Jack Brooks sets a British record as his racing adventures continue around the world

Jack Brooks shares his latest race reports as he becomes the first person from the UK to complete a marathon in all 50 US States plus DC, and all 13 Provinces and Territories in Canada...

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.

Marathon man Jack Brooks reports on his latest feats of endurance

AUGUST TO OCTOBER 2017

Chislehurst Commons Trail Marathon: 6th August 2017

This was a new marathon near Bromley comprised of six laps of just under 7k followed by a shorter final loop. Each lap contained a very long descent of around 2k followed by a long ascent of about the same distance. There was enough variation in the surroundings to ensure that repeating the route each time wasn't boring. My time was 4:45:37.

Jack Brooks endures border checks in Belarus, dodges grizzly bears in Alaska - and fits in some scenic trail races with Striders - in his latest races around the world

Jack Brooks reports on his races at home and abroad in June and July 2017...

Jack at the finish of the Manitoba Marathon in Winnipeg, Canada

Maritime Marathon, Manitowoc, Wisconsin: 11th June 2017

On 11 June I eventually (thanks to a puncture on my hire car) arrived in Manitowoc in the middle of a heat wave with temperatures around 80 degrees and around 82 percent humidity - and those were the prevailing conditions at the start of the marathon.

I generally don’t run well in the heat and like many others I was wilting before we reached the 5 mile mark. However, I persevered and with the distraction of pelican spotting along the shoreline of Lake Michigan I made it to half way in 2:10 and finally staggered across the finish line in 4:37:29.

Given the conditions, survival (rather than time) had been the objective in this race so I was not too disappointed.

Manitoba Marathon, Winnipeg, Canada: 18th June 2017

I hung around in Wisconsin for a few days after the marathon visiting the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame (in Green Bay, of course) and making several trips to the ice cream parlour in Two Rivers, which not only housed a fascinating museum, but also served some of the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted.

Visiting the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame while in Wisconsin

After driving back to Chicago we flew to Winnipeg, picked up our numbers for the marathon, explored The Forks area of the city and then drove up to Selkirk (to visit Lower Fort Garry) and Lake Winnipeg (to look around the Icelandic settlement of Gimli).

Fortunately, there was light drizzle on the morning of the marathon, which suited me down to the ground, as did the relatively flat course. I set off with the 4:15 pace group, but parted company with them just after 19 miles, finishing in 4:21:33.

The finish was in the city’s Canadian Football League’s stadium and, with only the marathon runners being allowed to finish in there, there was more than enough free food and drink for everybody. I also took advantage of a free massage at the finish, where I was advised that I should do something about the tightness in my upper left leg. I had been thinking the same thing myself from around the 20 mile mark!

Herts Hobble Trail Marathon, Bramfield Village, Herts: 25th June 2017

This is one of my favourite annual events. Adam Mellor and I ran round together taking the time to admire the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside and chat to other runners, finishing in 5:40.00

Ashridge Trail Half Marathon, Herts: 2nd July 2017

This is another local event, which passes through some spectacular hilly countryside. Adam Mellor, Carol Ransom, Mandy Attree, Lucy Stern and I went round together. We didn’t treat this as a race, but merely a chance to have a morning out appreciating our surroundings and having a good chat.

A great day out with Adam Mellor, Carol Ransom, Mandy Attree and Lucy Stern at the Ashridge Trial Half

The weather was kind and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, especially when Adam bought us all an ice cream at the finish. An extra bonus is that all the proceeds from the race go to charity.

Grodno To Druskininkai Marathon, Belarus/Lithuania: 9th July 2017

This trip came good more by luck than by judgement after my initial travel plans had to be rearranged. I discovered after booking a flight to Minsk I would need a visa to cross the border into Lithuania so I had to pay for another to Vilnius instead.

Once there I met Rich Holmes, a friend from North Carolina, and we were taken to our hotel by a charming lady called Virginija, who we subsequently discovered is a member of the Lithuanian parliament.

With Lithuanian MP Virginija at the Grodno to Druskininkai Marathon

We also discovered that Brent Weigner (another friend from the USA) and Jim Manford (from the UK North East marathon club) were both staying in our hotel as well as a number of Finnish and Danish runners. Amazingly, on the Saturday we all obtained our visas without a hitch and boarded the bus to Grodno, Belarus.

It took around two hours to get through the border checks and into Belarus after which the bus deposited us at the sports stadium in Grodno for race registration.

When we went for dinner that evening we quickly discovered how few people in Belarus speak or understand English. I attempted to order a vegetarian mushroom pizza at a restaurant but the first two pizzas they brought me both had meat on them - and then they claimed that they had no mushrooms.

