Event Review: Tolkien Run 2017

"That's not Smaug, it's a Balrog!" came the gleeful cry from my friend Cathy as we ran along the sea wall. It wasn't yet 9am and my knowledge of Hobbits and other mythical beings was being put to the test. We were a couple of miles into The Tolkien Run, a vaguely Tolkien themed 6-hour time challenge put on by the ever-wonderful Saxons Vikings and Normans and admiring the fancy dress outfits of the few brave enough to don them. You may remember SVN from my attempt at Cakeathon earlier in the year. They specialise in time challenge events, ridiculously fantastic medals and excellent goody bags. Cathy had pointed this one out to me and Dean and we were rather taken with the idea and so that's how we ended up in Samphire Hoe at 8:30am on a Wednesday morning with a plan to run a marathon.

Representing Bracknell Forest Runners on location

We're not quite sure why this was on a Wednesday but certainly plenty of people had taken the day off work to take part in the event. Samphire Hoe boasts plenty of very cheap parking (£2 all day!) and some lovely views. SVN don't send out numbers in advance but it's always a pretty slick process to collect them, along with our punch cards for keeping track of our laps, on the day. The field is kept relatively small so there's very little crowding and everyone's friendly and jolly. I'm starting to recognise people at the events now, which is always lovely. Samphire Hoe also benefits from a cafe, proper loos (no queues this day) and a centre that we can duck into if it's wet with a covered outdoor area that serves as the food and drink station. None of this energy gel and sports drink malarky, it's cakes, biscuits, crisps and nuts galore, all washed down with squash or water, and while there wasn't as much cake as at Cakeathon, no one went hungry!

The goody bag!

The route was a 3.75m out and back course, which you repeat as many times as you wish or are able to in the 6 hours. This was to be Cathy's first marathon attempt so we had our sights set on 7 laps. I haven't been putting in the distance recently so I hoped to keep her company but was happy to see what the day brought and just do as much as I could. The course starts on track across the fields, drops down to a path by the railway track (bonus points for spotting Eurostar), down a hill and out along the sea wall, almost to the end, then around a cone to retrace your steps.

We three started out together at a nice steady pace. Dean soon started pulling away from us to go at his comfortable pace which is slightly quicker than ours, leaving Cathy and I to natter to each other and other runners whilst enjoying the first few laps. It was a warm day so arm warmers quickly came off and we crossed fingers that the sun wouldn't beat down too hard on us. At the end of each lap we took a few minutes to have something to eat and drink before setting off on the next. Travis, SVN organiser, would talk to Cathy at these moments about how she would have no trouble with the distance. After all, you can do a half marathon, lap I've won't be a problem, and no one stops at six laps so there! We started to take bets on when we'd meet Dean on the course and played some games of I Spy to relieve the tedium of the sea wall. Such was the tedium of the sea wall that it only took us one lap to exhaust I Spy so we started on some word association games instead, which started tapping into our deep seated desire for food.

The first three laps went by quite quickly, lap four marked a long half marathon and by lap five we'd settled into a run-walk strategy using corners, cones and hills as our markers. We were smiling at the same people, giving out encouragement, chatting about the Mega Marathon t-shirts and generally having quite a lot of fun. SVN write everyone's names on their numbers so it's really easy to make it personal. By the end of the event you feel as though you've made a whole bunch of new friends! At the end of lap five we met up with Dean who had waited for us to catch up so we could run the last two laps together. Even though we knew that some people had already called it a day, it didn't feel any less busy out on the course, which was nice. We stuck to the run walk strategy and carried on with the word association games. The wind started to pick up and gave us a very unfair headwind on the downhill. Our legs were sore but lap six was duly ticked off. This was it!

