Great Langdale
Marathon 2014
[20-Sep-2014]
Now
just because the first part of the name is “Great” don’t be put off. It’s a traditional race day with a children’s
fun run, half over 26 miles on mainly tarmac. It’s therefore no relation to any
of the other “Great” series of runs/races.
The
marathon is unusual in that it’s on a Saturday and starts at 12 pm, together
with the half marathon. The full
marathon is two laps and the half is a single lap. Both start and finish near
Starting
later, is good for travelling as it’s about a two and a half hours drive from
here but numbers are posted out in advance to you. That’s saves a bit of time
when you arrive.
The
weather on the day (20th September) was warm and sunny, with very little
breeze, certainly vest weather. I have
to admit to feeling dehydrated for a fair way even though there were water
stops every three – four miles.
The
majority of the marathon (and half) is on tarmac, with about four miles on
dusty but firm gravel paths in total for us.
As I’m going to be testing out new shoes for work, I just used my normal
training shoes of late which are the Glycerin 11 by
Brooks. Certainly more than ok on a non
PB course. Over the years very few
winners get under three hours, the same for this year as Steven Prentice from
NEMC came in first for the second time in this race, Steven was a bit
disappointed with his 3:06, but as he was five minutes in front of the second
placed runner it didn’t really matter.
His normal marathon flat time is about 2:45, so as it says on the tin,
“it aint flat”.
It’s
quite hard running with those doing the half marathon and not getting dragged
along with them is tricky, but there are plenty of hills to remind you. Having done this one before, it reminds me of
the Buttermere Round; where a bit of tactical walking
never goes wrong. On the first lap you
run straight into the most “Sutton Bank” of all the bloomin
hills after about a mile. (For those not
of my generation, Sutton Bank is a hill where whilst going on your holidays in
the car once you got to the top, stopped and opened the car bonnet to allow the
engine to cool off!!!). After that it’s
up and down like a roller coaster. Then
at half way you do it all again!
It’s
not a big marathon at all, you get over one hundred but less than two hundred
normally, this year was no different.
The half attracts a bit under three hundred runners. We were all cheered in by Barry Young from
North Shields, who was watching out for David Gilmore of North Shields. David had finished the half a couple of
minutes before I started my second lap in the full.
I
helped around a young gentleman from Texas USA, in his first marathon, nice
lad, may see him running
As
I mentioned before, a strangely warm day where you should have had extra water/hydrate
with you. Cups with water only were ok,
but only just. At the end you get your
medal and paper weight (in the shape of a running shoe). There is a fairly extensive prize list
(Steven the winner, got a holiday voucher in the lakes).
There
are plenty of marshals, most of which are enthusiastic; the odd place where
there wasn’t one was well signed and quite easy to follow. I had a long spell running by myself, but you
just need to keep going. Normally I
catch a few up on the second lap, which I did.
That’s always a bit odd as I normally have a much better first half than
the second, just means that my second half is not as bad as others I guess.
At
the end I drank some ones lucozade sport, a bottle of
water and a mix of High 5 and SOS hydration drinks. Then later it was a full fat coke. I still struggled to rehydrate!
All
in all if you like your races not flat, but great scenery; it is a lovely
course really! It’s a good one. No doubt
Ill do it again.
Iain