After an hour of this I finally demonstrated to them that I’d be happy if they just gave me a pizza base with some cheese on it and after a further wait this did materialise.

The following morning we had to arrive early to have our visas and passports checked and then surrender them to the border officials so that they and our baggage could be transported to the finish area in Druskininkai, Lithuania.

Feeling victorious with friends in Belarus

The race commenced at 8am. I was impressed that the road surfaces were excellent and that the road (the main road across the border) was closed to traffic for just 141 runners. It was humid from the start and got progressively warmer throughout the race, but I was interested in seeing the countryside and the many officials lining the route (and running through the 2k long border control area was a real experience).

After around 30k in Belarus we entered Lithuania and I finally crossed the line in 4:32:55.

The main observation that I had after the race was that very few people in Belarus smile, whereas as soon as we crossed into Lithuania people seemed much more cheerful.

After a shower and a free meal (all provided within an entry fee of 20 Euros) Virginija drove Rich and I back to Vilnius. Considering how little information we had prior to embarking on this trip I am stunned that everything fell into place so well and I would certainly recommend Druskininkai as a place to visit for a few days for anyone touring around Lithuania.

Fairlands Valley Challenge Trail Marathon, Stevenage: 16th July 2017

I ran to the first checkpoint with Carol, Mandy and Lucy from Striders before their 18 mile route took them in a different direction. After that I continued with Gina Little, a friend from the 100 marathon club.

We didn’t fare too well following the written instructions and took several wrong turns (one of which took us out of our way by over one mile).  We eventually finished in 6:44:13.

Big Sky Marathon, Ennis, Montana: 23rd July 2017

I flew into Montana with Roger Biggs from Fairlands Valley Spartans. Roger had entered races on both the Saturday and Sunday and whereas I had opted just to run the Sunday race.

Under the big blue sky at the start of Big Sky Marathon

We spent the first couple of days exploring the area and I particularly enjoyed visiting the old “ghost towns” of Virginia City and Nevada City. Their population has shrunk from well over 10,000 people at the height of their gold rush to around 150 today.

Things didn’t go well for Roger on the Saturday. He fell and was rushed to hospital, where he had two lots of stitches/staples administered to his scalp and was also advised that he had a broken finger. At least the hospital was directly opposite our motel and the treatment he got was first class.

On the Sunday I was taken by bus to the Big Sky Marathon race start, which was at an altitude of 8,641 ft.  The race started at around 7.30am by which time the sun was already rising and the views were spectacular.

The first 15 miles was on a stony dirt track (which the organisers described as a gravel road).

Knowing what had happened to Roger the previous day I ran extremely cautiously. At around mile 8, just after the main descent commenced, the girl in front of me took a tumble. She was fairly blood spattered, but she told me to go on when I stopped to see if she was OK.

There were some very steep descents as well as a few uphill stretches before we joined a tarmac road at around mile 15. By this stage it had become much hotter and I was starting to suffer. It didn’t help that I missed a couple of water points (bottles left by the side of the road) between miles 13 and 19.

From mile 24 we ran along the very narrow edge of the main highway until we were diverted off onto a series of mainly gravel roads leading to the finish. The total net overall elevation loss for the race was 3,651 ft, but much of this was on surfaces that were not easy to run on and, given the conditions I was reasonably satisfied with my finish time of 5:23:57.

Juneau Marathon, Douglas Island, Alaska: 29th July 2017

It was raining when we arrived in Juneau and our sombre mood persisted as the shuttle driver who collected us from the airport regaled us with a tale of a tourist who’d recently had his head bitten off by a grizzly bear.

At the finish of the very wet Juneau Marathon

Jeanne and Richard Holmes from North Carolina joined us on the Friday morning and we spent the day visiting the Mendenhall Glacier and the Glacier Gardens. We had to take the early start for the marathon on the Saturday as our flight to Wrangell was scheduled to depart at 1.41pm.

The course was an undulating out and back one along the coastal road on Douglas Island. It rained more or less continuously, but there were some glorious views. We had been warned that there had been a lot of recent bear activity in the area, but the only wildlife I saw was fish jumping and a sea eagle, which flew in about 10 feet above my head.

I finished in 4:29:12 (first in the over 60 age group) and as soon as Rich finished we made a hectic dash for the airport.

Bearfest Marathon, Wrangell, Alaska: 30th July 2017

We arrived in Wrangell on the Saturday afternoon just in time to pick up our numbers for the marathon.

As Roger had badly injured himself on the first of the four marathons he’d entered he was determined to complete the Bearfest race. I was concerned enough to insist on going round with him, just in case there might be any after effects from his accident in Montana.

