Jack Brooks' latest racing adventures: November 17 - April 18

Marathon man Jack Brooks shares his latest race reports from at home and abroad...

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Marathon: 12th November 2017

Having run marathons in Lanzarote and Gran Canaria I knew that it would be warm in Tenerife, but I wasn’t expecting 25 degrees throughout the race. I don’t run well in the heat, but I knew that I could beat the halfway cut-off time of 2 hours 30 minutes and just hoped I’d then be able to hang on until the finish.

Jack made the podium in his age category in Tenerife

There was absolutely no shade along the course and I suspect that the reason there were many non-starters was that some who had entered knew how warm it was going to be on the Sunday. 

The organisers also pulled quite a few people off the course because they didn’t achieve the cut-off time. 

I certainly struggled in the second half and finished eventually in 4:58:37. I was surprised to be advised that I was first in the male 65/69 age category, but subsequently discovered that only two of us had actually completed the race.

Kirkstall Abbey Trail Marathon, Leeds: 18th November 2017

This was the 2nd event I’ve run that has been organised by the wonderfully named and very friendly “It’s Grim up North” organisation. I stayed in Holmfirth on the Friday night with my friends Gary and Sandra Wade and then followed Sandra to the race start on the Saturday. 

It was brisk, but not freezing on race day. The race start is in the scenic grounds around the Abbey and the course comprised what they described as a challenging route on a mixture of road, track and field. Each of the three laps also contained a stretch of around 2.25 miles of canal towpath, which I certainly found to be the best running surface on the day (as well as being blissfully flat). 

Fortunately the route wasn’t that muddy and I had no trouble running in road shoes. I enjoyed running up North again and was very happy with my finish time of 4:56:45.

Owler Trail Marathon, Ashford, Kent: 26th November 2017

This was the first UK race in 2017 where I’ve really felt the cold. I started with three top layers and two pairs of gloves and nothing got ditched. Ironically bright sunshine also prevailed through most of the race making it difficult in places to see where I was going. 

The race started with a circuit of the track at the Julie Rose Stadium and then comprised two undulating laps along footpaths and quiet country roads. There was only one really muddy section to be negotiated where the mud was substantially more than ankle deep and generally I found the route interesting and pretty. 

I finished in 4:45:43 and was 2nd out of five in the 60/69 age group. All in all this proved a pleasant, if chilly, day out.

Gibraltar Marathon: 2nd December 2017

As there didn’t appear to be a marathon in Gibraltar, Jurgen Sinthofen of the Marathon Country Club decided to organise a one-off event in 2017. 

Making a new friend in Gibraltar

The course was unique in a number of ways as it would comprise an out and back 7km section in Gibraltar, mainly alongside the rock (including a section running across the airport landing strip and then passing through Gibraltar and Spanish border controls to show our passports etc) followed by a 2km stretch along the sea front in La Linea, Spain and then eight laps of just over 4km each. 

I flew into Gibraltar on the Thursday and met up with other early arrivals in La Linea for dinner.

On the Friday I toured Gibraltar with Klaus, a Danish friend who I’d met earlier in the year at the Belarus marathon and Ken, a Japanese guy who had grown up in the USA and who now, by coincidence, teaches English in Belarus. At £25 the van tour around the rock was exceptional value as it incorporated view stops, a visit to the caves, meeting the monkeys and viewing the old Moorish fort. 

Later that day Jon Carson from the UK and my friends, Rich and Jeanne Holmes from North Carolina arrived and around 40 of us went for a meal in an Italian restaurant.

The race was on the Saturday and we were lucky that the weather was fine and there was very little wind. Time taken crossing through border controls was included in the race time so I was more than happy with my finish time of 4:22:42, which placed me 14th out of 40 and 1st vet 60/69. 

In the evening we all went for a meal and the medal presentations and then on the Sunday Rich, Jeanne and I hired a car and spent the day in Granada viewing the Alhambra grounds and palace, which were truly spectacular. Unfortunately I had to return to the British weather on the Monday.

