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Manchester Marathon 2016
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Hope everyone managed to get their bags ok at the end.
Jack: that's a fantastic performance after the weekend you've had!
Tom: as I said in the P&D thread that's a truly inspiring first marathon and well done on the VLM Chanpionship qualification - you must be so proud
I had a really bad day - old IT band injury came on very early and I stopped and DNF just last the 10 mile mark
Fantastic results coming in. Brilliant stuff guys!!
AWC-Really sorry to hear that mate. Flaming IT band!! Plenty more races in the future...come back strong!
Although it was a brilliant day, the support was immense and the weather was perfect, the organisation regarding toilets in race village and baggage drop was a shambles unfortunately.
Well done everybody, great stuff guys.
3:07.35, a tad gutted about missing out on sub-3 but still a PB and a really enjoyable day, so no complaints from me.
Going to focus my efforts on improving my half marathon times, so will be back for another attempt on sub-3 in the future.
If they keep the same start finish, they need to promote the parking at the town hall better - two minute walk from finish, £10 parking including pasta lunch, virtually empty.
Noticed lots of people running the wrong way after the first loop past Old Trafford- seemed like they missed the start and then couldn't find it or taking bags back to cars?? As I ran past they were announcing that the start was still open...
Pretty good race this year although I only did the first 1/2 as part of a relay. Only gripe from me is there was no water at the halfway point. Had to nip to Tesco to buy some. Also my time for the 1/2 per the results is 22 mins faster than I actually did!
I didn't leave a bag but from what I'm hearing the chaos is utterly unforgivable. They had exactly the same problem when they revived this race in 2012, but they learned from their mistakes and 2013-2015 were some of the best organised races ever. I don't understand how they could have let this happen again. It's gross negligence and they deserve never to get permission to run this again.
Sympathy for the baggage volunteers who I think were local air cadets; one told me the problem was that a much bigger baggage area had been promised (?by the stadium management?) but then withdrawn, leaving what was essentially a garage door. If it had been raining or much colder it could have got very nasty. On a different issue, no excuses for c*ap signage. But a big cheer for the happy volunteers and supporters who are not to blame for organisational failings.
Basing a big sports event in a conurbation with public transport which flatters to deceive, discuss...
Wowee i am in cloud cuckoo land sneaked a sub 3, 2:59:01 which means I have a Boston qualifier for 2017, so happy!!! Conditions were dreamlike!!
sorry to hear about baggage hell, not good and equally those who suffered the horrid IT band injuries, that and piriformis are most annoying
Enjoying a beer and quite literally waddling around after 3 hrs couped up in a car
well done all been a great thread to be involved in
Fantastic results, well done everyone. Just want to say a massive thankyou for all the help with getting to the start. Got the tram, no problems and job done. Marathon number 136 in 3.35 and have a suntan
Superb running from a lot of you, well done, it's been a great journey being part of this group. Well done on the pb's, boston qualifiers, VLM Champs!!, general awesomeness.
It didn't quite work out for me today, carrying an injury isn't to be recommended in a marathon. Thought the tendon would hold out but it growled at 14m and was a pain by 16m... limped home around 3:54 - I'll take it. Saw a lot of DNF casualties even on the final straight to the finish....a marathon is a tough gig.
Nightmare with the baggage collection, can't have been planned, a good event will take a lot of stick for that.
I'll bid you all farewell, best of luck with your future ventures, catch you on the forum for the next race we both happen to be targeting, Paris 2017?
Wozers, some amazing times and efforts being posted. Well done all. A special mention to Tom13. That is a mighty impressive debut marathon time. Just wow!
Bad day at the office for me. Had a couple of niggles which transpired into a nightmare in the last 10k. Was aiming for 3:10-3:15 range but was unable to run for much of the last 10k. Got to 20 miles in 2:26 and shuffled home in 3:34 for a personal worst. Never mind, I still enjoyed the weekend even if it hurt far more than I ever envisaged.
The bag drop was a total bore and I queued for 80 mins. Hopefully they get it sorted for next year. The positives were, the course is good, the support is immense and Manchester is a very friendly place. I would defo come back and do it again. Unbelievably lucky with the weather too.
Agree with everything Gerard says
Tom13 bloody amazing time for a 1st mara. well any mara !!