Getting close to grizzly bears in Anan

There was persistent rain throughout the race, but it was only cold when we were heading into the wind. This was another undulating out and back course along the coast and, once again, the Alaskan scenery was breathtaking.

I allowed Roger to dictate the pace and we eventually crossed the line without mishap in 6:40:47.

The highlight of the Alaska trip was visiting Anan the following day to see numerous bears and bald eagles feasting on the salmon. The four of us paid a guide to take us by boat on the one hour journey and then escort us to the viewing area.

At times we were only a few feet away from bears as they concentrated on extricating fish after fish from the fast-flowing river. It was truly an experience to remember and a fine way to end our trip.

A Wicked marathon, lots of hills and a milestone birthday! Jack Brooks reports on his racing exploits February to May 2017

The Punchbowl 30 mile trail ultra: 12th February 2017

I hadn’t done this LDWA event for quite a few years and when I heard that Merv Nutburn, a longtime friend, was going to be presented with his trophy for completing 500 marathons/ultras I decided to accompany him around the course.

Roger Biggs and I ran with Merv Nutburn around the Punchbowl Ultra as he celebrated completing 500 marathons

My lasting memories of this event are that it has always been muddy and that certain parts of the route are regularly flooded. I watched the snow falling throughout the Saturday with some trepidation and when Roger Biggs picked me up at 5.45am on the Sunday morning it was still snowing. Fortunately the snow never settled and there were no flooded areas this year, but there was mud aplenty.

The start is at Witley in Surrey. Three of us set off together and made reasonable progress up to about the 20 mile point, just before the approach to the Devil’s Punchbowl. Unfortunately, Roger started to have back problems about then and this also affected his balance at a time when we had plenty of large stiles to negotiate as well as some muddy downhill stretches. Consequently, our pace slowed dramatically from the 20 mile point as Merv and I endeavoured to ensure that Roger got to the finish safely. We managed this without too many disasters, but our finish time was 8:21:00, which is by far my slowest time for this event.

There were a few muddy sections to negotiate

There is usually hot food provided at the finish of LDWA events and it was great to tuck into beans on toast after more than 8 hours out in the cold. I was also able to catch up with a number of friends who I hadn’t seen for ages so the day certainly wasn’t a disaster.

100 Marathon Club AGM Marathon and Marathon Day Marathon, Betteshanger Country Park, Kent: 25th and 26th February 2017

I’m not sure what possessed me to enter back-to-back marathons, especially as both were on the top of a former colliery slagheap and comprised 12.96 laps of a tarmac cycle track. Maybe I felt I needed to make some sort of statement the week before I turned 65. Whatever the reason I was clearly deluded.

On the Saturday the initial wind speed was forecast to be around 20mph increasing to 40mph as the day progressed. Imagine my joy when I discovered that I was to be the last but one person to start the handicap marathon, meaning that with a start time of 10.05 I was guaranteed to catch the worst of the wind. As I was starting, some of the early starters were almost finished.

There was one particular stretch of about a third of a mile on each lap where everybody encountered the full force of the wind and it felt at times as though forward movement was a sheer impossibility. I was relieved to finish in 4:41:39, but apprehensive about having to repeat the whole process again the following day.

On the Sunday morning it was great to see Clair Drage there to represent the Striders. I ran the first 1.5 laps with her. I eventually finished in 4:51:34 and Clair’s time was 4:48:15. She will be doing an ultra on this cycle track later in the year. I can only hope that the conditions will be somewhat more clement then.

Malta Marathon: 5th March 2017

When I visited Malta for the 2015 marathon it rained every day. This time I flew out on my 65th birthday and it only rained on the last day I was there. There were plenty of friends there as it appeared that I wasn’t the only one desperate to flee the British weather.

Some things don’t change and the road surfaces for the race were just as appalling as they’d been in 2015. However, the weather this time was substantially warmer and after going through halfway in under two hours I faded badly in the second half and crossed the finish line in 4:32:11, which was disappointing.

Wicked Marathon, Wamego, Kansas: 25th March 2017

I flew out to Kansas City with Roger Biggs from Fairlands Valley Spartans on the Thursday before this race. We drove to our hotel in Manhattan, Kansas and the following day visited Wamego to go round the Oz Museum and then attend packet pick-up and a pasta meal. We’d also arranged to meet up with Tom Detori, who is a long- term friend, now living in Columbia, Missouri.

The Wicked Marathon starts outside the Wizard Of Oz Museum

The next morning the three of us drove to the race start in the dark, noting that it was raining heavily and that the wind was strong. The race set off from outside the Wizard of Oz Museum and it quickly became evident that the route would be hilly. After three undulating 5k loops around the town marathon runners were faced with 17 miles out and back along the old military road. Right at the outset it became evident that this road was anything but flat. By the turnaround point it seemed that most runners were suffering, including me. I eventually finished 1st vet 60/69 in 4:27:13, a time which was good enough for 18th place overall.

