JACK’S MARATHONS SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER 2014

Read all about Jack Brooks latest marathon adventures which have taken him across Europe, seen him reunited with old friends and boosted his trophy cabinet...

Chesterfield Marathon:  14^th September 2014
For an inaugural marathon the people of Chesterfield did a pretty good job. The route was traffic free, there were plenty of marshals and supporters, and drinks and energy gels were available at frequent intervals. After a very hot day had been forecast the weather actually turned out to be perfect for running. However, there is no way of disguising the fact that this part of Derbyshire is fairly hilly and I certainly found myself suffering on the hills in the second half of the race. I finished in 4:01:20 coming 134^th out of 332 finishers. Given the friendly atmosphere and nature of this race I’d certainly consider running it again. Now they just have to make life easier for me by setting a date when my brother isn’t away on holiday.

Barnstaple Marathon: 28^th September 2014
This was another very well organised inaugural road marathon and it filled up within only a few weeks. Amazingly for North Devon the organisers managed to devise a flat route, which principally followed well-surfaced sections of the Tarka Trail. The marshals were great and thankfully (as it was a hot day) there were plenty of drink stations. Support along the route was brilliant. My time of 4:12:10 was good enough to win me a trophy for 3^rd vet 60 plus (93^rd overall out of 188), although there were only four in my age group and my legs felt like lead for most of the second half.

Monaghan Trail Marathon, Eire: 5^th October 2014
This was the first marathon to be run in Monaghan County and it comprised five undulating laps with the majority of each lap passing through the scenic Rossmore Forest Park on sometimes fairly stony footpaths. There were 113 runners and we were fairly lucky as the forecast rain never materialised and all we had to contend with was a slightly chilly breeze. I found out at the end that an Irish friend, Michael Haydon (wishing to come 1^st in the 60/64 age group), had been pushing hard trying to overtake me for the last three laps not realising that he’d actually passed me when I had to make an emergency call into the gents toilets at race HQ at the end of the second lap. He saw the funny side of it afterwards and was gentleman enough to give me a lift back to town after the race. I was happy to finish 48^th out of 111 in 4:04:07, 2^nd vet 60/64.

The Yorkshire Marathon, York: 12^th October 2014
This was one of those marathons where everything goes right. The weather was perfect, the course was fast and the spectators and marshals were fantastic. The race starts (and finishes) at the University, but after approximately two miles running through York and past York Minster the route passes on to quiet country roads. I managed a negative split to finish in 3:42:16. My pace was an average 5:22min/km up to 10k: 5:20 from 10k to 20k: 5:24 from 20k to halfway: 5:22 from half way to 30k: 5:17 from 30k to 40k and 5:16 from 40k to the finish.

Chelmsford Parks Trail Marathon: 19^th October 2014
This marathon was chaotic. The start area was confusing, the race started around 15 minutes late and the race route was convoluted. On top of this what had been advertised as a two lap course ended up being two laps plus a confusing c.four mile final loop. The route was muddy in places and the out and back stretches were somewhat depressing. The only saving grace was that all of the marshals and supporters were enthusiastic and helpful. It would be fair to say that I didn’t have a good day and I was glad just to finish and have it over with in a time of 4:08:53.

Frankfurt Marathon: 26^th October 2014
Former Striders Andrew and Sylvi Roberts had invited me to stay with them for Frankfurt Marathon and treated me like royalty for the whole weekend. Andrew met me at the airport on Friday and dropped me off on the Monday and I couldn’t have wished for more attentive and gracious hosts. The marathon is organised with typical German efficiency and the whole route is along wide, flat roads. The start is in two waves and, being in the 3.45/4.00 hour compound meant that I was close to the front of the second wave start. There was nothing like the stop/start experiences and bunching that are the bane of marathons like London and Berlin. After running around 14k in loops around the City Centre the route heads out to Hochst, returning to the City Centre and big crowds at around 36k. If I have one slight criticism it is that the sports drink they provided along the course is the only one that I have ever had that I really hated the taste of. Otherwise, I loved the event and was happy with my time of 3:48:21. This is a race I would definitely recommend.

