Chester marathon 2013

Just wondering guys ive entered the chester marathon in october,the reveiws ive read have said its on course to be the best british marathon,after only a couple of years is it that good folks......hope so seeyou thereimage

Comments

  • Hi Col..

    I've been reading the same.. I was hoping to take part in the Liverpool Marathon this year, but as it's been cancelled, I was looking at Chester instead... It will be my first one..

    I'm actually contemplating running Chester on the 6th then the Wirral half the week later.. I did the Liverpool half earlier in the year and that was great..and I have run a number of 10k's so looking to up the challenge this year... Not sure if I might be biting off more than I can chew!

    It would be interesting to hear from people about Chester... Is it really as good as people are saying??

     

  • Hi Col and Mark,

    i did the Chester Marathon in 2011 and I'm doing it again this year. It is a very well organised marathon, spectacular scenery (if you are able to enjoy it during the run!) and a wonderful atmosphere. The finish in front of the racecourse grandstand is one of the best finishes I've ever experienced. It makes the last 0.2 miles a pleasure! There are a few hills, and a nasty one quite near the end which could be soul destroying except for the crowds cheering you on.

    water stations and energy stations are well placed and frequent enough.

    my advice? Do it! Its rating is well deserved. Get your accomodation sorted ASAP as rooms near the racecourse start are rare already.

  • i heard chester was boring running through country side majority of the distance, may do this myself, but i also heard it was flat, which isn't the case going by the comments on here, don't think i fancy a hill on mile 25 lol ?

  • i have booked in to do this, it will be my first marathon.

    from what i have heard its pretty flat and alot of it is through the countryside on lanes - so think a few miles of zero crowds. however you do get to run through the centre of town and the racecourse at the end.

    looking forward to it already - although its 4 days after i get back from Octoberfest image

  • VAVA ✭✭✭

    On my list as well. Getting quite curious now after hearing all the good comments people have been doing.

  • Chester really is deserving of all its plaudits.  Organisationally there is nothing that comes even close to it .. from the moment you sign up and the organised training runs through to your bag being sat ready on the baggage table as you stumble over to collect it at the end .. everything is thought of to make the day go smoothly.

    The course itself is great, start on the Racecourse itself, then out through the city centre with its associated crowds and support to get you going, then out in to the beautiful borders countryside with lovely views of the Welsh hills, crowds can be a bit sparse here (as to be expected) which is actually quite good for allowing you to get head down and get in to a rythym, this is interspersed with pockets of brilliant support as you go through the villages, and then the last couple of miles back through the city centre for the grandstand finish.

    Only 4 'hills' to speak of, all of which are general quite short ... one almost immediately at start out of racecourse in to town centre, then a short sharp one going through Eccleston at about mile 4ish, then next is mile 17 going up in to Holt, but the crowds there literally pull you up , and the same is true of the last one at mile 24 which is only about 200 yards long.

    All in all an excellent course, and (if you can't already tell) would thoroughly recommend that everyone do it at least once.

     

  •  bruce c good info mate cheers image

  • Have started my mara training program this week! Have never run Chester but being from that part of the world know it well and am looking forward to the race in Octoberimage

    And far from boring the cheshire/ welsh countryside is very pleasant image

  • 15West15West ✭✭✭

    col - the Chester narathon thread under events will be the place to be, will get more busier on there as closer to October.

  • 15west cheers mate i will start looking now.image

  • New entrant here.

    Booked after completing Cross Bay Challenge Half Marathon.

    I had only been running for three months yesterday so will need to start looking at what I need to do to complete a marathon. Sure all will be good with having more than three months to prepare for 'the next stage' but a little trepidation as I'm an old dog who needs to learn new tricks.....well tricks he hasn't done for well over 25 years.

  • ed68,just make sure you get plenty of  base miles under your belt,and then some more,train well and you will be fineimage

  • A good choice for a first marathon.  Less "undulating" than Shakespeare, less boring than Nottingham (running around a rowing lake!), less miles in the middle of nowhere than Leicester, less windy than Blackpool (one way or the other, it's bad news), better organised than Manchester (that's not saying much), no miles and miles of estates round Wolverhampton, more support than Anglesey and little chance of the locals throwing stones at you (Stoke... but it doesn't happen anymore). 