Yakima River Canyon Marathon, Washington State, USA: 1st April 2017

On the Monday Roger and I flew from Kansas City to Seattle, picked up a rental car and headed to a house in Renton, which our friends from Yakima had said we could use for a few days. After a day of R and R we headed down to Yakima, braving the slushy snow in the Snoqualmie Pass. Our friends, Bob and Lenore Dolphin, are the race directors for the Yakima event and are both in their late 80s. We had promised to get to Yakima early and do what we could to help them with arrangements for the race. Immediately we arrived we were set to work and spent much of the Thursday and the Friday loading and unloading vans, hanging up banners, putting up posters and generally following orders.

On the Saturday morning a coach picked up runners from outside our hotel and took us to the race start at Ellensburg. After two days of heavy lifting my back wasn’t feeling great, but otherwise I didn’t feel too bad until I got to the first big hill at around 14.5 miles. From then on I had to grit my teeth and the race became a struggle. The steep camber on the canyon road was also a problem after the first flat six miles. I eventually finished in 4:29:43 and was 4th out of 14 in the 65/69 men’s age group. Curiously there were more competitors in this age group than in any other age group in the race.

I didn’t have much time in which to rest on my laurels. After the race there was an awards meal and then everything had to be dismantled in the race HQ and transported back to its place of origin. By the time we drove back to Renton on the Sunday fatigue was starting to set in.

Boston Marathon, Lincolnshire, UK: 17th April 2017

Because Easter Monday was the same day this year as Patriot’s Day in the USA it was possible for the organisers of the UK Boston Marathon to hold their race on the same day as the larger event in the USA. With my rail pass and a ticket booked well in advance the train fare from Stevenage to Boston was ridiculously cheap and everything was within easy walking distance of the railway station.

The UK's Boston Marathon is much flatter than its USA counterpart, held on the same day this year

This marathon claims to be the flattest marathon in the UK and I think this claim may well be correct. As usual I set off too fast, but was slightly concerned when a number of those I was running with started complaining that the mile markers were not correctly placed. I don’t like wearing a GPS watch when I’m racing, but I do rely on accurate distance markers to give me a rough idea of pace. It was unsettling to see the 26 mile marker and then find that the finish was almost half a mile away.

Apart from this the marathon seemed well organised and the volunteers were all really supportive. I finished in 4:14:33 and had plenty of time to look around the town on the Tuesday before returning to St Albans.

London Marathon: 23rd April 2017

As ever the thing I enjoyed most about London was the outstanding support around the course from the Striders. My legs felt tired from around mile 10 and I was surprised that my finish time of 4:24:53 wasn’t slower.

Roche Abbey Trail Marathon, Nr. Maltby, South Yorkshire: 7th May 2017

This was a first time event put on by the wonderfully named “It’s grim up north” group. On arriving I got a fair amount of ribbing from friends about venturing North of Watford Gap. The race comprised four laps of a fairly tough route incorporating hills, river, stepping stones, stiles, more hills and a wonderful loop around the scenic grounds of Roche Abbey. Indeed, I was enjoying myself so much that I missed a directional sign and as a consequence ran an extra mile loop incorporating one of the steepest hills. I finished in 5:08:32 and then headed off to Sheffield to meet up with some old drinking buddies.

Bewl Water Trail Marathon, Lamberhurst, Kent: 13th May 2017

This marathon comprised two laps around the beautiful Bewl Water Reservoir. On arrival I bumped into a large number of 100 marathon club members as well as the redoubtable Ian Hirth from Striders, who had entered the 37.5 mile ultra race (which he finished in 5:46:15). Mark Travers completed the marathon last year. He warned me that the route was hilly and he was quite correct. However we were lucky with the weather and the paths were not crowded.

Once again it reminded me how pleasant it is to get off the roads and into the countryside in Spring and Summer. I finished in 4:46:30 coming 73rd out of 136 in the marathon.

Richmond Park Trail Marathon: 21st May 2017 

This is another fairly small, but well organised trail marathon and comprises one 12 mile loop around the park followed by two seven mile loops. Unusually for a trail marathon mile markers were provided and the route was very well marked, but undulating. It was another hot day and I finished in 4:33:42.

Dorchester Marathon: 28th May 2017

The organisation for this inaugural road marathon was superb. There were more than sufficient portable toilets at the start/finish, well-manned drinks stations every three miles offering both drinks and gels, traffic free roads and enthusiastic support around the course.

