MBNA Chester Marathon

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Comments

  • What time did you get CE?
  • Ultra Dunc n I are in tattershall stand - the Flapjack is here in the bar
  • target time was 3.45, actual time was 3.48. Quite pleased as it's a pb - Garmin says 26.36 miles covered??

    On a FLAT course I will get 3.45.

    Hats off to the organisers though, very impressive. Thanks to all the volunteers too, it really make a difference when almost everyone smiles and cheers you on. Names on the font of the numbers was a great idea, complete strangers were shouting for ME!

    I really enjoyed it, apart from the pain image

  • Just waiting to get out of car park, great friendly race very well organised. 4:38 for me , 14 days after Berlin isn't best time for pb , but my running pal Duncan didn't let me slow till 15 or so and really kept me going - a good friend. Well done everyone
  • What a disaster for me!

    1st half was run perfectly to plan in 1:40. Started to slow down after that though and felt like I couldn't push on.

     At 19.7m I bent down to scratch my leg and got horrible cramp in my hamstring. Hobbled on to about 23.5 miles and then gave up when I realised I wasn't going to get 3:30. Walked round to the finish and come in at 3:57:41.

    I can't believe how bad it went, after I devoted my last 6 months to training for this and it is so disappointing to go wrong during the race after all the sober Saturday night I've had so I could do long run on Sunday.

    Thought it was well organised and great support, although I could have done without the support when I was walking at the end.

  • jason djason d ✭✭✭

    Sorry to hear some people's day didn't go to planimage

    Especially you CE and dean - as I know you guys put a lot in to the build upimage And you, CE, have done so much to encourage me! Next time, buddy!

    xe- well done on the pbimage

    Very impressed with the organisation and support and will definitely be back again. Shame about the windimage as that and the small hills (especially that last 1!!) put paid to my dreams of 2:55. TBH, that needed perfect weather and a perfectly flat course. Still, over the moon cos I got a PB by some 17 mins!!image 2:56.44 (1:27.35 and 1:29.10) 

  • What a great race!

    I woke up and my cold was awful, but Mrs p persuaded me to go (She was full of it too).  I had a great run, but had to stop with bad cramps in my hamstring just after Sandy Lane so I think my time is 3:47.

    Saw TR 39 en route, and loads of people from our club and other friends and family, what a buzz it brought to the city.

    The finish was amazing, and the team looking after the runners were so well drilled and polite.

    Definitely the Carlsberg of races, if only all marathons were organised this way!

  • sub 3 jason d - has a nice ring to it image

    going to take a big break from anything resembling marathon training now. will do some 10ks and halfs to keep me ticking until the new year then its spring marathon time, extra motivated now image

    with so many races about not sure if i'll do chester next year. good race though

  • Well Done JD!! image You where flying mate when I seen you.

    My story not as great, I was feeling strong up to mile 17 then cramp set in big time. I new I was not going to make sub 3:30 by mile 20+Confirmed at mile 22 when I had done faster times to these distances in training and with big hills!! So I didn't get sub 3:30 but I did get a new PB 3:48:48image So sub 4 marathon cracked!!image.....now whats the chance of getting another PB in 3 weeks........at Snowdoniaimage

    Mr Puffy good to see you mate even if you where passing me!! Came in just behind youimage

    Great race well organised fantastic support, Welldone Chris, Andy and team OUTSTANDING!image

  • Great run! Glad to hear of PBs, and sorry to hear if anyone had a disappointing run (but hopefully like me it's just driving you to sign up for another one soon to have greater success next time!!)

    So that was my first marathon, so relieved the weather held out. I was aiming for 4hr 20-30 but in the end it was 4.40, but still, I'm happy to have just made the distance. I went off feeling great, and did the first half in 2 hr 10, and then after the first half I just couldn't maintain the pace so had to slow right down. I also thought it would be a very flat course but those hills in the second half were a bit of an unpleasant surprise!

    I agree, it was a superbly organised race and fantastic marshalls who were so encouraging. The route was quite scenic, really pretty villages along the way.

    I have to come back next year to smash my time!!