Nice-Cannes Marathon: 9^th November 2014
The sunshine in Nice lasted until about halfway through the marathon. From then on we had more or less continuous rain until we boarded our flight on the Tuesday.  This marathon was a medium sized event with 6,821 finishers plus two well organised relay options. Generally the relay runners didn’t get in the way of those running the full distance. The route is 95 per cent along the coast and runs from Nice to Cannes via some pretty seaside towns and villages. Apart from some minor hills at around 35km the course was pretty flat and I bumped into plenty of people I knew as I was running. It got pretty wet in the second half. I finished in 3:54:19. If the weather had been ok the finish arrangements would have been fine, but in the pouring rain conditions were somewhat cramped and cold. Nevertheless, the overall race organisation was good and I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience of the South of France.  Kathryn Hall from Striders also ran and finished in 5:22:01.

Shillington Shuffle Trail Marathon, Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire: 16^th November 2014
I love the LDWA trail marathon route description events and they are amazingly good value. For £5 entry fee we were offered amazing food and drinks at all four checkpoints and received a hot meal, a certificate and a sew-on badge at the finish. After some very wet weather the route basically involved passing through the villages of Lilley, Pirton, Holwell, Stondon, Meppershall and Shillington,  all of which seemed to be linked by increasingly muddy and slippery footpaths, and finishing back at Barton-le-Clay. I was running with a group of friends (one of whom was carrying an injury) so enjoyment, rather than time, was our main objective so I wasn’t bothered that we were out for 6 hours and 39 minutes. Even the rain in the last few miles failed to spoil our day.

Cleethorpes Maravan Trail Marathon: 22^nd November 2014
Given how many caravan parks there are in Lincolnshire I suppose it was inevitable that someone would eventually decide to hold a race around some of them. When we arrived in Cleethorpes it was raining and when we left it was raining. All night before the race the rain beat down relentlessly on the roof of our three bedroom caravan. Miraculously the only time it didn’t rain was on the Saturday while we were running. The route had been marked out on the Friday and the storm that night was such that some of the markers and directional signs had disintegrated or been washed away by the time the race started. Most runners (including me) had some difficulty finding their way for the first two of the seven laps especially as one caravan looks much like any other. However, once everybody had the correct route memorised things settled down and I finished in 4 hours 14 minutes. All that remained was to enjoy a night and the best part of Sunday in the rain in Cleethorpes. It was a blessing that bottles of drinkable red wine in the pub next to our caravan park were reasonably priced.

San Sebastian Marathon, Spain: 30^th November 2014
San Sebastian is a beautiful coastal city in the Basque part of Spain. The roads and cycle paths are well planned and there are plenty of wide footpaths. However, it does appear to rain a lot there. In 2013 17.8 per cent of the marathon runners finished in under three hours, 60.4 per cent finished in under 3:30 and 90.5 per cent finished in under four hours. I wasn’t surprised that this year my finish time of 3 hours 50 minutes placed me well towards the back of the field. 

In case you missed it... the 2014/15 Cross Country guide

The cross country season is in full swing but if you haven't hit the mud yet there's still plenty of time to get involved whatever your age or ability.

Taking part in cross country races will improve your strength and fitness and help you earn club champ points. It's also good fun (just ask anyone who tackled the water obstacle at the Chiltern League in Keysoe!) and entry to all the races below is free to members.

Cross country captains Graham Smith and Wendy Walsh have been sending regular emails with the details of forthcoming fixtures but if you're confused over which races you can take part in or want to plan ahead, check out this handy guide...

Runners charge up Parliament Hill - the venue for the 2015 National Cross Country

LEAGUES 

The Chiltern League
Comprises clubs from Herts, Beds and Bucks, open to all abilities. Men and women race separately -approx 6k for women and 8k for men. There’s also junior races earlier in the day where St Albans AC athletes compete for Striders. The juniors, men and women’s scores are all combined to reach our league position. Last year we came fourth out of 14 clubs in division one having been promoted the previous year, and we would love to do well again this year (division one and two compete in the same race and results are calculated afterwards).

Taking part in Chiltern League races will also earn you points towards the Striders Club Championships.

