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Rotary Shakespeare Marathon
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And to everyone else who's running, good luck!
When you're stood on the start line waiting for the gun to go off, and you're already soaked, freezing and shivering, remember this famous phrase , 'Things can only get wetter'. At least I think that's what it is
Oh today is a genuine beauty of a day. Just lying in bed at the moment staring out of the window and trying to get the motivation to put my running stuff on.
Hopefully most of this rain will pass through quickly though. Fingers crossed at least - there's a very good flood warning out for the Midlands this morning!
Oooooooooo uuuuuuuurrrrrrr
Hi Hannahsmom!
Welcome to Aldridge RC for when you join on Tuesday! Sadly, I won't be here as work is taking me down to Exeter for a few nights, but hopefully, when I get back, I'll be able to come along again. I haven't been for the last few weeks due to work getting in the way of it!!
Good luck to everyone today - I'm just heading off now so I'll see you all there!
Chris
Much respect to the marshalls, volunteers and supporters - at least we were keeping slightly warm by running! Great organisation as usual, just a real shame about the weather!
Showered and changed at the venue, the gallows humour was fantastic in the changing rooms afterwards, just so British
It was quite a mental adjustment to the half - as a first marathon for me, time would have been pretty immaterial. Presented with a half, I suddenly had the goal of beating the pb. Rapid mental calculation - I needed to hit 7.5 minute miles. I managed it, just. What a day! The people coming away from the finish looked like refugees from a war zone. Memorable!
Those last 3 miles were so hard it was untrue, and I was nearly in tears running through the park at the end. The pain has faded now though, to be replaced by the warm glow of success. Or is that just the beer!
Agree totally with the decision to cancel the marathon; it was pretty bleak along the Greenway. Our original plan was for Mrs CH (planning on a 2:30 half) to have the keys and then hang around for an hour and a half for me to finish the marathon, but I decided to jog round with her when teh marathon was cancelled.
There were several people in shorts and vests around us on the Greenway at that time and they looked very cold indeed; if there were people similarly dressed looking for a 5 hour marathon, they'd've been in big trouble!
Brilliant effort by the marshals, it really was foul out there!
I set out planning a PB on a half and manage 5 mins off last years Birmingham half so really chuffed in those conditions.
Must say when we turned left onto the greenway things got very damp and really blowy, I think I lost any time buffer I had on those last 3 miles
Well done to everyone, runners, spectators and marshals, great job one and all.
Has anyone found a place on another yet?
I feel I've wasted my training, just been in touch with a couple and they're both full.
I could hear well from the speaker but I noticed other points in the line up you could barely hear what the guy was saying.
Gutted for you !!
There's an early race report from the Stratford Herald here:
http://www.stratford-herald.com/local-news/5582-stormy-conditions-cancel-stratford-marathon.html
I think it was absolutely the right decision. There were a few people on the edge of hypothermia at the end.
The decision to make it a half only was announced over the PA at the start, but people these days seem unable to grasp the concept of shutting the **** up and listening. Everyone around me was blethering away to each other while it was being announced and explained, so I'm not surprised that some people found it hard to hear.
Crash- You said it right.
I was using the mara as a long run for COmrades and ran 10 before the start. I was planning on about 3h30 for the mara and there is no way I would have generated enough heat to stay warm, I ran the half as a hard effort and was still cold and struggling to use my hands despite hat#s gloves etc. As I was driving home at about 2h42 into the race I have never seen so many runners run/walking with a mile to go, lots of these being mara runners.
They would have been in a lot of trouble and the organisers got it spot on. I was lucky and heard the cancellation.
The marshall were also fantastic too.
Definitely the right decision not to hold the marathon.
I'm conflicted, I don't knock organisers making difficult decisions but on other hand wouldn't have made a 200 mile round trip for a half. I know there some people travelled further but this is my post. Having seen the greenway hot, retreat from Moscow, and now seen it wet, retreat from Moscow again, and never seen it somewhere between the two extremes I think I'll give this a miss in the future.