Lap seven commenced! There was no question that we were going to complete a marathon now. The wind was stronger but was at our back along the outward leg of the sea wall so we ran the whole length of it. We got chatting to a chap running with a backpack who we'd not noticed at the start of the day. Apparently he couldn't get the morning off to take part but had decided to come out and join us unofficially for a training run and to offer encouragement - superstar! The headwind back along the sea wall reduced us to a walk but finally we turned the corner, trudged up the hill one last time and jogged just about all the way back to the start. Done and with 10 minutes to spare! We were all delighted with our efforts. If we'd felt so inclined we could have gone for the ultra distance, the rule being that you have to start your final lap before 6 hours is up, but enough was enough. Cathy earned her "first marathon badge" for her medal ribbon and we all walked away with glow in the dark, Gates of Morir medals as big as our faces!

We hugged, changed, ate, hugged some more, took some photos, ate some more and eventually piled back into the car to go home, tired but happy and with a mid-week marathon under our belts. We certainly wouldn't have done it without the expert organisation and encouragement of the SVN tram and all the other competitors. At £39.95 I think the events are excellent value for money and I cannot wait to sign up for another.

Munching on hot buttery crumpets

Are you a Mega Marathoner? Have you ever done a mid-week marathon? Any votes on which SVN event I should try next?

Event Review : Stour Valley Marathon

It's 6am on a Sunday. I'm awake, cup of coffee on the go and somehow in my running gear (have you any idea how difficult it is to get into lycra before 7am?). I have an hour and a half drive ahead of me, but I've allowed for two hours, to get me to Nayland which is on the Essex / Suffolk border about 10 minutes from Colchester. All this because I read a race report last year that made me want to run a marathon through the countryside.

The Stour Valley Marathon is a trail marathon through Constable Country following parts of the Stour Valley Path, Essex Way and St Edmund Way. It measures slightly short of 27 miles on Garmin devices and so could be classed as an ultra. It certainly would if you got lost, which is a real possibility as the course isn't marked. Instead participants are given a narrative route or can choose to download a GPS track for their Garmin devices. As my Garmin isn't fancy enough to handle that I was to be following the narrative version, not unlike that which I followed for Gatliff, my first ultra.

Parking and registration was a breeze and so I milled around with a cup of tea, wondering how quickly I'd need to lose the long sleeves and how my legs would react today, it being less than a week since my last marathon. There were only around 200 participants, so a small field, but many from the local running clubs. The advantage of being local is that you can try the route before hand, something that I appreciated not too far into the run. We started fairly promptly at 9am, heading out of the village and towards the first stile (thankfully there weren't as many as Gatliff). The first couple of miles were a bit bottle-necky as you might imagine, but we soon spread out. The plus side to this was that after the first mile I was roasting my my long sleeves and someone very kindly offered to hold my race vest while I peeled it off. Temperature was a big issue that day, rising quickly throughout the morning to hit around 25 degrees in the afternoon. The event has a seven hour time limit and as a slower runner I knew I'd need a lot of that time, so was running during the hottest part of the day. Beautiful, but hard going.

Pretty but no shade

As we wound through some enclosed footpaths I started to lose the people in front and had a mild panic about the instructions. As I stumbled through some undergrowth near a church thinking to myself "surely this isn't right" I glanced sideways to find a fellow runner taking a comfort break. Apologising profusely I stumbled on but as happens on events like this she caught me up and we started chatting, running together with another lady for at least half of the event. Being a local she was able to keep me on the (not very) straight and (very) narrow path, pointing out the footpath signs we should be following as well as views I shouldn't forget to look at.

A view. At the top of a hill. I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have.

Challenges on the course included the aforementioned stiles, footbridges, kissing gates, brambles, stinging nettles (how I came away unscathed from that I don't know) and rabbit holes you could lose a leg down. In addition there were crops to avoid trampling, ploughed fields that necessitated leaping from furrow to furrow as if on the moon, and hills. Oh the hills. In fairness there weren't that many but I took my ultra strategy of walking them all very seriously. Oh and cows, quite a lot of cows, with young, and a field with a bull in it. Mostly they moved out of the way but one seemed intent on guarding the gate I was trying to get to. I was never good at vaulting at school and I didn't have a sprint in my legs at that point so was glad it stood its ground rather than charging me.