Where & when: Women’s race starts approx 1.15pm, men’s approx 2pm
Saturday 11 October, Watford
Saturday 8 November, Keysoe, Bedford
Saturday 6 December, Luton, Stockwood Park
Saturday 10 January, Milton Keynes, Campbell Park
Saturday 7 February, Milton Keynes, Teardrop Lakes

What to do: We need to declare with the organisers who will be running the night before each race. We’ll send an email and post on the message board the week before each race so please let us know then if you intend to run. On the day, collect a number from captains (Graham Smith for the men and Wendy Walsh for the women). As with the Midweek Road Race League, you must keep this number for the whole league. After racing, you won’t be given a finishing position ticket as results will be recorded by the organisers.

More info: http://www.chilternccl.co.uk

The Sunday XC League
Slightly lower key league so a good introduction if you have never done cross country before. It’s suitable for all abilities and just like the MWRRL but on off-road courses. Clubs from the local area take part with men and women competing in the same race which is approx 5-6 miles. If you take part in four or more races you will be in with a chance of winning an individual age group prize at the end of the league. Individual trophies are awarded as follows: Senior Men, M40, and M50 - first five places. M60 - first three, M70 - winner. Senior Women, W35, and W45 - first five places. W55 – first three, W65 – winner. Sunday League races do not count towards the Striders club champs.

Where & when: All races start at 10.30am
Sunday 26 October, Broxbourne
Sunday 23 November, Grovelands
Sunday 7 December, Watford
Sunday 11 January, Trent Park
Sunday 15 February, Royston

What to do: You don’t need to wear a number so just turn up and race. At the finish, you’ll be given a ticket with your finishing position on which should be handed to the captains so they can record the results.

More info: There’s no official website for the league but results and pictures will be posted on http://www.runherts.com.

CHAMPIONSHIP RACES 

The Herts XC Champs returns to St Albans in 2015

Herts County XC
Individual and county medals up for grabs here and the chance to qualify to represent Herts in future races. Approx 8k for women and 12k for men. This year we are hosting the event in Verulamium Park.

As we are hosting this fixture, we also need marshals to help out on the day. If you can volunteer, email Peter Blackaller at marshals at stalbansstriders.com

Where & when: Sunday 4 January 2015, St Albans

What to do: You must have been born in Herts or have been a resident in the county for at least nine months prior to the race to compete. Captains have to enter teams in advance so look out for details on the message board or via email in order to sign up. On the day, collect your number from captains.

More info: http://www.hertscaaa.org.uk

Southern XC Champs
Regional event made up of clubs from the south of England. Approx 8k for women and 15k for men.

Where & when: Saturday 24 January 2015, Stanmer Park, Brighton

What to do: Open to all club members of all abilities but you must be EA registered pre-entered by captains. Look out for posts/emails to sign up nearer the time. The event is chip-timed so you must collect your chip and number from captains on the day.

More info: http://www.seaa.org.uk

The National XC Champs
Prestigious and historic event which clubs across England take part in. Approx 8k for women and 12k for men.

Where & when: Saturday 21 February 2015, Parliament Hill, London

What to do: Open to all club members of all abilities but you must be EA registered pre-entered by captains. The event is chip-timed so you must collect your chip and number from captains on the day.

More info: http://www.englishcrosscountry.co.uk

The men's team at the 2014 National XC

Vets Champs: There are also a couple of Vets only championship races (age 35/40 and over for women depending on the event and age 40 and over for men) across the season including the Southern Masters Champs on Saturday 13 December at Horspath, Oxford, and Herts County Vet Champs on Sunday 22 March at Trent Park. You must be pre-entered so look out for email/posts nearer the time.