  • What a day!! My first marathon, aimed for anything under 4 hours and got 3:52:50. Absolutely made up with the time. Superb support on the way round and great organization. Thanks to everyone!!
  • Well done everyone

    Jason- well done on the sub 3 image well deserved
  • Can only echo everyones feelings, the organisation was as good as I've ever seen at a race and the support was great all round, and especially coming on to the racecourse it was superb.

    Chris & Andy if you're reading this .. take a bow gents ... a job par excellence !! (and please pass on my thanks to the fantastic army of volunteers).

    Congrats to those that hit or even beat their times, and for those that didn't (like me) see you next year image.

    Was 50/50 about DNS'ing even up to last night, but decided to give it a go, thinks were going fine (as much as things can go fine when running a marathon) up until about mile 19 when my left calf cramped up, I think this may have been down to probable over compensating for my foot and therefore running on a slightly unusual gait. However, once it had gone that was it, it would sporadically spam throughout the remaining miles, causing a considerable slow down and ended up missing my original aim by 7 minutes with a 4:22. However thats not to say I'm extremely over the moon with that given I didn't even think I'd make the start.

    Legs are stiffening up nicely now, although I have just managed to take the dogs out for a couple of mile (slow) walk !

  • Well done everyone! It was a good day, I was aiming for under 5 hours and got 4.49.54. image
  • Congratulations to all who completed the marathon today.

    A massive well done to all the team who organised this event, it went like clockwork. Fantastic shirt and medal..I think there was a Mars bar in my goody bag brieflyimage. Thank you Chris and Andyimage

  • 3.26 for me. not my target but am cutting myself some slack given it was my first venture beyond 22.

    Chris - was good to see you at the finish, and I think I mumbled some incoherent well done at the time but thanks to you and Andy all the support. You should be proud od yourselves. I think you definitely got a PB today!

    Bruce, TR 39 et al - Well done guys

  • Well the weather was just about perfect for a marathon,lovely course,not the peak district or snowdonia,but more quaint,going through the rural villages and Chester itself,and what a place to start and finish,the excellant Chester Racecourse.

    Unparallelled organisation,someone already touched on it....the Carlsberg of marathons,indeed.Very friendly atmosphere,from all the volunteers to the public lining the route,just wish so many weren`t called David or Dave.

    Time...well,wanted a sub 3.15,for good for age qualification VLM,(3.15:50 at Dublin last year),got 3.25:04,which considering the calf/achilles strain I`ve had for the last couple`o`week,I was reasonably pleased with.Need to close that gap in my split times,though,1.35,lst half,1.49,second.Need to get it more like my Dublin run with a faster second half,so will have to come back again!!!!!!!!

  • 4:28 for me

    Ran on plan for 13.1 miles 01:55 and felt fine then hit the wall at 15. First wall and what a wall!

    Walked run the last 11 miles with no energy and cramping calves and thighs virtually the whole way.

    Trying to think why as never hit the wall before despite running up to 22 miles in 3 hours 10.

    Could one thing be the energydrink which I failed to trial run and which had no sodium in it?

     I also noticed lots of other run walkers today from 17 miles onwards.

    Other than  this what a GREAT event.

    Thanks to the organisers.

     

  •  Not a good race for me, like a few other comments have seen - 1st half went well then severe cramp set in, was lucky to hobble around and finish at all.

     More to the point I would just like to say "A GREAT BIG THANK YOU" to the race organisers "Brilliant job well done"  would also like to say "Thank you" to every single person who encouraged me during a difficult time.

    Its all these peope who are also real winners,

     Paul.

  • Tough day for me - I think the Berlin run 14d ago must have still been in my legs. First half all to plan for pb 4:15. , but at about 16 the wheels started to come off I,ll blame the stubby hill. My running pal /pacer was amazing , but gradually the pb attempt drifted away. Ran in at 4:38 a minute slower than Berlin thanks to Dunc. Maybe next time I,ll do some serious training on the 2nd half of the route, and train only for this race. I have to be happy in getting round in that time considering the hammer my legs have taken.

    Well done to everyone, to those whose race went wrong , the marathon is a unpredictable beastie!. Reflect, learn , enjoy the fact that you finished, and go for a gentle run in a few days , and be amazed how short 3 miles are.

