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the Marathon of the North
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Well done Oliver(great time) and Shirley. I ran well for 16 miles then wind and hills and lack of prep slowed me down. Still finished sub 3, but no pb. Was dissapointed with the hilly course as well.
That's amazing Adrian - well done!
My garmin measured 25.89 and a friend who came in ahead of me measured it 12.85 - that's some chunk out. You expect sometimes with weaving about you would run over the distance, but not under the distance to that amount.
My friend ran the half and she said her garmin measured short too, so it doesn't seem likely that all our Garmins are wrong does it?
It's pretty bad if they've measured the route incorrectly ... it's great to have a 'good' time, but not at the expense of not having run the full distance through no fault of your own.
I'd rather have a worse time but at least know I ran a 'proper' marathon today
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Well my Garmin measured short as well 25.8 so will be gutted if it was short!
Bit of a mixed bag for me, despite the strong winds, I was well touch for my 3:30 target at 20 miles (probably on track for 3:26) but at 21 miles my left knee just totally gave out. I had to jog/hobble for the last 5 miles and finished in 3:43:24.
This was still a PB by over 5 minutes but obviously I was on for so much more. This was my 3rd marathon and the 2nd I have really struggled to finish because of my knee. My wife saw me about 22 miles and said I looked grey and it was the worst she had every seen me. To be honest I felt like crying and then the wind hitting me straight in the face when the rain came in as I was trying to finish the last mile just finished me off.
Think this will be my last marathon, just not worth it, if I am not confident in my knee holding the last 6 miles so at least I finished on a PB and managed to sub 3:45.
Fair play to all the spectators and runners giving me words of encouragement those last 5 miles as I don't think I would have managed it otherwise.
Wind and rain was a killer for me so big applause for those runners that were getting round in 5 to 6 hours as it was must have took a lot to dig deep and get round.
Best moment for me, round about 10 miles in, runners going up the road in one dirrection and down on the other side when the weather was nice. Really nice moment for me in a nicer part of the course.
Fair play to Cram and his team in organising a local marathon but the course wasn't the most scenic was it
Hope everyone enjoyed their day good, bad or indifferent result. The nice touch at the start for Boston showed us how lucky we are.
My Garmin measures 26.0 and 1880 feet of ascent! Another person I know someone else has 880 feet so going to guess it us 880, that was at least 800 too much!
I appear to not have even taken part today! No results at all on the race timing systems website.
According to my watch I finished in 3: 36. I hoped for 3:30 and felt fine until the 24th mile. Legs just would not move. After a bit of cursing and berating myself, thinking about people who are in far worse predicaments, I made myself run the last mile and even sprinted, with a very angry face (will make an even less photogenic picture than usual). Looking back, it's not so bad a time for a first marathon and I can see how the marathon business can be very addictive...
Oliver- well done! Fantastic
Tim- Another great time
Shielsy- The wind was awful. You did well not having had ideal training conditions.
Adrian- Superb- back to back marathons! And to run faster a week after London..
By the way, I am sure in the official blurb they describe this as a "flat" marathon. What, "flat" relative to, say, the Highlands or the Alps?
Cheers Tim! So pleased, I got in a decent group and they kept me going along towards the end! As it got a bit lonely for the second half! And with the hills, made for some pretty testing racing!
Thanks Capples! I also started struggling towards the end! dropped 20 seconds per mile lower than my average for those last two! Once I saw that 1000m to go it lifted me for a 2nd (or 3rd/4th/5th) wind, and managed a sprint finish for the crowds haha!
Dead chuffed!
Lol at capples ... yeah, it wasn't flat at all was it? I'd hate to do an undulating one if that was flat! I think they've mentioned the timing issues on their Facebook page, with an email address if your results are not coming through. Something to do with the first sensor not working and having a knock on effect for the rest of them.
Great time though!
Tim - a fantastic time, well done. I don't have much experience of marathon running as this is only my second, but people who I've spoken to who've done more road marathons said that this was one of the worst they could remember.
I couldn't stop shivering once I'd finished and was cold to the core for hours afterwards.
You should be reaslly pleased Oliver awesome first marathon time on as windy day and tough course!
Decided to run vlm next year as my time should count as gfa
Aye, no record of me on the timings site. Deffo peeped as I went over the one around mile 20 - only me in the road at that point, beeped and the bloke looking after it was looking at something and nodded as if it had registered.
Watch showed 4:40 - I was on for 4:20 or thereabouts until mile 18 when I lost the plot and had to adopt a walk/run appraoch.