I checked in with my parents at each check point, sending a quick text message home. They weren't with me today but amused themselves and cheered me up by sending me videos and pictures. Unfortunately I had barely any signal most of the time so didn't get them until afterwards but I appreciated them all the same.

Helpful photo from mum

There were four check points in total with an additional two water drops towards the end of the course. The checkpoints were attended by wonderful volunteers who plied us with lemon and orange squash, tortilla chips, biscuits, jelly babies, nuts and jaffa cakes. I had my own water and gels but wasn't going to turn down lemon squash or jaffa cakes, even the melty ones at CP4!

A local lady was standing outside her house, somewhere around mile 15 I think, with plates of orange wedges and chic chip cookies whilst some other kind souls had left a huge bowl of jelly babies outside for runners to help themselves to.

Looking at the scenery, deciphering and following the instructions and avoiding rabbit holes served as good distractions, stopping me from thinking too much about the distance I had left to go. In fairness I don't think it was until the last 6 miles that I started to get a bit fed up with it all, which sort of coincided with a mile stretch of very sloppy, muddy footpath that I just couldn't run on. That was hard going. But I was still managing to jog and my knee and hip flexors weren't painful, which had been my main concern. The between event massage, skins shorts and CEP calf sleeves clearly helped.

The hilarious tan lines you get when wearing shorts and calf sleeves.

The last two miles were the hardest. I wasn't tired as such, just weary, hot, achey, and in need of a lot of wet wipes to get rid of the grime and sweat build up. Oh yes it's all very glamorous this running malarkey. My Garmin also died around that point (I hadn't charged it fully) and so I wasn't able to check how far I had left to go. I started to recognise landmarks as I neared Nayland again. There were more spectators cheering and being very encouraging. I turned the corner back to the village hall and the finish line. Most people had already finished and were lazing on the grass with cold drinks, picnics and friends and families and on any other day I would probably have joined them but I'd had enough sun so after collecting my ridiculously huge meal (unexpected) I headed inside to find food and fluids. A huge spread was laid on for free for the runners and volunteers including sausage baguettes, salads, scones and cider. I nigh on inhaled my plateful! While I thought I was struggling in the last few miles it seems I was actually helping others. I was approached by a woman about 5 minutes after finishing who said she'd been following my blue socks for the last 5 miles as she couldn't focus on her instructions any more. I'm mighty glad I didn't get lost!

Post race meal. Cider was saved for later.

Once fed, semi clean and in fresh clothes I started the two hour drive back to my parents'. Tired, happy, sun tanned. I reckon I finished in around six hours, which isn't great but it's not dreadful. I had always intended to approach this as an experience, which it certainly was, and so finish time is somewhat irrelevant, especially in that heat.

Huge bling

Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I do it again? Maybe - although I'm sure there are others out there that would be just as cool to do rather than running the same route again. For £28 you really can't go wrong with this event. Small, friendly, special. Entries for 2017 should open in August...

Event Review : Cakeathon

I'm a big fan of running, a bigger and of bling and am almost convinced that I'm genetically wired so as to be incapable of refusing cake. So the perfect event for me was of course something called Cakeathon!

Organised by Saxons Vikings and Normans, Cakeathon is a time challenge event; participants have 6 hours in which to complete as many laps of the course as they wish. You only need to complete one to qualify as a finisher, making it ideal for all ability levels but giving scope for more serious runners to compete against themselves. On completion of each lap your lap card is punched and you decide whether to continue. If you've had enough you just ring the Bell of Doom to receive your medal and goody bag. SVN events are renowned for their bijou events, amazing goody bags and awesome medals. Seriously, I've never seen anything like them before, and this was no exception. In addition, as this is CAKE-athon after all, there was a substantial amount of cake on hand over and above the usual aid station.

