Milton Keynes Marathon

Really looking forward to this one as I live in MK. Have also entered the London Marathon ballot so if I get in maybe do both, 2 marathons in a week...mmmm
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  • Folks - I guess this thread will pick up at some point. I just entered having missed the VLM ballot yet again but with a bright red fleece instead...

     Can someone confirm what the profile of this race is? The description says "Flat" but it's hard to imagine 26 miles of Flat in those parts.

  • only 6000 places. What are my chaces of coming last?  Quite high methinks!!!

  • SL - it depends on your definition of a hill!  There are rises out of underpasses but the only real up would be if climbing into the City Centre from the canal
  • My "hill" definition is subjective I guess ... if you know the routes for the Marlow and Wokingham Halfs (Halves?), then the former is "hilly" and the latter is "flat" to me. I've done both 2/3 times. Plus a 5m incline looks mountainous after 20 miles of running.

  • As a London reject I've entered.  We are making this one of our club runs.  I'm not sure if I have the motivation to get round 26.2 without lots of fancy dress and cheering crowds, but more than willing to give it a go. 
  • I've just entered this as my first ever marathon. I've been running for 6 months and am completely addicted. How do I go about preparing? I can do 1 long run a week, 1 short session and maybe a couple of 60-90 minute sessions. It is quite hilly where I live.
  • I missed out on VLM dissapointed after first one this year but now excited of the thought of training and competeing in first MK marathon. to the "hiily" blog person, lol your training sounds good I trained myself pre VLM and did two to three times a week 5mile and every 6weeks a long one then three month before a 15, 17 and 20 miler resting mostly two weeks beofre with lots of stretches. New trainers were needed after many miles and also bought some shin skins excellent!!! I had no problems ate well and di it in 5.21 dissapointed I was but heat and got stcuk behind people so slwed me down (did my 20 pre marathon 20 miler in 3.50 with LOTS of hill) I have the bug and aim to do a marathon every year until im forty which will be a lot incase anyone is wondering!!LOL good luck everyone.
  • Hilly - have a look at the RunnersWorld Marathon training guide section http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/big-marathon-index/7355.html

  • Thanks for all the advice. I'm hoping that doing plenty of hill work will make the mk run seem much easier. There's hardly a flat run around here.
  • Hi Guys,

    Ive just entered. Have done london before, brighton twice and am doing abingdon sunday 16th oct (very soon). Plenty of experience, but it never seems to make it any easier. Hope this forum picks up soon although I think there might be another one going on at the same time!!!

    Samantha, Im over 40 (just) and am still running marathons everyr. Once u have the bug it is hard to lose it. Keep it going oh to be young!!!!

    Good luck everyone, happy training this weekend. 

  • Thanks stephen elkan have a bug to always do gd times sure ill carry on just a task until im 40!
  • LB70LB70 ✭✭✭
    Hello all

    I'm interested in doing this but have heard that the underpasses may be hard work. If anyone local could advise how many there are and whether they could be an issue, I'd appreciate it

    Thanks
  • image The underpasses will be sharp, short downs and then ups. One or two won't be a problem but in the 2nd half they will take their toll on the legs!

    How many? I guess that depends on the route and is the route actually confirmed? Not unusual for event organsiers to publish a provisional/to be agreed route and then come up with a completely different route 2 weeks before the event because they couldn't get approval from the local authorites (eg, Sussex Marathon).

  • LB70LB70 ✭✭✭
  • Hi all

    I'm in for this and very much looking fwd to it!

    Sean - there is an official looking route on the website, assume that it won't change but you may have a point image Not being local I have no idea how many underpasses it means but someone on the other thread (link early on in this thread) mentioned that it's pretty flat................

     Looking fwd to the roar of the crowd in the stadium!

  • I'm in!  Only done one marathon so far - London last year - and need to prove I can go round in a better time (with fewer loo stops....!)  Have been out of action for a while with one thing or another and also injury.  need now to get back into training.   To all training for this, enjoy it!

  • regarding the underpasses...

    I have run quite a few events (mostly half marathons) in and around MK on the redways and underpasses and I cannot recall any particularly steep drops and climbs.  

  • Giving this a bit more thought...  The height of the underpasses is about 2.5m (they are to enable pedestrians and cyclists to 'cross' busy roads; not for vehicles) and the lead in and out is about 50m so that gives a 5% gradient.  This would be significant over half a mile or so but over 100m probably not.  They might cause a bit of bother towards the end of the race for runners who are tiring but there won't be all that many of them anyway (underpasses, not runners who are tiring!!).

