WE'VE all heard about road rage, but running rage? C'mon!

I don't know what it is about this one particular race, but for the past couple of years I've been at the centre of running rage.

The Hayling 10 is a quaint ten-miler which always takes place at the end of November, starting from Hayling School and it takes runners on a winding route around the island.
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The race route is as flat as the preverbial pancake, and even though the route takes you down to the beach for a run along the shore road, I've always been bored by the race. Give me a hill, give me a small incline. This is just rhythmic running for 10 miles, and mind-numbingly dull.

The only reason for running was the fact that the night before, my club Stubbington Green Runners, had its annual awards dinner, which I jointly compered. As a result, we only had half a dozen runners descend on Hayling Island a few hours later for the race. Given the choice, I'd have stayed in bed!

So to the road rage. Well, a year earlier at the Hayling 10, I was running with a group of runners, including this mad woman dressed all in black.

We were going at a fair lick down these quiet country lanes, where she was running all over the place.

She kept moving from one side of the road to the other, had this tendency to cut you up on a bend, she was running close and not giving you any space - it was a staggering display of running.

On one occasion she clipped my heels causing me to stumble, and she said nothing. But then moments later, the same thing happened, and that was it - I just gave this woman a right mouthful. She said nothing. A complete nutter.

Fast forward 12 months, and nutty woman in black wasn't there, but once again we were running down these narrow country lanes. This time, my confrontation was with a club runner, so they should know better.

She was weaving all over the shop. There was hardly any room to move at all. Then she dropped behind me, and the next thing I knew I was spinning towards the floor. She had decided to run around me, and in doing so had taken my legs from under me.

I tried to stay up, but crashed to the floor. I wasn't injured, bar a small graze on the knee. I was more angry than anything. The woman looked behind and said "Are you alright?". This time I held my tongue and ran on.

Anyway, I finished the race quite strongly, despite the party the night before, and despite the best efforts of this woman in 71 minutes, which was okay.

Next year, the Hayling 10 is not in my running schedule. I won't be missing it.