Didn't even see the time slip printer - and didn't get a text. E-mail sent to the timing team, so fingers crossed, eh?
Congratulations everyone on finishing in some brilliant times and difficult conditions
I have been debating whether to share my story .....but it may be therapeutic and I always find the forum so supportive but didn't want to dampen the cheery atmosphere....
good points of the day.....easy parking close to the stadium, lots of proper loos, fab stewards (including Katie who ran with me through Roker Park!) seeing my husband and daughter so many times, meeting a man near the end completing his 60th and last mara, the kind running club just over the hill to the stadium getting ready to go home whose cheers and encouraging words carried me along, and FINISHING...
everything else was difficult, I started out well, too well perhaps, after a difficult week healthwise I was so happy to be there. I was confused a bit by not seeing some mile markers and thought I was too slow so speeded up and ignored my splits. I kept at this pace and think I got a half mara pb of about 2.20. Then........paid for it.Very little energy left in the tank. For the second half of the course I was basically on my own and often had to ask stewards if I was going the right way! The stewards, family and seeing other runners on the out and backs kept me going, but it was lonely. One time I felt pain in my leg and then was struggling for breath. I had to walk before it turned into hyper ventilating, it was scary. I thought I might have to pull out at that moment. But I am very stubborn and determined. Got control and managed to run again. By the time I was nearing the end litter pickers were out etc (there were still runners an hour behind me) and the stadium was pretty much desserted. I even had to ask other runners where the finish was! Just my family, a man with a microphone and a few stewards to cheer me over the line. Then, no medal, no goody bag, no space blanket. It was the last straw. Luckily my daughter seemed to know where go go for this. I hobbled down the exit to the stadium and luckily someone spotted me and sorted me out. I cannot understand why in that massive car park this didn't happen at the finish! My time 5.22, 5 mins longer than my other mara. But I finished and I have learnt lots. It has not put me off trying again. I have York in October and just entered the VLM ballot. I would like to run in a mara with more crowd support as whenever someone clapped and encouraged me I picked up the pace and smiled
It has been great reading how you all got on. Hope all well for Daisy?
Oh Lily, I'm so sorry there was a bit of a dampener to your day. And your finishing time doesn't strike me as being that slow so I'm surprised you found yourself on your own for a lot of the time.
I did feel a bit bad about walking away from the event once I'd finished and got changed, I like to add my support, but I was so cold through after getting a soaking in the later miles that I found myself shivering quite badly and my lips were turning blue, so I just felt I had to get into some warmth.
Take heart from your half marathon pb! Just think what you can do on a calmer day when you know you don't have to run another 13.1 miles ... you should be confident enough to smash your half pb now. And I'm sure you'll have a much more enjoyable time at York. If you can dig deep and finish a tough marathon in hideous conditions then you should be very proud of yourself.
Is your leg ok today?
Shielsy, thank you for your kind words. I never expected other runners to stay behind, you def needed to get home
I did the same. When I finish I want to be in my car refuelling, then home, showered and curled up on the sofa wrapped in a blanket with a cuppa.It is just that I have always finished races with a bit of a crowd supporting. Come to think of it I not sure who I thought might still be there! Husband and daughter were enough! I think partly it was a small and fast field with not many fun runners, so there were perhaps not many behind me! Just think signage at the end could have been clearer as I wasn't following other runners in. My leg is ok, just stiff and tired. Working this morning then off to volunteer at Riding for Disabled this aft, hope I don't have to run alongside a trotter! How are you feeling about things today? You did so well.
Hi Lily, well done for finishing. I am sure you will take strength from that finish in subsequent races and in training. Well done!
The course was confusing. I saw lots of people going the wrong way, and was running round in circles at about the 18 mile point as there was cones everywhere and not a marshal in sight,
My main gripe about the race was that I was going to run at Manchester but changed by mind as the organisers had promised a new flatter course at Sunderland, It was anything but flat in the second half
Again Lily well done you showed real strength to keep going. I agree that sub 05:30 is well within the time limits of getting full support and help after the race.
Wow, what a day! I loved the course and the oraganisation was fantastic. Everything was going great up until mile 18, then the combination of the wind, a killer hill and a stitch just about finished me off. Managed to finally finish in 4:35 but had been pacing for a 4:20.