Set in what used to be known as Foulmead Country Park in Deal, Kent, the lap on this occasion was 4.37 miles, so each loop burned around 400 calories. A modest sized bit of cake per lap! Participants were encouraged to bring their own cake creations. There were prizes for the best cakes of the day, in the categories of:

1) Best cake

2) Best cake featuring marzipan

3) Best marzipan creation

4) Best cookie/brownie

5) Best vegan cake/creation

Vegan Turkish Delight cake. My favourite!

I rocked up around 8:30 for the 9am start. It's a small event in terms of allowed numbers so there was no trouble collecting my number and working out what was going on. Race briefing was amusing and informative. Amongst the regular Joes we had people running their 50th, 99th, 100th and 200th marathons that day! We started a fraction after 9am. It all felt very chilled out and relaxed. The first lap felt like the longest as I wasn't really sure what to expect but I soon settled into things. Run a lap, get my card punched, pause for squash, cake and cheese straws, set off again.

The course was stunning and traffic free (although not public free) all on gravel surface with a few "slopes", which I chose to treat as hills (i.e. walking up them). There were lovely woods to run by, ponds, grasslands and wet lands. It was pretty windy in the middle section of the course and I deliberated for ages over whether to ditch the base layer. In the end I didn't. I wasn't uncomfortably hot and I cooled down quickly after each lap. I didn't spot an awful lot of wildlife other than birds but I did hear a cuckoo on every lap. Although for once, you could wear headphones on the course and I had mine with me, I didn't feel the need to plug in. I was kept distracted enough by the course and also by greeting other runners on the out and back part of the course. By far one of the friendliest races I've ever done, "well done" was the catchphrase of the day, and sincerely meant.

My parents arrived to support me as I came in from my second lap. It was a joy to see them and my end of lap routine now included a chat with them. In the 45 minutes or so I was out on the course they   have a cooked breakfast at the visitor centre, chatted with the event team and supped cups of tea. After a couple of laps they discovered a half way point they could as get to so I was greeted part way round as well.

Dad napping. Was I taking that long?

I'd set out with the intention of attempting 7 laps, and achieving ultra marathon distance but my hip flexor started to ached and after my 6th lap I decided I probably couldn't run another and wasn't prepared to walk so I rang the bell. Better to finish on a high and besides 6 laps was marathon distance and I was delighted with that. Five hours 22 minutes on the course (including stops). Not bad. I'd only managed a couple of slices of cake as I just couldn't face it after a while but I did leave with several pieces in a takeaway container!

My ankles pre-clean down

We retired to the visitor centre for tea, warmth and, in my case, a bit of a clean up. Pretty dusty out on the course! As well as cake I got a super special finishers medal, custom made and designed, not a generic one, plus a goody bag containing actual goodies, not a bunch of adverts. Best of all, nothing healthy! Chocolate, crisps, cola... that sort of thing. 

It was a really enjoyable day out. I talked to people who ran 10k, half marathons, full marathons and every thing in between (and over). I am already eying up other SVN events to do and my mum was so impressed by the medal she was actually moved to say she would do it next year (maybe just the one lap). Highly recommended.

Have you done an SVN event? How do you feel about lapped events or time challenges? 

Event Review : Marathon du Medoc

It's rare to find a race that to actually race it would seem like a real waste of the experience. The Marathon du Medoc is the only one of these that I have found to date. I'm not including events like the Colour Run or Glow in the Park because they don't pretend to be races. I could have imagined running Tiree in a quicker time and still enjoying the scenery, but I truly question why the winners of the Medoc race, in around 2h34, bothered to enter.

It's billed as "the longest marathon in the world" with 22 refreshment stations (read wine tasting stops) and 21 food stands including a "breakfast stop", oysters and ice cream. The route takes in the vineyards and chateaus of the area and being limited to 8,500 entrants, it retains a sense of charm and inclusion.