The inaugural Dorchester Marathon was well-organised with good support

However, being in Dorset there was no way to avoid the numerous hills and the weather was once again on the hot side. It was great to see Ben Scott, Clair Drage, Mark Travers, Jen Pickering and Noran McGovern from Striders at the start as well as plenty from the 100 marathon club. My time was 4:29:28.

400 marathons and counting! Jack Brooks reports on his latest races around the world

Jack ran his 400th marathon in January

RACES OCTOBER 2016 - JANUARY 2017

PEI Marathon, Prince Edward Island, Canada: 16th October 2016

What a difference three years makes! When I ran this marathon three years ago I finished in 3:47. 

Somehow in my memory I'd convinced myself that this was a flat point-to-point marathon. Maybe senility is creeping in as second time around it seemed to be distinctly undulating. 

Apart from the last 6 miles (which are alongside busy roads) the course is extremely beautiful, but what was evident fairly early on is that I had still got a long way to go in order to get back to full fitness. 

I started off with the four hour pace group, but they disappeared over the horizon after only about 15k. I finished in 4:36:55 and my legs felt sore for the whole of the following day.

Legs for Literacy Marathon, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada: 23rd October 2016 

A 10ft tall salmon statue in Campbellton

From PEI four of us drove through Kouchibougac National Park and on to Campbellton, New Brunswick where we visited the site of the final battle for North America between the French and the English and, of course, viewed the 10ft high statue of a salmon by the waterfront. 

The following day, after a 5 mile run along the waterfront we drove across the bridge into Quebec, had lunch in Matane and then caught the ferry across St. Lawrence Seaway to Baie-Comeau, seeing a whale on the crossing. 

On the Wednesday we drove to Saint-Simeon and for my morning run the following day I discovered the meaning of “the only way is up” for the first 2.5 miles. After this we saw another whale from the shoreline before catching a further ferry across the seaway to Riviere de Loup. 

The highlight of that day was persuading some perplexed, but good-humoured Canadian and US border guards to permit us to walk across the border by the Interstate 95 and back again. 

The evening was spent in Fredericton where we walked across the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge into the old town for a meal before locating our hotel. On the Friday we drove to Moncton via Hopewell Rocks and the Fundy National Park. In addition to registering for and running the marathon we got the chance to see the tidal bore on three consecutive days and on one of these there were two guys surfing along it. 

I had run this marathon previously, but was returning to it as my friend Rich Holmes was completing his 4th circuit of all 50 States and all Canadian Territories and Provinces at this race and Rich's wife, Jeanne, was completing a half marathon in all 50 States and all Canadian Territories and Provinces at this race. Also, Roger Biggs had been injured on a previous trip and had been unable to run the race then. 

Charlotte, who had been the 4 hour pacemaker for the PEI race the previous week was taking out a 4:15 pace group for the Moncton event and I stuck with her group up to around 25k. After that I slowed down and a particularly vicious headwind for the last 4/5k wasn't helpful. 

My finishing time was 4:34:26, but I consoled myself with the fact that I felt stronger for longer than in the previous week. My time three years ago had been 3:46.

La Rochelle Marathon, France: 27th November 2016

La Rochelle Marathon was Jack's fastest time following a knee injury

Eight of us met up at Ebbsfleet and headed to La Rochelle by Eurostar and then an ordinary train from Paris. Like St Albans, La Rochelle was occupied by the Romans. They produced salt and wine in large quantities, which was then re-exported throughout the Roman Empire. It was also the last French city to be liberated during the Second World War. 

My first impression of the city was that it was flat, had a beautiful harbour and some very interesting architecture. We picked up our race numbers on the Friday, spent the Saturday sightseeing and then, on the Sunday morning ambled to the race start, which was about five minutes walk from our hotel. Apparently this is the third largest marathon in France and it was certainly very crowded for the first 6 or 7k even though there were two race starts and the two groups only merged at around 5k. 

There was also a considerable amount of street furniture, unmarked road humps etc along the course. As the groups merged I saw a pacemaker's flag around 300m in front, but couldn't make out if it was for the 4 hour group or the 4.15 group. 

By the time I got to half way in around 2:02 I'd worked out that I'd been following the 4 hour man. I tired fast on the 2nd lap. The 4:15 group passed me at about 39k, but I managed to catch them up in the last mile and finally crossed the line in 4:13:34, which was my fastest time since I started back following my nine months off with a knee injury. 

There was much cause for celebration on the Sunday night. We returned to the UK on the Tuesday.

