Neolithic Marathon

Location - Avebury to Stonehenge
Distance - 26miles
Type - Roads, Fields, Hills, Tracks, and Byways
Date - Sunday 6th May 2012
Organised by:- Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
Website - Click Here

Truth be told I was thinking of cancelling this event in previous weeks, and had the Shakespeare Marathon gone ahead, and had I completed 8 weeks of 'Marathons' in a row, I probably would have not bothered to turn up.

This would have been a shame, as although this event was very tough; both physically & mentally, it was very rewarding as well.

This is a linear event from Avebury to Stonehenge (Hence the Neolithic moniker), and can be Run, Walked, or Cycled over a variety of distances.

I opted for the full 26miles, as a walker, and after a restless night in a hotel in Swindon, arrived bright and early in Avebury on Sunday Morning.

After parking up, I walked passed the some of the many enormous monolithic stones that make up the Avebury Circle ....... How on earth they moved these monsters without JCB's, I will never know !!

After a brief & painless registration, I was off.

The early morning was quite cool, and as rain was said to be in the offing, I carried with me a Rab waterproof coat, a windproof coat, a fleece, and a soft shell, something I would come to regret when the inevitable heatwave struck in the afternoon.

Heading out of Avebury, passed yet more huge stones, we headed towards Wansdyke and the first hillfort of the day; Rybury Camp.

This part of the route went through green field boundaries, surrounded on one side by a field of rape, and the Wiltshire Downs stretching away in the distance, on the other.

The views from the earthwork ramparts of Rybury Camp were fantastic, with views for miles stretching away into the distance.

From here we headed down towards All Cannings and the first checkpoint. 

A team of people were offering Bacon Baps for £2.50; which was a steal .... for all those who, unlike me, had brought cash with them.

Stomach rumbling I pressed on.

The section from All Cannings was quite tough, covering approx 2 miles of road walking which in, my new shoes, made my feet ache.

However, not long after we hit a flooded watermeadow that made me grateful that I was wearing waterproof shoes, and I smiled as I listened to the squeals of my fellow walkers behind me.

After clearing the fields we hit the longest road in the history of Christendom, it stretched passed the checkpoint at Redhorn Hill (and more deliciously tempting snacks), along the Ridgeway, and across Salisbury Plain as far as the eye could see.

Even now, two days later, my feet are still receiving counselling and trying to recover.

The Ridgeway, in particular, was; hard, dry, and endless ........

....... Stretching away into the distance, as weary looking runners shuffled by on the verge of collapse.

When we did reach the crest of a hill, the views in the distance, whilst stunning, simply highlighted just how far I had to walk.

Eventually, at around 22 miles we reached the checkpoint at Bastard ...... sorry, I mean Bustard !!

However, many of my fellow walkers, chose the former moniker !!

From here we only had around 3 miles left to the finish and I pressed on with renewed vigour.

However, in a more surreal moment I was overtaken by a bloke in full Caveman Costume, complete with a club !!

Soon we could just make out Stonehenge in the distance.

And once we got to the car park, the scale of the monolithic marvel that is Stonehenge was there for all to appreciate ...... even the Aliens that in all probability constructed it !!

All in all, a very tough event, made even tougher by the fact that I was on my own for the entire distance.

The negatives were; nothing but water at the checkpoint (as it is a charity event, this is something that you can forgive & understand, but I wish I'd brought some money with me), and the delay waiting for the coach to depart at the end (again, I probably should have parked at the finish, and got the coach to the start).

The positives were; some stunning views, slick organisation, and a very quick time of 8hrs 10mins to complete the course.

 Next stop; South Wales & the Rhonda Valleys.

London Marathon

Location - London
Distance - 26.2miles
Type - Roads
Date - Sunday 22nd April 2012
Organised by:- London Marathon Committee
Website - Click Here

This was THE big one.

Ever since watching the 1984 event on telly, as an impressionable 13 year, I've held a lifelong, but oft obscured, ambition to take part in this event.

I had an inkling that this would be my year, last year whilst waiting for the 'acceptance / rejection' magazine way back in September, and despite booking a weekend's walking in the Yorkshire Dales (for the same date as the Marathon), I was unable to add to my growing rejection letter collection.

Surely now would be the time when I would embrace training, nutrition, resistance training, rest, and all the other things which make up a successful marathon attempt ?