The support was bloody amazing nearly all the way around and in some respects I found it better than VLM, for me the finish was freakin amazing !!! the course was great regarding flatness, even if I did feel this hills ! Lots of water and gels (gaian better than VLM as more gels and less water ithink ?)
Weather conditions .... pretty near perfect no ? some saaid too warm ? we started at 9 and 6 degree after an over night frost with clear skies
warmed up to 14 (IMO no too warm). would definitely do again 
and book the Copthorne salford quay again as 5 min from start at £70 if you book early
Brilliant job, everyone! I got my first marathon done, although the last eight miles weren't pretty. I stuck with the 4:30 pacer for a good long time but the wheels fell of spectacularly after 18 miles and I admit I had to walk through water stations and take a few stretch breaks. Heart and lungs did great, legs not so much. Everything started to sieze up and I can honestly say, it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I shuffled/limped along until the appearance of the 4:45 pacer gave me a kick up the arse and I got going again for the last mile and a half. Finished in 4:44:37. Hardest thing I've ever done, honestly.
Loved the race but the finish was shambolic - bag queue was hours long (not exagerrating here) and I couldn't find a foil blanket so I only got one because a nice young man gave me his. People were very kind - someone in the bag queue loaned me their phone to call my friend who was waiting for me (my phone was in my bag, of course) and after some time they suggested I go to the front and tell them I had a train to catch. I did that and they allowed me to get my bag but, oh my god, they have to sort that out for next year. To compound matters, my train home broke down so I actually didn't get to bed until 1am. But ah well, I did my first marathon and I achieved the realistic target if not the dream one. I've got 4:30 in me - just need to strengthen those legs!
Well done everyone - big congratulations to you all from me!!! Even if you didn't get the times you wanted for whatever reason, you still did it and I always say every Marathon you run is a learning experience to take into the next one! Thanks for all the good wishes, even though I couldn't run I was following the action from Twitter and willing you all on from the couch!
AWC - sorry to hear about your race, hope you're not feeling too despondent and can pick yourself up and get going again soon.
Tom - congratulations and a brilliant run, wish I could have bought you a beer! You really helped with all these horrible early morning rises in the cold and rain - making them more bearable, knowing you were up earlier than me and running faster than me! I really hope you can go on to great things with your Marathon running!
Everyone else, I wish you all the best and thanks for the input making this such a fun forum! I'll see you around - I'm already contemplating doing Manchester again next year (if I don't get in to VLM
) - now back to Edinburgh and that sub 345!!!
Top effort from everyone yesterday!
Hope everyone is able to walk today. well done to those that got what they wanted to and there is always next time for those that didn't.
hope you all celebrated your achievements well.
seems like race has a few things to sort out for next year! Baggage, mile markers, sports drinks, car parking seemed to have been a bit of a major let down for many.
i went with how I was feeling and let if fly, seemed easier than holding back early on, great to run with Jack for a few early miles! Was on pace and on time for a time never thought I could run until 22 then started to cramp a bit and found the wind pretty tough (I always do). A few run walks to manage the cramp and not ruin the first 22 miles of running saw me home in 2:49:31. More to come but very pleased to get under 2:50.
really enjoyed the race forum, hope to catch you again soon both virtually and on the start line soon. Valencia in November is next marathon for me, but think I need to work on my slightly shorter stuff a bit more so that might be a sub 3 effort run rather than PB attempt.
Dismal fail for me. Ran into a traffic cone at 7.5 miles and landed face first, no more running for me. Medical care was excellent and field hospital at event village was spot on. Been checked out at local A & E, no serious damage. Obviously disappointed after all the build up but could have been worse. No ones fault but my own. Well done rest of you
I went out with the 4:30 pacer and was staying with him until 34km. I was feeling a little sick at 30km.
I had to take a breather otherwise I think I would have been sick and of course my legs tightened and it was always going to be tough. The last 8km I lost 18 minutes time and cane in at 4:48 but that is a PB by some 9 minutes.
Body today is saw.
The weather was too hot for me, I have burnt up and my face is like a tomato today, nearly 5 hours in the sun hurt me. The last run to the finish was only achieved by the crowd cheering me on and shouting my name.
My last marathon, time to focus on 10km and half marathons.
