Category: Marathon

Stu’s 3 in 3 – Part 1: Brighton

Brighton Marathon 2018 race report ~ Breaking 3?

By Stu Blofeld

The Back Story

This is my story, this is my race, this is my experience of the Brighton Marathon in my attempt to break 3. It’s a race report too but that sounds so boring and soulless, so impersonal. What I experienced in Brighton was none of those things. It was emotional, and personal, a celebration, a culmination of five months of training in which I publicly declared as part of my 3 in 3hr marathon challenge that I was shooting for sub3. A lofty goal and not a time I have got anywhere near since 2013. But the sub3 time I set back then is not significant to this story and isn’t even in the record books so this quite frankly was my first shot at breaking 3 hours and making it official. read more

James at the Manchester Marathon

James at the Manchester Marathon

by James Cusack

I woke up in the Salford budget IBIS. As planned, I went straight over to the table and I made and then slowly ate 2 jam sandwiches.  I gave myself a pat on the back, “that’s the first step done”. I then checked my watch. It was 1 am. 4 hours before I intended to get up.  Back to sleep!

Fortunately, it all went more smoothly when I woke up again at 5am!  I soon found myself at the Manchester Marathon start line remembering the advice you all gave me and rehearsing my plan in my head: i) aim for sub 3:10., ii) average 7:09 minute/mile pace and be prepared to drop back (2-3%) to 7:18 minute/mile pace as the race progresses. read more

Tokyo Marathon Thoughts

Tokyo Marathon

by Kas Gardner

The 2018 Tokyo Marathon is my fifth World Marathon Major in my quest to get World Marathon Majors Six-Star Finishers Medal. I wasn’t meant to run it this year, but peer-pressure got the better of me and I entered. And then I was the only one of our bunch of four who got in, which meant my husband, Kev, was issued an ultimatum: I’m going to Tokyo, are you coming with me or not?

Anyway, five months further on and we’re in Tokyo, and rather than write a review of the Tokyo Marathon (which is great by the way: really well organised with awesome volunteers) I thought I would regale you with my thoughts as I ran, or as best as I remember them… read more

Secret Marathon? Pisa cake for Pete

Pisa Marathon

17th December
by Pete Mackrell

Every year since 2009 I have done at least one marathon each year. However 2017 had been different, I’d been injured for 7 months and hadn’t restarted light running until May. I’d missed the spring marathons and there was no way I was going to take my place at Berlin in September off minimal training and risk further injury. I had pretty much given up on 2017. In October I decided that I needed something to focus on during the final few months of 2017, so I decided to enter a marathon, as you do. read more

Elliot PBs & a Club Record Again!

San Sebastian Marathon

by Elliot Hind

I’d run a big personal best at London in 2.33.13, but knew I was capable of more.  Whilst sat in Lanzarote in the days following the London Marathon one thought kept re-appearing in my head ‘where should I do my next marathon?’  Having not planned to do a second one in 2017 I’d missed the boat on Berlin, but there were still a few good ones out there.  In Europe I had friends going to Chester, Abingdon, Frankfurt,  Amsterdam and Valencia but it was Mark Ryall’s recommendation of San Sebastian that I decided on. read more

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