Well that was certainly my intention when I started training back in September, but work & life just seemed to keep getting in the way, and it was always; "Next week". Before I knew it, it was time to head down to London.

Having booked cheap train tickets to Battersea, and an equally cheap Travelodge, I then proceeded to lose Thirty Quid on the train, much to my annoyance, and increase the cost of the weekend.

The train journey down wasn't too arduous, but after checking into my room I was faced with the tedious need to collect my race number from the Marathon Expo.

I say; "Tedious", because it involved walking to Clapham Junction, getting the overland train to Victoria, catching the tube to Canning Town, and then catching the Docklands Light Railway to Custom House for Excel.

All told a journey of over an hour !!

Which I then had to repeat to get back to the Travelodge after spending approx 20mins looking at various running stands and feeling very unfit compared to the other visitors.

I did however, manage to pick up loads of interesting flyers for some of the overseas marathons. Having done the Budapest Half in 2008, and thoroughly enjoyed it, I've had a hankering to head abroad for another event, and the Helsinki Marathon caught my eye ...... so watch the space !

After meeting my mate for some Carbo-Loading at a Pasta Restaurant in Clapham, I settled down for an early night ... and awoke remarkably refreshed on Saturday morning.

I headed off early back to Clapham Junction, and caught the train to London Waterloo, walked to London Waterloo East, and managed to squeeze myself onto the training heading to Blackheath.

I say; "Squeeze", because we were so tightly packed that one passenger fainted, and moving was impossible. Yet all too soon it was over and the train stopped at Blackheath station.

Meeting up with a Facebook Friend we then headed to the Blue Start on Blackheath itself.

Here the organisation really came into it's own, with race baggage trailers, which were allocated by race number, directed toilet queues, and big screen commentary of various elite athletes and fun runners alike.

After saying my goodbyes to Sabrina (who eventually finished with a very credible PB in 4:49:01), I headed to my allotted pen (#9 for the slower runners), and waited for the off.

The range of shapes, sizes, costumes, and finely honed bodies was amazing, I saw Darth Vader and The Stig within the first few minutes.

The atmosphere was amazing, there was such an electric buzz about the place that the energy was almost palpable.

After about 20mins I managed to cross the start line, and was underway.

Almost immediately the amazing level of support made itself known. It is something I've never experienced before, normally keeping the company of Sheep & Cattle on most of my walks, and was pretty much relentless from start to finish. It was almost as though the entire population of London was cheering us on.

Due to the complete lack of training (apart from the 5 walking marathons, and the 3 jogging marathons previously completed), my plan was threefold:-

1. Get round.
2. Get round in under 6 hours.
3. Enjoy it.

Fortunately I managed all three.

Taking it steady I resolved just to jog my way round (as if there is any other way !!), drink as much water as possible, drink any Lucozade Sport drinks on offer, and take around 3 or 4 energy gels.

The predicted rain storm failed to materialise, and the sun took quite a few people by surprise. I passed one couple in full rain gear who looked distinctly uncomfortable.

The early stages of the route were, in truth, pretty dull in places and were it not for the support it would have been a lonely plod, however, the crowds didn't let anyone dwell on the scenery. Everywhere you looked there were people shouting out the names of runners, cheering on a runner racing for a favoured charity, live bands, children holding out their hands for runners to 'High Five'.

I don't think there was one point in the whole race where I was bored, it was simply stunning. And once we headed over Tower Bridge it was on a completely different level, the spectators were jammed in like sardines either side of the road, and the noise was deafening.

Once over Tower Bridge we hit one of the harder parts of the course as we passed the quicker runners heading towards the finish as miles 12.5 ~ 14 ran in the opposite direction to miles 21 ~ 22.5. 

This was difficult as it reminded me just how far we had to go, but I was feeling surprisingly fresh and my strategy to jog a bit, then walk a bit seemed to be paying off.

After passing mile 15 we headed out to the Isle of Dogs and passed the newly restored Cutty Sark where the TV Cameras induced many a daft antic from the runners as they went by.

Heading back away from the Isle of Dogs we turned left towards Canary Wharf and the many striking financial buildings that dominate the skyline, yet again the support was absolutely amazing, and managed to distract my attention from my rapidly stiffening legs.

Eventually, we left Canary Wharf and hit mile 20, leaving us with a mere 10K left to complete.

