Last Sunday saw a selection of LBAC members trekking off to compete in a couple of different marathons on a very warm weekend. There were due to be four running down in Brighton, while one intrepid member went to darkest Holland for a run around Rotterdam.

A few days before the weekend, one of the bugs that is going around at the moment put pay to Ian Hosley's chances of a run in Brighton as he was confined to his sofa with the shivers. Having completed all the training, it must be extremely frustrating to then have the chance to take part removed at the last minute, so many condolences to Ian.

Having made the trip down to Brighton on the Saturday and following a good dinner that night, Tom, Jane & Julia all woke in good spirits and raring to go. The weather was set fair, so it seemed that at least rain was not going to be an issue! All three found their way to the start line with the eight thousand other people and it all kicked off at 9am.

Both Jane and Julia were taking part in their first marathon and so were determined to start sensibly, whilst Tom, who is an old hand at these things, was aiming for somewhere in the region of seven minutes per mile. His training had gone pretty well (for Tom!) and so when he went through half way in around 1.30 he was confident of a solid finish. Meanwhile, Jane had gone off at exactly the right pace for her to complete in under 4 hours, which was her main target and went through the 13 mile marker around 1.55.

However, by this time in the morning the weather had improved for the spectators and was now pushing 20 degrees. However, unless you are a Kenyan, this is not ideal marathon running conditions and the only solace was that at the Paris marathon on the same day, it was nearer 30! Julia was also keeping going really well and went through her half way at around the same time she completed the MK half (2.15) and so was running very positively.

It is a rare individual who can run a marathon in a negative split and most people factor in that they will slow down when they plan their paces, but with the increasing heat the Leighton lot slowed very little in comparison. Club captain Tom May, crossed the line (with the commenter congratulating him as Tom April!) in 3.11.25 which is the new leading time for the year and he was pretty pleased with the effort in the conditions.

Jane's training has been entirely focused around getting under four hours in Brighton and she hit her target at the first attempt as the made it over the line in 3.59.21 to her great delight. Julia didn't cross the start line until 14 minutes after the gun had gone and so had plenty of minutes of hand, but having only joined the club around new year her main aims were to finish and raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. She managed both of these things extremely well as she finished the race in 5.22.42 and was delighted to finish and remove her tutu!

While those three were down in Brighton, Mike Bryant had gone over to Rotterdam to take advantage of the distinct lack of hills and post a good time. Mike ran pretty well but unfortunately had even more heat to cope with than the Brighton crew. A good solid race in twenty degrees of heat saw him close out the 26.2 miles in 3.44. He loved the race and thought the crowds were amazing but would like to book in some cooler weather for next time around.

All in all, a great effort by all the marathoners last weekend. The question is whether the London lot can match them this Sunday?