This has been on my race wish-list for a while and so I was thrilled to actually manage to get a place this year. As my godparents live in France we made a bit of a family occasion of it. Being able to book my place and the hotel for both my parents and godparents took the stress out of things, as was the ability to book the shuttle bus to and from the event and to pick up my race number the day before. Paulliac is a fairly small town, without the infrastructure necessary to accommodate 8,500 runners and their supporters in hotel or B&Bs so most participants seem to be bussed in from Bordeaux. The only real bit of stress I encountered was when the coach to the expo was delayed by 45 minutes with no explanation. Not exactly ideal. 

However everything else ran fairly smoothly and so at 9am on Saturday morning I found myself surrounded by hundreds or other runners in an astounding array of fancy dress, most of which was a nod to this year's theme of "dressed up to the nines". Top hats and tails were abundant (some with only a thong underneath - the French like a bare buttock) as were men dressed as ladies (usually the Brits) plus a few more elaborate outfits. 

There was a wonderful aerial acrobatic display in the lead up to the start time and then finally we were lead in a countdown, confetti cannons exploded and we were off! Sort of... there's a false start, about half a kilometre or so until you reach the real start with the timing mat. 

After a few days stressing over the weather report that predicted heavy showers all day it was a joy to set off in the sunshine but within minutes I was certain I had sweated off all my sunscreen and was very aware of the lack of cover or shade around and about. The first couple of kilometres went by in a blink and we were suddenly at the breakfast stop; table laden with croissants and cakes.... well it would have been rude not to! 

Breakfast!

No sooner had we left the breakfast stop then it seemed we found the first of the many wine tastings on offer. It was horribly crowded so I decided to skip this one only to find the beer and waffle stop a little further on. This was a theme... there were very few sections where you could do any sustained running, if you wanted to take advantage of the food and wine on offer, which I very much did want to! 

Oh go on then, just the one.

I'd packed my waist pack with some gels but I really needn't have bothered, and any worries I'd had about whether the decision not to carry water was the right one were quickly put to rest. It seemed that every half a mile or so there was either a water station, wine station or a snack stop and oh my, each snack stop could have fed a small village! There were cakes and biscuits, bananas, apples, oranges, crisps; I've never been so well fed. I took the strategy of little and often when it came to food, being sure to eat some crisps for the salt as well as bananas and biscuits.

A food station after having been ravaged by some 8,000 runners

The event draws quite a crowd. People lined the residential areas we passed through, clapping and cheering, many in fancy dress themselves. As a display of how much this race is supported, one street had a banner made from all the previous race t-shirts, strung outside someone's house! With the exception of one part of the route, it's all stunning. Vines as far as the eye can see and gorgeous chateaus. Some had tied balloons to their vines, others were just beautiful in their own quiet way. But even on the most desolate part, the tedious 2-3 miles heading back into town along the water front in a straight line, there were plenty of supporters. I, however, was counting down the kilometres to the half way mark and the point at which I'd see my parents for smiles and support. 

Shortly after this point the heavens opened! It was welcome relief from the sun and once you're as wet as you can be and all the sweat has been washed into your eyes it ceases to be much of a bother. The second half of the race was punctuated with showers but also with new friends. This is probably one of the friendliest races I've done. A guy called Louis, dressed in a get up that made him resemble Hulk Hogan, started chatting to me. I found out that he'd run 213 marathons! I also chatted to a guy called Steven, finisher of 33 marathons in 4 years. As I started to tire and my legs ached I found myself running near one or other of them for the rest of the race which meant I had a constant source of encouragement. Steven's method of running to the next wine stop proved to be a good one and I found a bit more speed over the final few miles.

Me and Steven

As we got closer to town I was waiting for the ice cream stop. I was hoping to be restrained enough to actually run over the line with my ice cream but alas it started melting and it was a little too tasty. The finish line seemed to take forever to appear but as I saw my parents again and rounded a corner there it was; several balloon arches and the finish line. I felt as though I sprinted to the line, determined to get in under 5h30 on my Garmin (missed it by one second), face still wearing a big grin from ear to ear and feeling none the worse for all my tasters of wine. 

Our medal was a bow tie, in keeping with the theme, and we were also presented with a messenger bag, cup and bottle of wine in a keepsake box. The ladies were also presented with a rose, which I thought was a lovely touch.