One consequence of running a half only with no thinning out after the split was to make the race more bunched than usual, with groups barging past, I saw a couple of contacts which lead to people pulling up. Hope they finished OK.
Another thing, I saw pallets with bottles of water, but not even a discount store choccy bar? just as well I had food in the car which I ran back to asap. Usually buy some chips and a coffee but didn't even want to do that today so no additional money made off me I'm afraid.
I was spectating as bf was running it, sure he'll speak for himself as he was disappointed that for him that when he got to the end ( after making the decision to run with a slower runner to keep her moral up ) that there were no medals or bananas at the end
I was next to the race director while he was talking to the UK race referee at 9am debating whether to cancel the marathon and just make it a half, I said can you let us know in 10mins so i can tell my bf ( this was one of his 12 in 12 so he now needs to find another marathon )
I went back at 9.10 and the UK race referee who had biked up to the Greenway said there is no way, its just too dangerous and not save its ankle full deep of water
I tried to tell as many people as I could that were sheltering in doorways
I heard them announce it twice on the PA that they may be cancelling it at 9.15 but I think the problem with the weather being so bad, everyone was probably huddled together and just didnt hear it, If i could have shouted to a few more marathon runners I would have done
horrendous condtions, hats off to all those that run it
If anyone did see me I stopped at mile 5 and mile 9 to wish runners luck, I saw and hugged Mick n Phil twice, so great to see them again
Well done hope you are all having a well deserved beverage and putting your feet up!!
and Chris, i'll look forward to seeing you down Aldridge RC
Jo
Have to say that before I got home and read this thread I was still in a dark place about the decision to cancel the marathon. My hotel room had cost just under £100 and I was looking forward to getting a decent mileage in with support, new surroundings, etc. So all I've actually done this weekend is scoff masses of carbs (thanks to Pizza Express special offer
) and shuffled a 13 miler that I could have done in my own New Forest back yard.
HOWEVER, I have never come across such cheerful, supportive marshalls (apart from the odd one or two wearing headphones....), felt so chuffed with myself and my friend's mum for battling through the conditions, experienced such a silent race, we were all just too bolloxed for banter, and, most rewarding of all, seen the Brit spirit of looking out for complete strangers who were worse off than ourselves and helping out however we could with extra layers, hugs and in promptu hot water bottles made from plastic botts and the generosity of the tea ladies. So, am I disappointed - yes, did I enjoy and will I remember it? HELL YES!!
Well done us
Michael, thanks - and well done on your pb too, I suspect that there won't be many of those knocking aorund today. Not that it matters, it was more about survival today.
Add my sympathies to those who did not realise that the full had been cancelled, I only found out by chance when a lady I happened to be stood next to just before the start mentioned it to me. If I hadn't known and had really held back around the first half, then I'd have been really gutted. As it was, a PB means I consider it a successful day.
I'd been stood right at the back of the pack, and though I could here that there were things being said over the tannoy, I couldn't make out what they were, and assumed they were the usual countdown/good luck messages. Lesson learn't, I'll definitely listen more carefully next time!
After all the talk of what to wear, I went with running tights, armour top with a tech T on top, headband to keep the ears warm, peaked cap to keep the rain out of the eyes and gloves. And quite critically, I grabbed a pair of flimsy plastic gloves from a petrol station to put over the top of my running gloves, to stop them from soaking up the rain. And sunglasses, to keep the rain out of the eyes too.
And I have to say that I had no problems with being cold at all, with the exception of my feet which got absolutely soaked running through the puddles on the Greenway. I think that alone would really have caused me to struggle on a second lap.
Anyway, roll on next year, would be nice to do a 'normal' stratford!
Here my run details if anyone is interested, HRM stopped working towards the end, think it must have got waterlogged!!
Better conditions than most Dec/Jan marathons.
Not worried about the runners who choose to run in these conditions but the marshals who have to stand in the rain for what could of been at least 6 hours if the marathon had gone ahead.