Arizona Rock’n’Roll Marathon, Phoenix, Arizona: 14th January 2018

After searching around for a January Marathon I opted for a few days in the sun. I flew out to Phoenix on the Thursday and spent a couple of days exploring Downtown Phoenix as well as picking up my race number. I particularly enjoyed the Wells Fargo and police museums and the Science and Heritage Centres. 

At the Arizona Expo

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the marathon and the half were run over different courses so the mad congestion I’d anticipated at the start of the marathon never materialised. 

I was reasonably comfortable up to half way, but after that I wilted a bit in the heat and finished in 4:42:57. All I then had to do was ascertain where to get the light railway back to the start and my hotel.

100 Marathon Club AGM Marathon, Woodford Green: 24th February 2018

This 21 lap marathon was organised by the 100 club and Sikhs in the City. The route comprised 21 laps each comprising about 200 metres of level ground with the remainder being either uphill or downhill. 

The temperature was zero at the start and there was a cold headwind so I never really got warm throughout the event (even wearing two pairs of gloves). However, the good news was that I had no problem with the foot injury that had been plaguing me for the previous three weeks and was able to finish in 4:51:07. Normally I find races with short laps quite boring, but because there were so many people I knew taking part I actually quite enjoyed the course, although my 21st ascent of the long hill wasn’t met with unbridled enthusiasm.

Poet’s Path Potter Trail Marathon, Dymock, Gloucestershire: 24th March 2018

A number of famous poets (including Rupert Brooke, Robert Frost and Edward Thomas) settled around Dymock briefly just before the First World War and this marathon is held partly to commemorate the fact. The route is a clover leaf shape with each loop returning to the race HQ. Those who ran it in 2017 advised that the weather had been glorious then. 

Muddy conditions at the Poet's Path Potter Trail Marathon

However, after weeks of snow and incessant rain the ground was sodden and this proved to be the muddiest race that I can recall. The course was marked in places, but a group of us still managed to take one wrong turn adding over half a mile to our run.

Ibiza Marathon: 7th April 2018

The organisers changed the course this year so that the race started in Ibiza town and finished in Santa Eularia. Given how beautiful the island is I was surprised to see how few UK runners were there out of the 466 who completed the marathon. 

Finishing in the dark in Ibiza

It was very warm at the start and after the first relatively flat 5k we were faced with a succession of uphill climbs of varying difficulty until we reached around 28k. After this there were some decent downhill stretches, but by that time my legs were shot and I wasn’t able to take as much advantage of these descents as I’d have liked to. 

By the time I finished in 4:39:16 it was starting to get dark and I was very tired. However, I must congratulate the authorities for their faultless organisation.

Southampton Marathon: 22nd April 2018

Running in the Southampton heat

I travelled down to Southampton by train on the Saturday and met up with Stephen Elkan and Caroline Bailes. 

In the afternoon we wandered down to the Itchen Bridge in the knowledge that we’d have to run over it four times the next day. It looked somewhat daunting. 

As forecast, it was very hot on the Sunday and an unexpected blow was that we soon discovered that they’d changed the course from the previous year and added more hills. 

On the plus side the race was well organised and we ran through some beautiful parks. 

I struggled in the heat, especially in the second half and finished in 4:39:49. This was my 450th marathon/ultra and it certainly took a lot out of me.

Newport Marathon, Pembrokeshire: 29th April 2018

Jack was happy with his time in Newport

The weather could not have been more different for this race to that of the previous week. It was freezing in Newport on the Sunday morning and there was a biting wind. 

I was mightily relieved that I’d purchased a throwaway sweatshirt for £1 in a charity shop the day before, especially as the race start was delayed for half an hour. However, once the race got going the conditions were ideal for running. 

For this inaugural marathon the support out on the course was terrific especially in the town of Magor. The route took us out of Newport and into the countryside almost immediately and this proved to be a flat and fast course. 

I think that the organisers were slightly overwhelmed by the number of people who’d entered (3,394 finishers in the marathon), but I’m sure that they’ll have sorted out any teething problems by next year and for anyone wanting a fast course away from the big city marathon crowds I strongly recommend this event. 

I was happy with my time of 4:19:36, which was my fastest time over the last 12 months.