    Carl B77 wrote (see)

    i heard chester was boring running through country side majority of the distance, may do this myself, but i also heard it was flat, which isn't the case going by the comments on here, don't think i fancy a hill on mile 25 lol ?

    Chester is a small town surrounded by countryside, if you don't like countryside go with Manchester, or London or New York or you can run 100+ times around a track in Crewe.  

    Chester is definitely flat... there are the four "hills" mentioned, none is more than 200 yards or about 5%.  Great Langdale, Snowdonia, Cornwall, Much Wenloch, the Coastal Series are "hilly".

    It's small enough that you don't get held up by crowds (after the first 400 yards at the race course).  Everything is on hand... a great choice for a first marathon.

  • Griff - I'll try, just need to see how I can fit them in around work - maybe over three (poss 4) days a week.

    Canute - That's really cheered me up. I love running around the Cheshire countryside and sounds perfect for my first time.

    I just need to get a training plan together so time to choose one that suits me....that part alone will give me a chance to recover from Sundayimage

     

  • The new 2011 onwards course is great!  The 2010 route was based on keeping costs down and meant a mindnumbing run along dead straight sections of old railway lines - cycle tracks  (greenways I believe).

    Griffo, Ed, you guys sound like mature runners, like myself... you can have all your old man moments in the quiet lane between 20 and 23, before you get your head back together to charge into Chester from 23.  But don't worry you are never totally alone, there are plenty of ATC teenage volunteers looking out for you on this section.  

    Unfortunately I won't be there in 2013, work is taking me to Iceland that weekend, and my training has gone to pot in recent months anyway.  So good luck both, and more importantly good training.

  • Canute..

    Thanks for all the great info... Sounds like you've run just the odd one or two marathons!!..

    I'm looking forward to the challenge and based on what everyone is saying, it's a great event with excellent organisation.

    Thanks again.

    Mark 

  • alrite mark,how many have you done mateimage

  • Hi Griffo..

    Chester will be my first full Marathon... I only started running about a year ago..

    I was sat in Starbucks as all the runners from the 2012 Mersey Tunnel 10k were walking past after finishing. They were all wearing shiny new T shirts and every single one of them had an enormous smile on their faces, and I thought.."I'll have a bit of that"..

    Started running and really caught the bug, as we all do.. I've done the Liverpool half and a handful of 10k's (including the 2013 Tunnel 10k, which I walked away from with a shiny new T shirt and an enormous smile!!).

    My times are good and all the calculators tell me that (with the right training) I should be able to do a 3h25m. So I'm aiming for a sub 3.30.

    I'm working to the RW 5 day sub 3.30 schedule and started it this week (exactly 16weeks till race day)..

    My intention was to run the Liverpool Marathon as that's my nearest, but after that was unfortunately cancelled, Chester seems to be the one to go for. 

    I'll be running it on my 41st Birthday, so that coupled with the great reviews of Chester and the personal achievement, it should be a pretty amazing day (providing all goes to plan).

    I'm seriously contemplating running the Wirral half the following Sunday and treating that as a bit of a cool down run after all the training. I figure that providing I keep loose during the week, I should be able to run it, even if it is at a leisurely jog.

    How about yourself? I sense you've run quite a few. Any top tips?

    Mark

  • great story mark,ive done 1 Blackpool in april 4hrs21mins46sec,ive been running about 2years now,lost,4and half stone 17stone to 12and halfimage,chester in october sub 4,and ive signed up for my 1st ultra Born To Run in llanelli in march 40 miler,and im 48,anyway get plenty of base miles in and dont worry too much about times in your 1st big one,dont forget you will p/b thats for sure mate,keep on runningimage

  • I have an entry for the 2013 race but due to a current injury I won't be in any shape to run.

    Unfortunately the race organisers don't do refunds or deferral to following year, but I can transfer my entry to another runner at no extra cost.

    So, does anyone want my entry for the reduced price of £25 ( £42/£44 normal price ) ?

    Get in touch and I'll get the necessary details to the organisers

  • Entry for sale for this year's Chester Marathon. Message me if interestedimage!

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