Here’s a list of essentials you will need for cross country racing…

• Striders vest: You must compete in a club vest for all the above events.
• Layers: Wrap up warm with hats, gloves and a waterproof jacket before and after the race. Some courses can be exposed to the elements and races will go ahead come wind, rain or shine (only very heavy snowfall has cancelled races in the past).
• Shoes: Some courses will be suitable for trainers, but if the weather gets wetter and ground gets muddier, trail shoes or spikes are essential. If you only plan to buy one or the other, trail shoes are more flexible as they give good grip in muddy sections but are more comfortable on courses which include harder surfaces such as gravel. Cross country spikes can be bought for around £40 so are well worth having in addition to trail shoes as they give better grip on courses which are entirely grass/mud. Invest in some different length spike pins to insert in them so you can adapt the spike length according to the course (12-15mm best for very muddy courses like Parliament Hill).
• Pins: For attaching your number.
• Change of socks: The socks you run in might get wet and there’s nothing worse than travelling home with stinky, damp feet!
• Wet wipes: Great for wiping all that mud off your legs (and arms and face!). Don’t worry about getting muddy, it’s all part of the fun and it all comes out in the wash!
• Sense of humour!

If you have any further questions about cross country running or want to find out more, contact xc men’s captain Graham Smith at men at stalbansstriders.com or women’s xc captain Wendy Walsh at ladies at stalbansstriders.com

We hope to see you at the races,
Graham and Wendy, XC captains

Jack’s Marathons (& other races) - June to August 2014

Walled City Marathon, Derry, Northern Ireland: 1 June 2014: I was amazed how pretty the City of Derry and the surrounding countryside is. Unfortunately the Everglades Hotel had been fire-bombed by a dissident Republican group a few days before the start of the race, but the staff had worked really hard to ensure that the runners could still use it on race day. The marathon route comprised a number of loops passing through the City and into the surrounding countryside. There was no shortage of hills, but the crowd support in the City was phenomenal, especially just after Mile 20 when we came off the Peace Bridge and ran alongside the River Foyle and when we climbed the hill from the Bogside into the walled city area just before the start of Mile 26. I ran with a talkative bunch in the 3.45 pace group until they dropped me at around 19 miles and I finally finished in 3:48:14 (3rd vet 60–64 out of 19 and 415th out of 1323 finishers). This was a friendly, well organised point to point race in beautiful surroundings and deserves to become a lot bigger. The finisher’s medal is bigger and more solid than any I’ve ever received and the whole town seemed to have turned out to support the event. I managed to catch up with a number of Irish friends as well as friends from Liverpool and Scotland and thoroughly enjoyed the day. I’m already thinking that I might go back to run it again next year.

Striders at the Stour Valley Marathon

Stour Valley Marathon, Essex: 15 June 2014: This was an off-road route description marathon in Essex. There were 5 of us there from the Striders (Mandy Attree, Lucy Stern, Conrad Wild, Steve Elkan and me) and we decided to go round together. Steve stuck with us for 20 miles, but was obviously champing at the bit so we told him to push on at that stage with some faster runners. The rest of us finished in 5:20:48. Hot food and drinks were provided at the race finish and we all thoroughly enjoyed this event.

Wakefield Trail Marathon, West Yorkshire: 29 June 2014: This was another new trail marathon starting from Nostell Priory with about 35% of the course on road and the remainder on cycle paths and footpaths. Being Yorkshire there was no shortage of hills, but the route was marked and it stopped raining just before the race started. I had a reasonable run finishing in 4:10:23. Fortunately I was staying with friends in Sheffield after the race so the post race drive was not too taxing.

Stratford Grand Union Canal Trail Ultra, Stratford on Avon: 13 July 2014: The distance according to my Garmin was 29.56 miles although others came out with a figure of 31 miles. Whatever the distance actually was this was another excellent event staged by my friend Chris Seeney. From Stratford on Avon we followed the Stratford canal north before turning onto the Grand Union canal. The turnaround point was at a bridge just over 15 miles out. The whole event was brilliantly organised and even without marshals there was little opportunity to go wrong. All the helpers were friendly and supportive especially at the drinks stations and the race HQ. The towpaths were slightly muddy and overgrown in places, but were perfectly manageable in trail shoes and we received plenty of encouragement from the occupants of the numerous narrowboats navigating the canals. At the finish there was plentiful hot food, a medal and a good quality towel with the race name on it. Chris’s events are really popular and it was great to see so many good friends taking part. My finish time was 4:56:48.