Celebrations were in full swing already as finishers made their way up and down the street in various degrees of comfort, mostly in straight lines. There were more wine stalls and the cafes were busy with competitors and supporters alike. A brief repose for wine (as if I'd not had enough) and cheese then it was back to the coach and back to Bordeaux.

This was easily the most fun I've ever had at a marathon. It's laid back, friendly, a beautiful course and well supported. A whole weekend of activities are planned around the race and the area surrounding Paulliac, a town scarcely able to cope with the number of runners and supporters that descend for the weekend. On the Friday there's the options of either a pasta party or a more formal meal. After the race there's another fancy meal, fireworks and a ball and on the Sunday you can opt to join in a relaxing walk through the vineyards and have a lunch. However all of these activities are extras, not included in your race fee. What is included in the race fee, however, is an event t-shirt (technical, in men's and women's fit), a goody bag when you pick up your race number including some edible treats and the aforementioned goodies at the finish line.

I would recommend this race to anyone wanting a fun marathon and/or a race abroad. Get into the spirit of things and enjoy!

Event Review : Brighton Marathon 2015

Brighton. Home to brightly coloured sticks of rock, The Lanes and the pier. Also host to one of the most popular marathons in the UK and my "A" race for the year. I was inspired to enter after cheering Alex on at last year's event and I would recommend it to just about anybody. My parents and I made a weekend of it, heading down on Friday night and staying until Monday morning. This was partly influenced by the minimum nights rule put in place by the hotel I wanted to stay at but we'll overlook that. It made for a very relaxed weekend and the race was all the more enjoyable for that.

It's amazing what you can convince yourself is acceptable to eat in the days before a marathon. I'd been quite good until I hit Brighton. Smokey's and the Hobgoblin had a fine line in Mexican food and burgers respectively and there may have been a little over indulgence. But it's ok! I dozed it off on the beach before a restorative spritzer and some nachos... Hmmm.

Might have over-ordered...

Scaring away the gulls with my reflective legs.

We stayed at The Granville, conveniently located staggering distance from the finish line, around the halfway mark and close to the Brighton Center where the expo was held, which we visited on Saturday morning, shortly after it opened. There was no issue at all with collecting my race pack but the expo started to get crowded quite quickly. We managed to have a good look round, to record a message to be played at mile 23 and buy some kit before it all got too much, but only just. 

Because I don't have enough kit...

The morning of the marathon was a bit of a stunner and after a hearty breakfast of porridge and toast the stroll to the start area in Preston Park was most enjoyable. I'd packed my race vest with gels, nuun and a photo of me and my Aunt at the finish of the London Marathon. I'd penned some inspiring words on my hands and felt collected. The sense of calm was almost unnerving.

 

I don't think one person was certain of the way to the start and I now understand how sheep and fish feel... purposeful but with a hint of confusion and bewilderment. We arrived at the park just as the Brighton 10k started, which was great to watch. There was a fantastic atmosphere and every one was in good spirits, chatty and friendly. Baggage drop was a breeze but I did end up queueing for ages to use a loo. In the end I used the "mens cubicle" only to discover that loos nearer the start had no queue. Hey ho, new experiences and all that...

Three girls, one poncho

Ready for the off!

My "designated stuff holders"

As predicted, although the official race start was at 9:15 am, my wave didn't cross the line until around 9:30. I high-fived Jo Pavey as I crossed the line and settled in to the pack for a while as we looped the park before rolling down into the city centre. Sticking in the pack meant I didn't set off too quickly but it did get a little frustrating when I wanted to make use of gravity on the down hills. 

The route involves quite a few out-and-backs and on occasion I felt cheated when a turn around point actually turned out to be a turn but I didn't mind the double backs at all. I enjoyed seeing people running the other way, trying to pick out friends or familiar faces/vests. It also provided spectators plenty of opportunities to see their runners. The first half of the race is certainly the more enjoyable and scenic part, taking in the Pavilion and the Banksy.