Thanks everyone for this thread, it has been enjoyable,
Just realised I hurdled a traffic cone at one point. Was quite funny. It could so easily have ended up the same way. Poor you. Feel for you, Hellas. Well done for being so chipper. Next time!
Just a heads up for next year I found parking near the cricket ground on Lime Grove an absolute doddle. Just off Chester Road and straight in and out. The whole area is permit only on match days - not days like yeaterday. Saves messing around with official car parks, queues and over priced prices.
Morning everyone. Not been on here at all in the build up to this one but do like to pop up with a review after a race and see how everyone else got on. Some amazing times here and very well done to all finishers, and non finishers too for putting the work in to get there in the first place. Sorry it didn't work out for you but come back stronger.
I took five minutes off my PB and hit my target of a GFA for London so chuffed with that (so long as they don't reduce the time again). Was actually on for a sub three until around 20 miles but after the three hour bus overtook me I found it a bit stressy running in a big group (agree about comments re: congestion at certain points) and dropped back a bit, then couldn't hold on as the pain kicked in over 20 miles. Watched the time go over three hours with the finish line in sight. How long did it seem to finally get over the line!!! 3:02:41 in the end.
Shame about the bags, that's really not on and it's a shame as it's been so well organised the past couple of years after the farce of 2012. I was lucky I had someone holding mine, had no idea it had gone tits up until saw the statement last night then read all these comments.
I clocked the distance slightly over as well and everyone around me's Garmins were going off the same time as mine, about 0.1 of a mile before every marker for most of it so it wasn't just me. Shame it's scuppered targets, GFAs etc. I'd have been annoyed if I'd missed a target by a few seconds. I'm guessing some joker had moved a couple of the mile markers as well as there was a 19 at 19.6 and I think either 20 or 22 was in totally the wrong place as well.
Otherwise cracking race. Great weather, great atmosphere at certain points, loved that the gels they were giving out were the brand I've used for years! Nice to get a pint at the end too even if it was alcohol free. My second time round there and loved it every bit as much as the first, the crowd and the volunteers on the route were all absolutely top notch.
Oh Hellas, I'm sorry to hear that. Those cones were a bloody nuisance. I'm not sure what else they could have done though.
Can't comment on the Garmin thing as mine ran out of battery just before the finish, but honestly, most races are going to show as slightly over due to weaving and whatnot.
Yeah the signs were a joke. The 1 mile marker was back to front and I noticed the 19 was in the wrong place.
Some fun stuff though - I was behing one man who looked naked but was actually in a very convincing nude morph suit, and then I ran behind a girl with plaits down to her calves. I asked her if it was her real hair and she said yes. It must have been ankle length when unplaited. Also ran with Ben of the 401 challenge for a bit. Very nice guy. That and the crowd support was fantastic. I'll have to hold on to those memories and not the pain, the baggage queue and the broken down train on the way home.
First post on here.Yesterday was very hit and miss,spectators and marshalls were fantastic.The baggage thing was a disgrace.Overall I feel disappointed after an excellent experience at last year's event.
Mike markers were not an issue really, surely people go off their watches, but if not then I appreciate it would be confusing. The same mile markers were out last year as well if I recall.
Volunteers and crowds were excellent. The event is definitely getting more popular and I am sure the organisers will have learnt some lessons this year with moving the finish line.
Was definitely a day of the good (crowd, course, volunteers, weather, performances from runners) the bad (organisation: the dodgy mile markers, the baggage drop-shambolic at best/dangerous at worst) and the ugly (toilet situation in race village!!).
Damn John, I was sat a little behind the pacer up until about 17 miles, when he started to get away from me. So I guess I was just behind you.
sorry to hear about the poor baggage organisation. Well done to all you guys who finished the marathon, hope you enjoyed your visit.
John Jenkins, I saw JENGA signs along the course and wondered what they meant!
I enjoyed yesterday's marathon, came in in 4:26 which was a fair bit slower than planned (4:15) but I'm pleased to have come in under 4:30 for my first marathon. I did follow a 4:30 plan, so not sure what made me think I could get 4:15! Wheels came off at 19 miles and whilst I didn't take any walk breaks or stop, I really plodded the last seven!
I've got the bug now, trying to decide which one to do next!
Well done everyone