Fairlands Valley Challenge: 20 July 2014: DNF: Starting this race was an exercise in stupidity for me. I knew I was dehydrated at the start and by around 11 miles I was peeing blood. I dropped out at the 3rd checkpoint (12.83 miles) and cadged a lift back to base with a friend from the Spartans. The remainder of the St Albans Striders group I’d been running with were fine and all seemed to have enjoyed their day out.

Bearbrook 10k: 10 August 2014: I enjoyed this club competition race although my time of 48:39 wasn’t brilliant. It was great to see so many Striders taking part.

Leila's Run Trail Marathon

Leila’s Run Trail Marathon, Wheathampstead: 17 August 2014: This is a 4 lap race run mainly along footpaths between Wheathampstead, Harpenden and Sandridge. It is run in memory of Leila Taylor who was a member of both Garden City Runners and the 100 marathon Club. I ran most of it with a friend, Dave King. As he’s faster than me I’m sure he managed to talk twice as much as me, while I endeavoured to catch my breath. I was pleased with my time 0f 4:08:34 given that there were plenty of hills to negotiate. The finisher’s medal was quite unique as it had a revolving centrepiece of a runner’s shirt with Garden City Runners colours on one side and 100 marathon club colours on the other.

Finishing the Thames Meander

Thames Meander Trail Marathon: 23 August 2014: This is a trail marathon along the Thames towpath between Kingston and Putney Bridge. The path is quite narrow and it took a while for the field of 334 marathoners and 269 half-marathoners to spread out a bit, but once it did I was able to maintain a steady pace and was exceptionally pleased with my finish time of 3:46:10, coming 2nd vet 60–69. The route is flat, but the towpath surface is quite rough in places and quite a few runners took tumbles. However, there were plenty of drink stations (all handing out GU gels as well) and the marshals were all friendly and supportive. Striders Mark Travers (4:20:38) and Kathryn Hall (5:19:48) also completed the marathon and Ian Hirth (1:48:50) ran the half. Unfortunately Si Fraser had to drop out of the marathon at 24 miles with an injury. He had been well up with the front runners at the turnaround point. Ironically I was just 11 seconds away from running a time of 3:45 for my 345th marathon.

Halifax Marathon, Yorkshire: 31 August 2014: The good news about Halifax was that the return train fare was £17, the hotel was 100 yards from the station and the race started and finished 0.4 miles away from the hotel. The bad news was hills. The marathon route comprised 2 laps and was through very pretty countryside, but for the first 7 miles of each lap we were faced with a series of sharp ascents (one very steep hill had a cobbled surface and there was a handrail along the adjacent wall) and descents. There was then a stretch of just over 5 miles alongside a canal before a final climb back up to the race HQ. The route was generally well signposted although on the second lap there was one point where I had to shout at the group in front of me as they were all about to take a path to the right instead of to the left. I was surprised that my time of 4:26:55 was sufficient to gain me the 1st vet 60–69 award, but I guess most people suffered on the hills as much as I did. My quads were still very painful for several days afterwards.

Jack Brooks 

May update from Stuart

Target Races: As you are aware, the committee has identified a number of target races throughout the season, with a maximum of 50 Club Champs points available for competing. Don't forget that these races also form the framework for the Age-Graded competition and you have to run in at least three of these events to register a final score. The next two 50-point target races for members are as follows:

• MWRRL Mob Match, 10K Welwyn Garden City (17 July 2014) No entry required (See below)
• Bearbrook 10K, (10 August 2014) Enter online for £12 at https://bearbrookrunningclub.primo-solutions.co.uk/ps/event/Bearbrook10K

Mid-Week Road Race League: Thank you and well done to everyone who turned out to the first league race at Fairlands Valley. It was a great night for Striders with a team wins in all categories, but there is no room for complacency and we would like to see even more Striders at the next race in Chingford on 4 June. As well as a great race, don’t forget that you will earn 20 Club Champs points for every race you run. The remaining dates in the league are as follows:

• Wednesday 4 June – Orion Running Club – Venue Chingford (6M)
• Thursday 12 June - Barnet/Trent Park – Venue Trent Park (9K)
• Tuesday 1 July - St. Albans – Venue Highfield Park (10K)
• Thursday 17 July - Mob Match - Garden City Runners/Herts Phoenix – Venue Welwyn Garden City (10K)