Lanzarote Marathon: 10th December 2016

I went out to Lanzarote in 2015, but could not run because of my knee injury, so this marathon was unfinished business for me. Word must be spreading about this event because this year there were many more UK and Irish runners there than last year. 

Ready to celebrate after the Lanzarote Marathon

The event is particularly user friendly for large groups as, in addition to a marathon, there are half marathon, 5k and 10k races. The out and back marathon route starts at Sands Beach resort in Costa Teguise and heads out along the coast with the turning point being in Puerto del Carmen. 

I was expecting the course to be flatter than it was, but what got most people was the temperature for the second half, which was about 24 degrees. Consequently I had a fairly strong run up to the turning point and then really struggled on the way back finishing in 4:26:11. 

However, the race was very efficiently organised, the route was scenic and the post race food was plentiful. Food and drink are exceptionally cheap in Lanzarote and the UK contingent's celebrations were very much in evidence for a few nights after the race. It was good to catch up with so many people I hadn't seen for a while.

Pisa Marathon, Italy: 18th December 2016

I have had mixed fortunes with Pisa. The first year I tried to get there snow at Gatwick (and Pisa) prevented all flights and the marathon was cancelled. 

Last year the person I was travelling with lost his passport in the airport so we just got the train home. I do know that, unless it is windy, it is a fast course as, on the two previous occasions I've run it I ran 3:39 (2013) and 3:41 (2014). 

The start is a short walk from the leaning tower and the finish is right by the tower so there are some excellent photo opportunities for those runners who have spectators accompanying them. 

The first quarter of the race can be quite congested as the half marathon starts together with the marathon. These days I find this quite helpful as it prevents me from setting off too fast. 

Once the half marathoners peel off the field thins out considerably as marathoners approach the coast on a pancake flat road. My aim for this race was to see if I could stick with the 4:15 pace group so I was delighted that I managed to cross the line in 4:12:09 (my best time since June 2015). 

I am now starting to think that I should be able to get below 4 hours again sometime in 2017 so long as I can stay injury free. I need to get under 4 hours as a 65 year old to qualify for a Good for Age place at London Marathon 2018.

First Light Marathon, Mobile, Alabama: 8th January 2017

After the usual chaos at Houston Airport our connecting flight finally got us to Mobile late on the Friday evening. The temperature remained at around -2 degrees until the Sunday evening, but with the wind chill taken into account it felt much colder. 

In cold Mobile where the Mardi Gras ceremonies originated

Fortunately a friend from North Carolina had acquired four dozen pairs of industrial gloves for us at a cost of 23 cents per pair and had chosen this weekend to deliver them to us personally. 

Consequently I turned up at the start of the marathon wearing two pairs of gloves and three running tops. Even so my fingers were freezing for the first 5 miles. I started off slowly, but the first 9 miles of the course were relatively flat and I had obviously sped up fairly quickly because I went through half way in just under 2 hours. 

From 9 miles through to 21 miles there was a continuous series of hills before the course flattened out again as we returned into the city. The hills slowed me down a bit in the second half, but I was quite happy with my finish time of 4:08:30, which was good enough to win me the 3rd place award in my age group. 

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that both the city and the countryside around it were much prettier than I'd anticipated and a pleasant route compensated considerably for the freezing temperatures.

Mobile is an interesting city and I was surprised when I was informed that Mardi Gras ceremonies originated in Mobile and not (as I'd always thought) in New Orleans. The first recorded event in Mobile was in 1703. Consequently, a visit to the Carnival Museum was a must and proved to be a really eye-opening experience.

The Louisiana Marathon, Baton Rouge: 15th January 2017

We left Mobile on the Tuesday and drove to New Orleans where we'd booked accommodation on the edge of the French Quarter, close to Armstrong Park. We spent the next two days exploring the city and checking out the music and the running routes. 

Half of one day was spent doing a guided bus tour of the city and visiting the famous above ground graves in a couple of cemeteries. I hadn't realised that before they “buried” people above ground they used to drill holes in coffins and then weight them down to prevent them floating off whenever an area flooded. There was still some evidence of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, but the French Quarter was much as I remembered it. 

Exploring New Orleans before the Louisiana Marathon

From New Orleans we drove on to Baton Rouge, where we registered for the marathon and then did a swamp tour to experience Louisiana wildlife in the 1.4 million acre Atchafalaya swamp. 

On the Sunday I was a bit nervous as I lined up at the start of the marathon. I knew the course was fairly flat, but 98% humidity had been forecast and had materialised and I don't normally run well in humid conditions. However, this was to be my 400th marathon and it had to be done. 

I started off too fast and went through half way in 2:00:53, but the wheels came off the wagon in the second half and my finish time was 4:18:55. I can't complain. The route was pleasant, the marshals and police were great and the organisers had also taken the trouble to let me have 400  as my race number, which was a nice touch.

