Tiny Bridge Harriers Take Torrevieja!

The sunglasses saga (and the art of herding runners)

We arrived in dribs and drabs, some flying in from Newcastle, others already bronzed from an early start to their Spanish holiday in Alicante. The first mission: pool time. The first challenge: finding Hannah’s sunglasses. 

First jump in the pool, and Hannah’s sunglasses went to oblivion. Despite Robyn coming to the rescue with her goggles and Ian and me diving repeatedly to the bottom like determined otters, there was nothing we could do to retrieve the transparent arms of the glasses. Gone forever to the pool gods! Add to that my own sunglasses left on the plane, and we were already two pairs down within three hours. Not a great start for a trip to sunny Spain.

The rest of the day was slow and scattered: little groups exploring, beach swims, and snack missions, before the grand logistical operation of the day: collecting our race numbers. Have you ever tried to coordinate 29 runners from A to B in a foreign city without much structure? Chaos. Thankfully, we had Tatiana, our fluent Spanish speaker, who heroically saved both us and the bus driver from meltdown.

At race HQ, a few people bravely (or wisely?) switched from the half-marathon to the 10K, though not everyone’s transfer quite made it through the official system. 

Back to the hotel for dinner and world-class carb loading: Laurentiu gave the tiramisu a proper challenge and nearly won, much to Al’s entertainment.

29 runners, 7 taxis

Sunday started with the usual pre-race breakfast buzz: excitement, nerves, and caffeine (wait, is this a good idea?). The hotel reception assured us we didn’t need to book taxis in advance. For 29 people. No stress at all! (Well, technically 28. A rogue TBH decided to run the 5K to the start as a warm-up. Naturally.) It surprisingly almost went smoothly, except for Peter and Ellie’s anxiety levels as they shared a taxi with Lucas “being Lucas” and Amanda, who both disappeared as the taxi arrived, leading the taxi to leave without any of them! 

Miraculously though, we all made it in time to drop our bags, get warmed up, and paint our faces with the traditional black and white. While we waited for the race to start, Angus asserted his “legend” status when he went and bought hand-sanitiser for everyone when the loos didn’t have any. And that was us ready to take on the race!

Shortly after, the 10K and Half Marathon finally started together — one lap for the 10K, two for the half. The sun was already blazing, making it a sweaty challenge, but TBH runners were absolutely unleashed. The atmosphere, boosted by Coach Yam’s booming support (later joined by the 10K crew), was absolutely brilliant.

Podiums, panic, and podiums again

Post-race, we gathered in the courtyard behind HQ for the award ceremony. And what a show! Seven podiums in the 10K alone: Laurentiu, Tatiana, Ellie, Amanda, Chris, Mandy, and Jacob! Mandy even shared the stage with a North Shields Poly runner (classy). As trophies piled up, so did the TBH energy. 

Meanwhile, tension was brewing. Becky, who’d smashed the Half and finished 2nd overall, got pulled for a doping test (routine for the top two in Spain). Easier said than done when you’re dehydrated and struggling to provide a sample! The “sample saga” kept us entertained (though probably less so for Becky). Al, Gill and Chris gave live updates while some fetched beers to keep the hydration levels high. Captain Becky missed her podium (it took her longer to “deliver” her doping test than it did to run the race!), but our other half-marathon heroes, Hannah, Robyn, Rachael, and Alison, proudly represented the club.

All in all, Tiny Bridge Harriers (try saying TBH with a Spanish accent!) came away as the second most represented club behind the locals. Not bad for a bunch of Geordies abroad!

Sun, sea, and… karaoke chaos

After medals, some stayed in town for well-earned food and beers bigger than their heads (looking at you, Cathryn), while others headed back for swimming and beach volleyball. If you can call what was played “volleyball.” It seemed that mosquitos decided our down time was the perfect time to join the party. Luckily, Dawn had come prepared and very kindly helped the mosquito victims. 

Dinner was followed by drinks and the fateful words: ““Let’s go to karaoke!” Angus’s negotiation skills were next-level; somehow, nearly everyone agreed. A sensible few took taxis, while the rest, clearly delirious (or drunk!), decided to run the mile there, while two others scootered – if that’s how we can call Will’s tedious departure! 