Bodybalance workshops – Mel Orchard and her team at Bodybalance are holding a series of talks for members. The talks and Q&A sessions will last for around 45 minutes and take place at 8.15pm in the Sea Cadet Hut at Westminster Lodge. The Bodybalance team specialise in sports and sports-related injuries and work with some of the UK’s top athletes across a wide range of sports, so this is a fantastic opportunity to get some first class advice completely free of charge. The future sessions are as follows:

• Thursday 26 June - Flexibility and Foam Roller Work. 8.15 start.
• Thursday in July (TBC) - Q&A, Recovery, Compression Garments, Common Injuries. 8.15 start.

Club championships – It’s still all to play for in the race for the Club Championships with Colin and Deborah leading the way in the men's and women's competitions. At the end of April the top 5 standings were:
1. Colin Braybrook… 352 Pts
2. Gary Warren… 292 Pts
3. Joe Dunn… 273 Pts
4. Steve Buckle… 261 Pts
5= Mark Travers… 250 Pts
5= Paul Adams… 250 Pts

1. Deborah Steer… 348 Pts
2. Wendy Webster… 295 Pts
3. Jo Sharples… 266 Pts
4. Zoe Lowe… 256 Pts
5. Wendy Walsh… 251 Pts

Leadership in running fitness course – For a variety of reasons, finding a suitable date and venue to stage the Leadership In Running Fitness course has so far proven elusive. Undeterred we are now looking at options in July. If you are interested in attending the one day course on a Saturday in July, please email me (chairman @ stalbansstriders.com)

Shelving in the lock-up – And finally, a plea to any DIY enthusiasts within the Club, that might be able to spare a couple of hours to install some shelves in the Lock Up. We have a lot of equipment stored there now and the catering equipment in particular could do with being off the floor. If you can help, please email me on the same address.

If you have got this far, thanks for taking the time to read and hope to see you running soon!

Stu Middleton (Chair)

Jack's marathons - March 2014 to May 2014

Jack, Big Sur, April 2014

Borders Marathon: 2 March 2014: This was, I believe, the first marathon ever to be staged in the Scottish Borders. Disappointingly there were only 36 starters, which may have been the result of people worried about weather conditions in Scotland at this time of year. As it was, while a friend of mine encountered heavy snow on his drive from Glasgow all that the runners had to contend with on the day was a strong (albeit cold) headwind on one half of the23.5 lap course. The full marathon was run entirely around the safety track on the inside of the Kelso horseracing course. The track was mainly comprised of hard-packed gravel although there was enough sand, stones and loose gravel to present a hazard for the unwary. The marshals were really supportive and there were drinks available on each lap. I enjoyed chatting to other runners on the way round and was pleased with my finishing time of 4:05:35. It was a very long way to drive for a race, but I’m really glad I made the effort.

Pitsford Water Trail Marathon: 16 March 2013: I decided to run this undulating 4 lap marathon in Northamptonshire again this year as it is such a well-run and friendly event. This year it was much warmer than in 2013 with the temperature climbing to around 16 degrees. However, the headwind was particularly strong in places. I was pleased to get under 4 hours for a trail marathon for the first time since Kasterlee Marathon in 2005. My time was 3:59:20 placing me 35th out of 113 finishers.

Hastings Half Marathon: 23 March 2014: Had I realised that this race used to be rated as one of the top 10 hardest halves in Europe at one time I might have thought harder about entering it. Suffice to say that the 2 mile long hill from 3 miles to 5 miles was a true test of character. I was content with my time of 1:46:36 (which was 3 seconds faster than my chip time at Watford Half this year), but it was great to see Howard Bull improving his times yet again with a PB run of 1:36:50.