Funchal Marathon, Madeira: 29th January 2017

It is just as well that I got marathon number 400 out of the way earlier in the month because as soon as I got back to the UK from Louisiana I went down with one of the worst viruses I've had in a long time. 

The over 60s group at the end of the Funchal Marathon

I spent most of the week prior to the flight to Madeira semi-comatose on my settee and I seemed to have no energy at all. 

The Funchal marathon is described by the organisers as being flat, but only someone who lives in Madeira could agree with that description. The race started with three roughly 7k out and back loops with each loop comprising roughly 3.5k downhill followed by 3.5 k uphill. After this there was a long more or less downhill stretch to the sea front followed by four out and back loops each entailing a small climb up to the cathedral and a stretch of cobbles. 

I felt terrible throughout the race and was just happy to drag my carcass across the finish line in 4:59:34. All in all I've had better races.

Hills, heat and following in the footsteps of a brave Canadian amputee: Jack Brooks' June to September 16 race highlights

JUNE 2016 TO SEPTEMBER 2016

Running with Striders during Leila's Run, one of my race highlights of the summer

Whittington Charity Challenge Trail Marathon: 16th July 2016: This was a four lap trail marathon near Lichfield, which was organised by my friends Bill and Pauline Howes. The route was undulating and by the fourth lap the hills were hurting.

It was also extremely humid throughout the day, which made for somewhat difficult running conditions. However, it was an ideal event for me as it enabled me to gauge how my post injury recovery was coming along and I knew that if I felt bad at any time I could always drop out at the end of a lap.

As it was I felt fine throughout, although by 18 miles my legs were feeling very tired. Given that I was not back to full fitness I was happy with my finish time of 5:14:51.

Summer Around the Reservoir Trail Marathon: 24th July 2016: The usual course for this marathon comprises six laps around Brackmills Reservoir in Northampton with around half the route running along a tarmac cycle path and the remainder along a mixture of grassed footpath and stony track.

Unfortunately, shortly before the race date the Environment Agency closed off part of the route for flood prevention works and the course had to be changed to eight out and back laps along the side of the reservoir opposite the tarmac cycle track.

The temperature at the start of the race was around 20 degrees and increased to around 25 degrees by the finish. There was no shade and everybody appeared to be suffering in the heat. I finished in 5:25:57 and was exceptionally grateful that my car had air conditioning as I drove home. I had just about cooled down by the time I made it back to St Albans.

An enjoyable day out at the Darnley Challenge

Darnley Challenge Trail Marathon, Kent: 13th August 2016: This event was a two lap off-road marathon using the Gravesend Cyclopark as the race venue. The route was much more picturesque than I’d anticipated passing as it did through Jeskyns Woodland, The Darnley Estate and Ranscombe Wildflower Reserve.

The route was unmarked and unmarshalled so we had to rely on a written route description. Fortunately this had been meticulously prepared ensuring that it would be extremely difficult to get lost.

There was about 1,500ft of ascent and a few paths were somewhat uneven and difficult to run on, but overall I had a really enjoyable day out and finished in 5:30:55.

Leila’s Run Trail Marathon: 21st August 2016: This local race starting in Wheathampstead provided runners with the options of running one, two, three or four laps. I opted for four, but there were quite a lot of Striders running the three lap option. I ran with Gladstone, Katie, Carol, Mandy and Howard for a few miles, but they were running at a faster pace than I was comfortable with and soon departed off ahead of me.

It was great to see a number of club members out and about around Heartwood Forest while we were running, amongst whom were Andrew Maher, Pete Blackaller, Graham Smith, Sheryl Norman and Colin Braybrook. I thoroughly enjoyed the event and finished in 5:18:50.

With Dave King after Leila's Run wearing our unusual medals

Heart of America Marathon, Columbia, Missouri: 5th August 2016: Tom Detore, a running friend who I’ve known for around 20 years, invited me and Roger Biggs from Stevenage to stay with him for a week. This marathon is one of Tom’s favourites as well as being his hometown marathon. What he failed to tell us was that for many years it was classified as the hardest non-mountain road marathon in the USA!

We could tell as soon as we arrived in St Louis airport that we’d be in for a hot race and the conditions on Labor Day Monday as we lined up at the race start did not disappoint. By the time we reached the last six mile stretch the temperature had risen to around 90 degrees, the humidity was crushing and we had run out of shade. I crossed the line in 5:00:03 and was mighty happy to find a shaded area where I could sit until Tom and Roger finished.

This was probably the toughest marathon I have run in the States since Mount Rushmore marathon in 2005, and I was a lot younger and fitter when I ran that.