Unfortunately I was so tired and cold at the end that I stupidly managed to lose my Garmin watch
I'm hoping someone might turn it in (otherwise this is a great excuse for a new one) but I wondered if anyone would be willing to email me their .gmx file of the marathon?
thanks Tim for your encouraging words, interesting that even nearer the front of the field runners were confused which way to go. The marshalls were great but there were def places without any! Did you run Manchester last year? I did and it seemed to be flatter than yesterday! Anyway thanks again.
Well done Amy. Brilliant time. Unfortunately don't own a garmin, hope yours turns up.
The funniest thing was when I was half a mile from the end of the first half, a guy I'd been running with started speeding up and trying to drop me, took a second to realise he was only doing the half! Haha!
Well done to you all of you! No matter what time you got you completed a marathon - and in tough conditions which is a great achievement.
I was over the moon to finish in around 4:12 (my chip time is showing same as the gun time so just waiting for that to be sorted out). Like everyone found it pretty tough from mile 18 with the hills, wind then the sleety rain but bounced back when I hit 23 as could think 'its just a parkrun to go'!
My family managed to find me at about 7 different spots and get to the finish which was amazing and really appreciated the encouragement from spectators and marshalls (had a little tear on the last mile it was so lovely!)
Next stop York .. !
Aw Lily, really sorry for that ending experience. I think, give it a week or so, and you will look back with different thoughts. That was a terrific time given the course and conditions.....and Hi Winston.
Went to bed last night at 9 and slept straight through till 7am. Woke up with the same feeling of elation after the week going so well. Thoughts on this MOTN - running with the 1/2 marathoners was good and bad - quite easy to get dragged into a different race at quicker speed which may work against some peoples training, for me I found this quite useful as post 13 miles I could rely on my extended, long run experience. I'd run, every weekend, 18+ miles and so, again for me, cannot say how useful this experience was. The distance never gets easier but knowing you have and can do it is amazingly inspiring.
The course, being different from last year was TOUGH. That second half was hard going and a couple of the hills were proper 'grit your teeth' ones. And that wind....*sigh*
Other positives - the later part of the course I felt strong and could keep going - but I tried to offer comments/pats on backs to people I passed. My time, as I could see my garmin was way off, became inconsequental. I wanted to encourage and motivate. I hope that sounds as it's meant to - the marathon truly shows the best part of being a human. Incredible determination and effort - everyone that finishes should be SO proud regardless of time or whatever. Walking 26.2 is awesome - running and any mixture of the two is beyond that.
Seeing my family 3 times was incredible and the final mile, which felt like the comma before Edinburgh and the full stop for London/Sunderland, I welled up several times. I kicked on and completed my fastest mile maybe in a mara. Ending line I crouched to the floor and kissed it. It's never tasted better
Huge congratulations to all...
ps see you all next year ?
well done hells bells, hopefully see you on the York thread as I have entered too. Thanks Adrian for your encouragement. I had a feeling I would feel better after sharing with the forum
good tip about lots of long runs in training, I will take that on board for York. I agree the passing of other runners with claps and comments was brilliant. Even in my state and speed I was able to do that for others behind me. I even seemed to get to recognise ones I regularly passed. You are amazing with your 3 maras. I ran Edinburgh half 3 years ago. The marathon was after it and it was an extremely hot day, they had it tough. Aspects of yesterday running along the seafront reminded me of Edinburgh. Are you entering London again next year..........I have entered the ballot today, mad but got the bug!
Yup! Me and the Missus entered and now waiting ! She has moved from the 'not a chance' position to, having seen all of my actual participations, to a 'PLEASE let's do one!!'. Hehe. Bug bi proxy! lol.
Looking forward to Edinburgh - looks a good course and some pals have suggested it's the best course for a PB. We'll see!
Glad you feel a little better - time is such a inconsequental fragment of info (I think) - randomly the Missus told me I had got the pb via a text message I recieved on my phone - I hadn't even looked on my garmin or anything. Truly for me it was being 'involved' that was so much more than the 'time'. Weird. Never thought I'd say that!
Just reading through today, was down the pub last night
to celebrate everyone's results.
Many congratulations, I am truly gobsmacked at the times people put in yesterday - not the easiest course was it, and the conditions far from ideal. You are all fab runners!
Lily I am so sorry your race ended that way, it really shouldn't have. Did you feel all the half runners were pulling you on to go faster than you meant to? Well done on the HM PB by the way, that is something to be proud of
. I was making a very conscious effort not to worry about people overtaking me and just trying to cruise to halfway. Not easy though!!