The night was legendary, Karaoke Supersol didn’t know what hit them! After Sammie managed to figure out the complicated and intricate song order process, we got into the thick of it with:

• Opening act: Robyn, Becky, and I with ‘Mr Brightside’. Obviously.
• Greek vibes: Alex and George were desperate for a Greek song, but ended up settling on a song by Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (aka George Michael), ‘Careless Whisper’, the closest thing they could find to Greek available in the repertoire.  
• Most debatable performance: Wobbly Adam in ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ who crashed Coach Yam and Gill’s performance. Unforgettable in all the wrong ways.
• Crowd pleasers: Ian and Rachael’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ (so good it was copied an hour later!).
• Eurovision spirit: Becca and Cathryn with ‘Waterloo’, followed by the ‘Tiny’ Bridge Harriers Girls & Peter with ‘Wannabe’.
• Revelation of the night: Will. Absolutely nailing Eminem without missing a beat, joined by CJ during the chorus. Later, he channelled Sandy from Grease with Angus as Danny. Absolutely iconic!

Sun, scampi, and swim

I started the day in A&E after a start line / pot hole incident. Luckily, just a badly bruised ankle! Others explored Torrevieja or played water volleyball (some better than others I hear!). Lunch included very questionable fish-tank scampi for Becca and the forever divisive pineapple pizza debate. For the record, pineapple on pizza is a crime. An even bigger crime? The way Cathryn eats hers.

What’s better for digestion than gigantic ice creams (I can confirm), and a lazy walk back via the beach? Evening fun included games of killer pool (I’m still impressed by Sammie’s skills & stunned by Angus’ excitement), line dancing, and some truly tragic salsa attempts. Turns out we’re much better at running than dancing! 

Entertainment for the evening at the hotel? KARAOKE! Those who had missed the previous day were delighted to be able to join in on the fun, finally! Starting the show, Mandy and her cheerful moves alongside Alison, Becca, Ellie & expert singer Cathryn for ‘C’est La Vie’. This time, Alex and George redeemed themselves with a proper Greek hit, joined by some of the Cyprus Walking Football Team (in Torrevieja for the World Nations Cup) who clearly approved of their choice of song! Angus joined them for the Greek Eurovision winner. Spectacular. Then Will reappeared, possessed by the spirit of Elvis. Absolutely mind-blowing! We finished the night, fittingly, all together singing We Are the Champions. Because, honestly, we were.

Still buzzing, about 20 of us wandered down for a midnight dip. Six brave (or mad) souls swam all the way to a buoy and back twice. Nearly a mile, although the distance is still debated!

One final sunrise

Some early risers went for a sunrise jog, while others embraced full holiday mode. Alex and George melted in Alicante (30°C, oops), and Will, who clearly hadn’t done enough already, went cycling in the mountains. The rest of us enjoyed a final pool day, complete with some book reading, water volleyball, an underwater forward roll competition and plenty of sun. A major success of the trip? Alison skilfully negotiated with Mandy to postpone their airport return trip from 3pm to 4.30pm to enjoy a few more instants in the sun. If I ever find myself in a hostage situation, you can be sure I’ll call master negotiators Alison & Angus! 

Overall, the meals were a highlight with lots of food, laughter, and conversations that somehow always circled back to weird facts or linguistics and dodgy Latin etymology (Ian, we’re looking at you). Sunburnt (or tanned for the lucky ones) and sleep-deprived, we’ve probably shared enough giggles, jokes, and questionable karaoke performances on this trip to fill a whole season of reality TV. What made this trip so special was definitely not the race, that only lasted a couple of hours at most, or even the trophies. As cheesy as it sounds, it was the people. The friendships, the constant encouragement, the way everyone looked out for each other. That’s what makes TBH, well… TBH. We are so much more than just a running club.

And although the trip exceeded all expectations, one thing was missing: our dear friend Dave Young, who sadly passed away last month. Dave was meant to be with us, and we felt his absence deeply. Between the 10K and Half Marathon trophy ceremonies, we took a moment, together, to remember him, holding his race number in his honour. We know he’d have been front and centre, leading the way to the party, singing his heart out at karaoke, and cheering us on through every mile. We miss you, Dave! 

¡Viva Tiny Bridge Harriers!

Sunburnt, sore, and still laughing. We may not have found Hannah’s sunglasses, but we found plenty of memories (and maybe a few hangovers) that’ll last a lifetime.