Bratislava Marathon, Slovakia: 6 April 2014: Having flown into Vienna Airport we got an airport taxi into Bratislava at a very reasonable cost. The marathon package included a 2 way transport pass for buses and trams and free entry to many attractions. There was also a free 6km ‘History Run’ around the main sites in the old part of the city. The marathon comprised 2 laps of a flat course, the only uphill section being fairly easy. The cobbles just after the hill were not particularly user friendly, but didn’t last for long. There were several out and back sections and from time to time I spotted Strider Leigh Ecclestone, who was well ahead of me (finishing in 3:19:54). I’d started well behind the 3.45 and 4 hour pace groups. It took me about 7k to catch up the 3.45 pacers and I stayed with them until around 22k. After that I ran ahead of them, but they were close enough behind that I could hear their group cheering as they went through each kilometre until I finally left them behind as we turned to run along the side of the Danube at 39k. Happily, my time of 3:40:48 will give me a guaranteed ‘Good for Age’ entry for London Marathon for 2015 and 2016. London Marathon: 13 April 2014: It was a bit of a shock to the system to run a big city marathon again. On the one hand the support from the crowd (and particularly the large contingent of St Albans Striders) was tremendous and I also saw loads of people I know at the start and on the way round. On the other hand there were so many runners there that it was impossible to run at a set pace and one constantly had to concentrate hard in order to avoid being tripped up or twisting an ankle on discarded half-full water bottles etc. My legs felt tired from the start so I was pleased to finish in one piece in 3:49:04.

Good Friday Cricket Club Trail Marathon, Stratford on Avon: 18 April 2014: This was another thoroughly enjoyable race organised by my good friend, Chris Seeney. The first loop went out towards Alscott Park and the second loop went out towards Loxley. Much of the route was new to me and it was great to once again be running through the beautiful fields and villages around Stratford on Avon. There were around 100 runners and, as with all Chris’ races, this was a friendly well organised event.

Jack, Big Sur, April 2014

Big Sur Marathon, California, USA: 27 April 2014: I have wanted to do this race for some time. It has been called the USA’s most scenic marathon and The Ultimate Guide to Marathon Running scores it as 10+ for beauty (out of 10). Hugh Jones describes it as ‘unforgettably scenic’, but the views with mountains on the right and the Pacific Ocean on the left come at a price and Hugh rates the course as 8 out of 10 for difficulty. The 2 mile climb to Hurricane Point (520 feet of climbing) may be the worst of the many hills, but none of the point-to point route was flat so far as I could tell. There were a number of bands and musicians entertaining us along the route, but the highlight for me was Michael Martinez in full evening dress playing the Grand Piano as we descended to the halfway point at Bixby Bridge. We were incredibly lucky with the weather as the customary headwind failed to appear and, if anything, it was too warm towards the end of the race. I finished in 4:05:36 (830th out of 3338 finishers) and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Avenue of the Giants Marathon, California: 4 May 2014: Incredibly, this race is also one that has been on my wish list for some time so it was good news when I spotted that it was one week after Big Sur. The Ultimate Guide to Marathon Running scores it as 10 out of 10 for beauty and whilst there are hills they are much more manageable than those at Big Sur. The route is along a paved road that winds through the giant redwoods in Humboldt Redwoods State Park and comprises 2 out and back sections with the Bull Creek leg first and the Avenue of the Giants leg second. Running beneath a canopy of prehistoric redwoods is a truly mystical experience. To top this off I discovered that I’d come 3rd out of 24 in the 60/64 age category and 169th out of 636 finishers with a time of 3:54:57.

Copenhagen Marathon, Denmark: 18 May 2014: I stayed with former Strider Mette Brink in Copenhagen and discovered that, in addition to huge areas of open space, plus lakes and canals everywhere, there seem to be more bicycles there than in Amsterdam. Mette was the perfect hostess and put up with me for 5 nights. On the Friday she scared the hell out of me by taking me go-kart racing in Roskilde with members of her cycling club. I nearly burnt the brakes out. Back on 2 legs I made the start of the marathon wondering how much the Stevenage mid-week road race had taken out of me. The course was flat and scenic, but it was very warm for the first half. Towards the end it started to rain and by the finish I felt like a drowned rat. Stupidly I’d put sun-tan lotion on my forehead before we started and the rain made a great job of washing this into my eyes so that I could barely see for the last mile or so. I was happy with a finish of 3:49:11.

Jack Brooks