Jack's marathons - August 2012

Northumberland Coast Trail Marathon: 19th August 2012: (Marathon No 296): Unlike most marathons, the start time for this one is determined by the tides as there are several long stretches along beaches. The race starts on the beach at Alnmouth and proceeds north mainly following the Northumberland Coastal path until the turnaround point at Long Nanny Bridge, just south of Beadnell Bay. There are spectacular views along the whole course and the route goes through Boulmer (where Linda Powell advises that she was carousing in the Fishing Boat Inn, not knowing that a marathon was about to go past the pub entrance) and Craster and then past Dunstanburgh Castle. The sea is rarely out of sight. 

It was very hot for the first half of the race, but as we turned the sea breeze picked up and the going became easier. Alison Campbell and her family were manning one of the drink stations and her brother Mike (who occasionally trains with the Striders) was well ahead of me. It was good to see some familiar faces. I thoroughly enjoyed the race and was also pleased with my time of 4:40:58 given the nature of some of the terrain. My performance was good enough to earn me the first male vet 60-64 trophy. The train to Edinburgh stops at Alnmouth, and the race start and several B&Bs are only just over a mile away from the station so this is a race, which is easy to get to by public transport. The race director is seeing if he can get a permit for larger numbers next year. If you like trail marathons this is one that I can highly recommend. 

Thames Meander Trail Marathon: 25th August 2012: (Marathon No 297): A number of us take turns in guiding a blind runner, Paul Watts, around marathons. I have previously taken him round three road marathons, but I was apprehensive about taking him round this trail marathon. The Thames Meander starts in Kingston Upon Thames, runs through Richmond Park, follows the Thames towpath to the turnaround point at Putney Bridge and then returns along the same route. When I ran the race last year I thought that the paths were in fairly good condition, but when you are responsible for someone who can’t see anything in front of them you become much more aware of every stone, root and obstacle in your path. Fortunately we managed to avoid any major trip hazards, but one thing we couldn’t avoid was the torrential rain, which thoroughly drenched us on the return part of the race. The hot meal waiting for us when we finished in 5:33:27 was extremely welcome.

Jack Brooks