I was a bit disappointed with my time - I think once they've got it right it will be about 4.18 (it's 4.19 at the moment, but chip/gun are the same). It started off OK, and had it been an 18 mile race I think I'd have loved it. But all that going up and down seemingly random roads just to make up mileage really took its toll with me psychologically. But hey, it's still a PB
Looking forward to York now! Hope for less wind, less rain, flatter course and a saner route leading on to a new PB much closer to the 4 hour mark.
Wonderful post race stories from everyone on the thread. This is what marathon running is all about and keeps me coming back despite the pain! Finishing a marathon is something truly special and heroic whatever time you did. Well done everyone!!!
The course was definitely harder than last year with more hills and that wind was a killer. I had a better run that I could have hoped for, managing to get just under 4 hours. My garmin had it slightly short too but all those twists and turns and park sections might have confused it a bit.
Onwards to the next challenge then. Supposed to be doing Windermere Marathon in three weeks but i'll see how I recover first. I feel really drained today but I guess that's to be expected.
VLM ballot had closed by the time I remembered top enter so will mull over an alternative one. Thinking about doing Rome again. By far the most scenic marathon I've ever done. Take care all xx
well done to you Daisy
great result. Maybe I got carried along with the half mara runners, also possibly less energy after 10 days of terrible tooth pain, with strong antibiotics and painkillers, not to mention traumatic dental work, but mainly I should have stuck to my splits, will do that religiously for York! Also as Adrian mentioned, a few more longer runs in training.
Well done Dave, I am tempted by Windermere, but read a detailed description in RW mag and there seem to be alot of hills/mountains but I guess the views will make up for that!?
Even though it was v hard for me and I am glad it is over I feel drained too. Think I will have a nice glass of red tonight now I feel hydrated again. I had a look at the York route on a map today and it is circular. Those out and backs were a killer! Hope everyone else is recovering ok
The local newspaper, the Sunderland echo, has both a slideshow and a video montage of the day, mainly the first half, I think the cameraman got too cold!
details here http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/slideshow-5-000-take-on-sunderland-marathon-half-marathon-and-10k-1-5624832
Thanks Lily, and thanks for sharing your story. I have to say the field was much smaller than I expected which was a real shame. I hope having your husband and daughter at the finish line made up a little for not having much crowd.
I'm not feeling too bad today which makes me wonder if tomorrow is going to be worse! Hope not because I'm back at work...
Thanks for the link roball, sadly I wasn't featured
Still no sign of my Garmin (but I think the organisers might have more important things like medals, t-shirts, and correct timing to sort out. Once again if anyone did use a Garmin during the marathon and would be willing to export the file I would be very very grateful. I have manually entered the run but it isn't the same without the map.
Hope everyone is recovering ok. I'm impressed that you're all looking at the next one. I don't think I'll even be running for a good few weeks yet.
Hi Amy I'll be happy to email you the file from my garmin will upload it to pc tonight. Hope someone finds yours. I had a big pre run meltdown as mine froze up on me luckily googled the remedy -phew!
Well done everyone! The weather was awful wasn't it? I feel very lucky not having had to do the second half in the hail and wind. Shielsy and Lily, I'm particularly impressed at you guys carrying on even though it was a really tough one, and definitely think you should be proud of yourselves.
Amy, sorry your garmin went awol
Hope it turns up for you.
Oliver and Adrian and Daisy and Tim, well done on brilliant times! Amazing.
Everyone should be very proud of themselves I think - it was really hard to get going after being so cold at the start, and the weather on the way round hardly made things easier did it?
I actually had an amazing time doing the half, came in in 1:53:34 which is a massive PB for me, and well below my 2 hour target. I thought the course was pretty flat, but most of my training is done in South West Co Durham, where there is barely a flat mile to be found - and it sounds like the first half was much less hilly than the second. I was soooo cold before and after though - I didn't have any feeling in my fingers until the third mile marker, and I ended up wearing every top I had including race T-shirt and the heat blanket at the end - I sat in the car shivering for 10 minutes before I could drive home
Got pretty confused at mile 10 as well - the markers seemed to be facing the wrong way (??) and I was convinced I'd gone the wrong way for a while. I then nipped into the loo at the 10ish mile water station, and actually did end up running the wrong way for a few yards - would have been gutted if I'd gone round that loop again before realising! Overall I thought it was pretty well run though, and the marshalls were wonderful to stand there in the freezing weather - I would definitely prefer to run!
Seriously considering trying a full marathon now... might see if I can root out a plan that doesn't sound to scary...