr Rencontre reconnoitring the course

Finishing with friends is fun

Checking the clock - did she make it ?

Job done - training on target

Mike can do big hugs

Ahead of the crowd

So we have two more quieter weekends, and then it all kicks off for a very busy end of April with the Southampton Marathon and half amongst others, and then a very very mad May. Hopefully I'll get the accounts sorted and squared away in time to get a little bit of rest and get ready for the onslaught ahead, and hopefully I'll see you out there doing your thing too.

Anthony