By this time I was starting to feel tired, and the lack of fitness was taking it's toll as the walking breaks became more frequent.

As we passed the Tower of London, at around 23 miles, it was a fantastic sense of achievement as I began to realise that I was close to fulfilling a lifetime ambition.

Heading along the Thames towards Embankment the clouds began to gather and the skies darken, but it didn't seem to matter as up ahead I could see the Houses of Parliament and the turning down Birdcage Walk.

Here the heavens really opened, and runners and spectators alike were soaked, and then I saw a sign that read; "385 yards to go", and I turned left at Buckingham Palace and a sprint the finish.

Quite simply an amazing experience.

The Bath Beat

Location - Ralph Allen School (2 miles from Bath)
Distance - 26.7miles
Type - Fields, Tracks, Canal Towpaths and Roads
Date - Saturday 14th April 2012
Organised by:- Bath Walking Group
Website - Click Here

This is a series of walks, or runs, in the countryside around Bath. With distances of 12.5, 17, 21, or 26.7miles, there is something for everyone; and it's the second time I have done this event, the first being in 2010 when I found it extremely tough and I finished on 'Jelly-legs'.

This time around I was hoping that experience would prevail and I would find it a bit easier ..... however, things don't always go to plan !

Arriving at the HQ for around 7:30am there were quite a few people setting off (your departure time is recorded at the gate, and you can start whenever you are ready from 7:30am onwards), and after quickly parking my car and registering I soon joined them.

The event follows the route of the Bath Skyline walk initially, before descending down through woods and fields towards the first checkpoint at the wonderful Dundas Aqueduct.

For the first 12 miles I fell in with a couple of walkers; Norman from the Beds, Bucks, and Northants LDWA group, and his friend Mika, who proved good company and helped the initial miles fly by.

Once suitably refreshed by the checkpoint at Dundas, we then headed along the Kennet & Avon Canal for around 3 miles.

Half way along I was joined by my running club colleagues Jon & Sarah Aston. Both of whom were doing a Marathon double this weekend; with the Bath Beat on Saturday followed by the inaugural Worcester Marathon on Sunday.

There were several points where the route took us through small woods where a carpet of wild garlic was just coming into bloom. The aromatic scent gently wafted by, carried as it was by morning breeze.

After the second checkpoint the route split and I bade farewell to Norman & Mika, who were completing the 17mile route, and headed off to the charming little village of Norton St Phillip with its superb Inn; The George. 

Having stayed there whilst on a work trip I can confirm that it is as wonderful as it looks on the website.

Feeling rather full, after partaking of the copious amounts of  savoury snacks & cakes on offer, I waddled out and back into the fields towards one of the toughest climbs of day.

The views across the fields were well worth the effort, though.

And after yet another checkpoint, at 19miles, we headed towards the last checkpoint of the day near the disused and derelict Somerset Coal Canal.

The canal was built in the 1700's and was one of the most successful in the country before being overtaken by progress, in the form of the railways, and closing in 1898.

The now dry locks and canal bed are an atmospheric testament to how quickly nature reclaims the land.

By this time I was feeling very tired, and my feet were complaining loudly (and who can blame them with the amount of weight pressing down upon them), and after following the route of the old canal for a couple of miles we hit the point I was dreading ...... The Steps (and not the cheesy mime artists, either !)

In 2010 I almost saw stars climbing up these, today was not much better. 

Firstly you climb up out of the valley 

Then you go up a steep alleyway, which has steps about two thirds of the way along.

 

The view from the top of the steps can be seen below:-

Then after foolishly thinking that you are at the top, the town planners decide to throw another set of steps in for good measure !

Fortunately, most of the pics are of poor quality due to shaking hands, breathlessness, and black spots in front of the eyes, which meant I was unable to hold the camera still.

And then after a brief road section we were back the the HQ for some welcome refreshments.

This is an excellent event, which at £6.50 is unbelieavble value with excellent organisation and is highly recommended.

I have to admit that I found it tough today, feeling generally tired and drained, I huffed and puffed my way round in an unconvincing 9hrs 41mins.

I'm glad that I have a weekend off after the London Marathon, but wish that I'd managed to drag myself off the sofa to do more training than I have.

On the plus side, it will mean I have more time to enjoy the crowds.