Druridge Bay Full and Half Marathons 2012
[Sun 20th May]
It was decided by the organisers (North East
Marathon Club) that if someone could sort it out a half marathon could be
staged at the same time as the full marathon. So duly I was appointed to get on
with it!
This is the second year of the marathon, this year though
we changed the route, same course but backwards compared to the previous
years. This should have given a slightly
faster course overall.
The course consists of tarmac; trail paths and sand,
racing shoes/normal road shoes were more than ok. Usually on the beach you run headfirst into
the wind, this year it was fairly calm and overall a very warm day. The marathon consists of four laps the half
two laps.
As we organise it all with the minimal assistance on
the day from a marshal point of view, I do a recce
run to show anyone a lap of the course a few weeks before. You do have to be fairly careful as you go
around, but it is well signposted if there is not a marshal at a given point.
One week after the Bowderdale
Wild Race and just two weeks after the Sunderland Marathon, this was always
going to be a difficult marathon to do.
The winner (male) of the half marathon did it in
1:23, Susanne and I completing the full came in 12th/13th in 3:31. Susanne was only a few minutes behind the
first lady, coming in second lady and first female veteran.
For your £ 10 entry fee you get a memento of the
race, water/juice en route and at the end, biscuits, gels and a voucher from a
running shop. As it’s only about 20
minutes from
A note for our ladies, the female winner of the half
completed the course in 1:50, although the first two marathon running females
were faster over the half, they didn’t count!
So enter next year ladies!!!!
Iain