Roger and I with Tom at his favourite Heart Of America Marathon - he hadn't warned us how tough it would be!

Queen City Marathon, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada: 11th September 2016: We flew into Regina airport on the Friday and met up with our friends Rich and Jeanne Holmes from North Carolina. Our flights were via Chicago and Calgary. The flight from Chicago was an hour late and we passed through immigration fairly quickly. After that everything went pear shaped. We had to pick up our bags, but the airport advised that these were being unloaded on a different carousel to the one they were actually unloaded on.

After a long delay we managed to locate the bags, but then were told we had to recheck them in at the Air Canada desk, which was two floors above and a fair distance away. We rechecked our two bags within 15 seconds of each other, but only one bag arrived in Regina. Apparently the other one “had been checked in too late”. It was delivered to our hotel around 1.30am that night.

Moving on, race registration went smoothly and the predicted rain and cold winds failed to materialise on race day. I had looked up the course description for a different Queen City Marathon and so was delighted as the race progressed to find that (whilst the altitude was around 1,900 feet) the whole route was on well surfaced relatively flat roads and paths rather than the compacted gravel hilly course that I’d been anticipating.

I was still unsure about how much fitness I’d regained since I’ve been back running and decided to start with the five hour pace group and see how things went. It soon became evident that I was able to go faster and I spent much of the first five miles weaving between large groups of slower runners until I found space to run at my own speed.

The race had drink stations virtually every mile and gels were being handed out as well at some of these. Apparently they had one volunteer for each six competitors (impressive).

I went through half way in 2 hours 8 minutes, but flagged a bit in the second half eventually finishing in 4:31:23. I was more than happy with that result as it was my fastest finish since before my knee injury.

Maritime Marathon, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada: 17th September 2016: Apart from a mix up over seating Air Canada got us to Halifax via Toronto late on the Tuesday without too much upset and the bus from the airport to our hotel location was reasonably inexpensive.

We then had a few days in which to chill, wash clothes, sight-see etc before the 5k evening race on Friday the 16th. That race started at 7pm and I ran most of it at a very relaxed pace talking to a guy called Earl who had relatives in Hertfordshire and had seen St Albans on my race vest.

I’d started towards the back with the intention of having an easy run and with around 2,500 runners there was little scope for fast times anyway. Having failed to start my stop watch I discovered later that my time was 30:23. There was a spectacular fireworks display after the 5k, which meant that we got back to our hotel quite late on the Friday evening.

The next morning we had to catch a bus at 6am back to the marathon race start at Fisherman’s Cove (just by the Eastern Passage). I had no preconceptions about what the course would be like, but it turned out to be hilly and, with few roads closed, somewhat dangerous in places (especially in the second half, where those of us running the marathon frequently had to step off the road onto a rough and uneven sidewalk in order to avoid oncoming cars).

I ran the last 7k with a guy called Marian, who is the only person I’ve ever met who shares John Wayne’s Christian name.

My schoolboy error for this race was forgetting to switch off my stop watch. However, my published chip finish time was 4:53:28, which placed me 2nd out of 8 in the 60/69 age group. Whilst the sea views were beautiful in places for this race I was disappointed that traffic safety was such a problem for the last 12k and also that the only distance markers were every 5K.

HuffinPuffin Marathon, St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada: 25th September 2016: I was injured last year, but had already booked the trip and so I walked the half marathon. What I remembered from this course was that it was undulating and that there was one particularly vicious hill that we’d have to run up twice in the marathon.

A memorial to Terry Fox, an amputee who tried to run across Canada after losing his leg to cancer

When we went to check out the location of the Terry Fox memorial I realised why the route goes up this hill. Terry Fox was an amputee who set off to run across Canada to raise money for cancer charities after losing a leg to cancer. He never completed the full distance, but his gallant attempt inspired the nation and the fund he set up has raised millions of dollars for charity since he founded it. The memorial is by the harbour in the spot where Terry dipped his foot into the ocean at the start of his epic run and is also at the base of the really nasty hill. This once I can forgive the Race Director for designing the course to follow this particular route.

On our way to view the memorial someone shouted at us and we realised that it was two other runners from Fairlands Valley Spartans who had also come over for the race. It was cold on race day, but thankfully the rain held off and I finished the two laps in 4:30:05.

The course of the HuffinPuffin Marathon takes in a route run by Terry Fox in a fitting tribute to him

It was a bonus after the race to meet up with a bunch of St John’s runners who had provided great entertainment at the previous week’s event in Dartmouth. As with any long running trip the tedious part of the holiday will be the long flights home via, Halifax and Newark.