    Don't get too hung up on the underpasses; this marathon is generally over fairly flat terrain and certainly has PB potential.

  • looks to me like the course manages to avoid the couple of 'proper' hills we have in MK-  but everyone says MK is flat when all they do is drive around it...there are some undulations, but nothing too major... I come from Malvern originally...now they have hills!!
  • Looking into this one myself as I try to decide on my Spring marathon. Do people in MK reckon that this course would have PB potential then? I'm strong enough on hills but this will be my big goal for the first half of 2012 if I do it so would like to be well prepared.

    I'll be travelling from Ireland, could any locals recommend any accommodation near Stadium MK, there doesn't seem to be many hotels out that way?

    Also, best airport to fly into to get to MK?

    Thanks. image
  • Luton airport is 30 mins drive from MK. If you stay in a hotel in MK, it won't be more than a 5 min drive to the stadium... although there is a Travelodge type place at The Caldecotte Arms, about 3 min drive, this is probably your closest bet. I live on Caldecotte lake, it is beautiful, so maybe the best place as will show you another side to MK!!
  • started my base training. 3 weeks in after completing hard marathon in Abingdon. Ran 11 miles today (only meant to go out for 8!!!) mixing it up with gym, bike, treadmill and swimming.

    How r u all getting on, does any one know how many have signed up for the run? My guess is it will not b too many as so many marathons on in such a short space of time.

    Keep it going folks

  • Hi all, I'm booked for the MK marathon next spring and I'm not quite sure what to do about the longer practice races.

    I'm considering the Ashby 20, which is 6 weeks out from the marathon, and the Oakley 20 which is 4 weeks out. However, would this mean that my taper would be too long?

    An alternative might be the GVH 20 mile training run (five weeks out from the race), followed by my own 20-22 mile training run a fortnight later with a three week taper.

    Anybody have any thoughts or suggestions? I can't find any 20 mile races that are three weeks before this event. They all seem to be better timed for London.

    It's early days, I know, but I'm looking forward to it already image
  • Ah, an official thread!

    I'm in - it'd be rude not to do the first local marathon. From the rough course map I'd say it passes within a matter of metres from my house, and takes in a lot of my regular training routes.

    With regard to the 'hills'... after 20-odd miles, a kerb seems like a mountain. But I'd say this is comparable to any other 'flat' marathon out there.  MK has hardly any hills, and looking at the route around Willen and Campbell Park would suggest the organisers have chosen to avoid the 'steep' bits.  So, you're left with a handful of underpasses (short and not particularly sharp), possibly the occasional bridge, and one steep but short climb that I know of around Caldecotte (but I think even that has been avoided as the route doesn't follow the path around the lake at the start).

    I've always thought MK would be a great place for a marathon.  I live here, so I may be biased, but I've also done 5k, 5-mile, 10k and half-marathon races in various parts of the town.  (I say 'various', but they always seem to include Willen Lake!)

  • Tenjiso - in my extensive marathon career... Okay, four to date, and two of those were the Beachy Head too-hard-to-be-a-proper-marathon (slightly more hilly than a MK underpass)

    I've never actually done a longer race as part of my training. The furthest I've raced is a half whilst marathon training.  Given that you shouldn't really be 'racing' a 20-miler properly but treating it as a long run, the only advantage you have to doing a race is lots of company and a medal.  The downside is you have to fit your schedule around it, travel, cost, etc.  If the disadvantages outweight the advantages for you, just go for a 20-mile run instead.

  • I'm with SVT, I tend to stick to a splattering of HM's and then long training runs around yes you guessed it Willen Lake as part of my prep.
  • Tenjiso: I know our running club schedule always uses Oakley 20 as the main and final last run, even for the people doing marathons on different dates than London - I guess if you've done all the necessary training it would be ok doing it 4 weeks before rather than 3... the following week you could do a 15 miler then taper.... when I am approaching that point, depending on how my training has gone, I will be asking for advice myself image
  • Thanks for the quick responses SVT/Loz.

    I know it's easier said than done in practice, but I was intending to use the 20 mile "race" purely as a training run with organised water stops, plus of course some company image I take your point about the disadvantages outweighing the advantages, so I'm leaning towards the GVH 20 mile training run, plus my own training run just before the taper.

    I've also pencilled-in the Nike MK Half on 4th March.
  • 10mm - good point. I suppose it wouldn't be disastrous to run 16-18 miles just before the taper instead of 20 miles.

    The only problem with the "wait and see" approach (the sensible approach) is that the tune-up races tend to get fully booked. I wish that wasn't the case, because I've already lost more than a few pounds on booked races that I've had to miss through illness/injury.
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