Elite Sponsorship Fund
Heath's Story
My name is Heath Bampton. I work at MOD Shrivenham as the NATO Coord within the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC). I’ve been an active runner for over 40 years, throughout which there have been many highs and lows. My recent highs include winning the CSSA XC V55 title last year, helping the Civil Service regain the Sefton Brancker XC trophy from the RAF in January and being selected for a second time to represent England Masters over 10km earlier this year. My previous representation was two years ago at the Kew Gardens 10km. Unfortunately, a niggling knee issue prevented me doing justice to the vest, which I was hoping to put right this time.
CSSC very kindly supported me with an Elite Sponsorship Bronze award. This helped contribute towards travel and kit costs. The Chester 10km road race was set for Sunday, 12 March 2023. This also hosted the home international fixture between England Masters and Wales. I drove up to Chester two days before to sample the delights of this beautiful historic city. This also gave me the opportunity to recce part of the race route and socialise with fellow team colleagues. I was also awarded a representative badge in recognition of my selection.
Race day arrived and the butterflies in the stomach were heightened, stirred with a strong sense of pride, as I reached the start. After a slight delay that felt longer, the klaxon sounded, and we were off. The event was chip timed, so no need to get right at the front of the pack. One valuable tip I’ve found, as my running career has matured, is to set off relatively conservatively. There is nothing worse than being overtaken when hitting a mini wall. Luckily after a mile, I found myself in a battle with a Welsh competitor (see picture). I run for Cheltenham and the Welsh representative runs for Gloucester. Subsequently we have a healthy respect for each other. Not only was national pride at stake, but also local bragging rights.
We reached the 5km mark and began the return to the city. My reserves kicked in and I was able to start picking off other runners, including dropping my local Welsh compatriot. One thing I wasn’t warned about was the long drag back into Chester. This was where my strength came to the fore after a competitive XC season, enabling me to still draw in runners. Finally, I managed a strong sprint finish under the famous city watch tower (see picture).
After a slightly anxious wait for results, we received the fantastic news that England had triumphed. My efforts were not wasted and helped towards a welcome team victory (apologies to Welsh colleagues for the apparent gloat!). After a weekend where England failed dismally in the rugby and cricket, we had at least salvaged some pride. No longer had I basked in the glory before I had to set off to catch the Eurostar for a work meeting in Paris on the Monday. Back to reality!