All too soon I seemed to hit the half way mark, having seen my parents on the sidelines a few times. Now the hard work started. I tried very hard to maintain positive mental thoughts so although I knew it was just going to get harder from here on out, I tried to distract myself with the bands, the spectators, mental arithmetic around my pacing and milestones such as the 18 mile mark when we'd emerge from the sweltering town centre out onto the seafront again. A few messages and texts arrived from twitter and friends which lifted me no end. 

Photo by Crawley News

My hands are in the air like I just do not care...

And there were plenty of distractions on the route. Drum bands, rock bands, people playing music on stereos from bedroom windows, camper vans and tables loaded with cakes and drinks as spectators made a proper day of things, a guy blowing a conch and even the Queen and Prince Philip (looking slightly more cardboard-like around the face) handing out high-fives. Even on the stretch from miles 15 to 18, that I'd expected to be fairly bleak, there were plenty of enthusiastic spectators and with water stations roughly every 2 miles there was always something going on. Before the race I'm reliably informed there were processions of Harleys and Minis. I saw them lined up but I'd have loved to have seen them in procession.

I was ahead of my target pace by around 30 seconds per mile for a large portion of the race but I felt pretty strong so decided to keep it up as long as I could. Plus it felt good to have some minutes in the bank for later, just in case I unravelled. Mile 20 was an odd one. We were heading out towards the most remote part of the course and fatigue was starting to set in but I knew I only had six miles to go. I can run six miles. Another strategy... I know I can run one mile so whenever it felt as though it was getting hard I just thought about running the next mile, then the next one. Just one mile at a time. At mile 23 I met the big screen and the message my dad recorded for me played out. Cue flapping of the hands about the face as I fought back emotions. Head in the game Roberts, head in the game... just a parkrun to go!

Running along the seafront back towards the finish line was wonderful. I stopped to walk once or twice but quickly discovered it hurt less to run but even so my pace dropped and I was glad to have minutes in the bank. By mile 24 I knew that whatever happened I'd hit my time and that was a huge boost. The question was, how close would it be? Although I felt as though I had a big grin on my face the entire time, the official race photos tell a slightly different story. You'll notice none of them appear here...

It's downhill to the finish, pure bliss, but as soon as I crossed the line all the emotion came out. I'd come in 4 minutes under my target time in 4:41:19. I'd had the strongest race I can remember, raised a considerable amount of money for Hospiscare and run in memory of my Aunt. I pushed myself but still enjoyed it so much. The sunshine, the support both on the course and from afar... it was all just wonderful. And I learnt how to drink from a paper cup whilst running!

There's another, far more emotional photo in existence but I won't scare you with it.

Words of inspiration and strength

After a minute or two I managed to collect myself enough to gather up the contents of my goody bag (chocolate, bananas, protein drink, cotton finishers shirt, water) and find the baggage lorries. Collecting my belongings was easy as pie but fighting my way out of the Beach Village was another matter. I had to sit down a while (not knowing if I would actually be able to get up again) and fortify myself with a recovery shake before that battle. About half an hour later and I was reunited with my mum and a cheese sandwich (thanks mum), another 20 minutes and I'd shuffled my way back to the hotel and my dad who had champagne on ice. Dads are brill. 

And that was that. Celebratory drinks continued into the evening (bars will not give you a free drink on production of a medal, I tried), along with more Mexican food and great company. Aching legs made for a disturbed nights sleep and a rather painful Monday but I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

I won't be back to run Brighton Marathon next year, purely because I have other races on my wish list, but I'd highly recommend it. Far easier to get into than London, a mostly flat course, well organised and tremendous fun. The half marathon sounds attractive too!

I'd like to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported me in the run up to the marathon, and on the day, in particular my parents, Team Bear and my coach.

If you raced on Sunday I hope you had a great one, be it in Brighton or Paris or somewhere else. If you've got a race coming up... GOOD LUCK!