    Well done Chester & Wales.
  • Well thought I should at least make a few comments despite not contributing to the thread for a few months. Firstly a massive welldone to Chris and Andy, another first class event, excellently executed! Thankyou. Secondly, a massive thankyou to the marshalls, support teams and general public, runners or no runners, without you guys there would be no race, again thankyou. I thought the course was generally flat, maybe just because there was the occasional incline, they perhaps felt a little more harsh than they really were?! A big shout out to the guys that for one reason or another, didnt finish. At the end of the day, you at least gave it a go, which is more than most people will ever do. Theres always another race. Learn from any mistakes (if any) and give it another go next time. I had kept a close eye on the BBC weather forecast all week and was looking forward to a cooling rain, nice one weathermen/women! Suppose it could have been worse and as hot as last year. Maybe I should be thankful for small mercies?! Can anyone shed anylight on the following;

     1) what companies (other than Mybibnumber.com, IF any others) are the pics from today on?

     2) Any whispers on next year yet? (dont tell the wife she'll kill me!)

     Anyway well done to everyone who did finish, if it was your first, bet your still smiling now (or asleep), if not hope you got the times you were hoping for. See you all next year?

    Cheers Adam. 

  • Awesome event, my first full marathon.  Pleased with my time of 3:34.

    Top notch organisation, props to you guys.  Back next year for sure.  image

  • Well first marathon and what a marathon!Great day and great atmosphere.Big thank you to Chris/Andy and all involved for the organisation.Finished in 3h45mins so chuffed to bits with that time,thought it was going wrong a 23miles when suddenly had cramp and limped about a bit but knew I had to get on with it.Some surprise little hills.All in all had a great weekend and thanks once again for all involved and hopefully see you all again next year....and well done all other runners!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Thanks Chris and Andy for job well done.

    Support was great, the locals friendly, the volunteers fantastic and the grands and finish uplifting.

    Well done  to one and all PB or no.

    I set off at just under 8 M/M pace with a mate I bumped into and tbh I payed for it in the second half. I should started at 8.5 M/M, hopefully I'd have got a similar time but the last 9/10 miles wouldn't have been so painful. 3:42:22.

    Nice seeing you before the race wrexhamrob, and great to finely put a face to the name Compo1

  • This has to be the best race I've done the organisation was second to none and who could hope for a better finish than running through the racecourse.

    The names on the number was a masterstroke. To have people calling you by name at all locations is an incredible lift. My thanks to the organisers you really did the business and I will do this again next year, as I'm sure will plenty of others.

    This was the Calsberg Marathon, whoever coined that phrase was spot on. As far as times went  I aimed for a PB and got one (not difficult with my time) was on for 4:25 till I met those hills on the way back, but hey that's running. 

  • May have solved my "hit the wall problem".

    I have been taking naproxen for a few days for my ankle injury and I now find out I shouldnt have done this as it "can  cause the body to excrete too much sodium" !!!

    Will have tell my GP who prescribed - he knew I was doing a marathon.

    Another Lesson learnt!

  • "Live and learn" I guess Alan. You wouldn't even think to check/ ask would you?
  • Amazing day, great organisation, great support from all the local villagers and especially on that last mile, a great bit of support on the strip down by the river which was greatly needed. The club (wolves and bilston) all had a great day and we're all pleased with our runs. It couldnt really of gone much better.

    I managed a 3:09 to get inthe VLM with a good for age which i pushed for on the first few miles, I was thinking of nearer to the 3 hr mark but tht will do for me! 19 miles exactly and i started hitting the wall going up a small hill. miles 19-23 were the toughest for me before i saw glory in sight and pushed for it. Well done to mark w too who was having a great run up until mile 23, but stil managed a 3.14 pb after his knee messed up,

    cheers chester! great place and now has a great marathon

  • No Gary guess I trusted the GP who knew about my marathon.

  • Oh dear, according to the results I didnt run! no chip or gun times for meimage. Where are the photos being posted? If i can see myself in the background of another runner I can place myself.

    Thanks

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