Valencia Marathon

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Comments

  • Good to read that your last session came out well OO. Always good to get confidence boosters close to the race. Sounds like you like to go out quite hard in races. I guess a positive split at less than two minutes is neither here nor there, though and many things can affect that, not just pace.

    A family tear up in the half marathon then!

    Madrid is generally a good city to live in. Can take or leave the football though, especially those arrogant gits in the Bernabéu who think they have a divine right to win everything.

    I can, however, strongly recommend the Madrid marathon. It’s not the flattest, in fact the last 6k or so is pretty much uphill all the way from the river but it’s well run and well supported. There’s also a half and 10k on the same day. I’ve done the marathon three times as well as the shorter races. I may do it again in April but am also thinking of Zaragoza the week before. Not that I’d have any chance of winning but the race will incorporate the Spanish Marathon Masters Championship and I quite fancy it. Plus it’s only an hour and a quarter on the AVE from Madrid.

    I guess it’ll be race post mortem time this time next week.
  • Hi LT,
    Getting close now and looking forward to the sunshine and warmth of Malaga. Hope your feeling in good nick?
    Madrid looks tempting for 2021, as looking for a reason to visit the city.
    Just the final touches now and think I am going to stick my head-out and aim for c2.52/2.53 though a sub 3 time is the strong aim.  
    I will be running in a black Newquay Road Runner vest so if you see me at the start come across and say hi.  
  • Hi OO,

    Not too bad thanks, always a few phantom issues during taper but think I’m ok. Hope you are too?

    I’ll definitely keep an eye out for you. I’ll be wearing a dark blue Ron Hill vest and SOAR half tights, it’s the first time I’ve worn them in a race but they’ve been really comfortable in practice. I may well have a cap on too.

    I see they’ve got around 4100 signed up for the marathon and another 3000 for the half. There seems to be a M55 category this year as well, so based on your hoped for time and last year’s results, you may have a chance of making the podium. 

    Also, don’t know if you’ve seen it but there’s an app for tracking now. Think it came out yesterday.

    Have a safe and stress free journey over.
  • Hi OO,

    Sorry to read (on the sub 3 thread) that things didn’t play out as you’d hoped and that your son had a tough time of it in the Half. How do you feel about things today?

    2:58:12 for me yesterday with a 38 second positive split. I really enjoyed the first half of the course visually, less so the second. I found the stretch from where you turn right, away from the sea up to and just beyond the athletics stadium hard going, especially with the headwind. It was the most soulless part of the course too. However, I’m pretty happy with the way it went. It’s a good race but maybe there are a few improvements they could make but nothing that wouldn’t stop me going back.

    I had a good look for you in the starting pen yesterday but to no avail and assumed during the race that you were a kilometre or so down the road from me.

    Enjoy the rest of your stay.
  • OuchOuchOuchOuch ✭✭✭
    edited December 2019
    Chapeau LT, that's absolutely fantastic from you congratulations on your time for what sounds a very well paced run - is that a new PB?.  Yes, your right on the course and having more time to look around the section to 28k is more attractive, and the last 14k apart from the last 2k through the city centre a bit meh.

    On reflection, it was a positive and unique experience. My son finished the race with a big smile on his face, enjoyed his post-race beers and celebrations, hit his fund-raising target and wants to do another.  He thinks he felt a bit odd due to lack of sleep and not training enough, and probably we set too ambitious a pace given this.  I won't run another marathon like that again (until my other son or daughter wishes to run one) and really enjoyed the experience running with him and then overtaking the other runners. 

    I've posted a more detailed report on the sub 3 thread. But well done to you, that's a great time to run and celebrate.  
  • Thanks OO. Yes, a new pb by 1min 13 secs. 

    I’m glad you see it as a positive experience. It’s great that your son was happy at the end despite the way the race went.

    Saw report on the sub 3 thread and also OO54’s on the sub 3:15 one. He finished just seconds in front of me and one place ahead on age group and two places above me overall, uncanny.

    I thought there was a great buzz all weekend and I really enjoyed the beers on Sunday afternoon. Hope the rest of your stay is good.
  • OuchOuchOuchOuch ✭✭✭
    edited December 2019
    Wow, that is uncanny. That's a good chunk off your PB on not exactly a PB course on a slightly blustery  day, so that was a great run.  My son is showing signs of catching the bug, we are doing a local 7m trail race on New Years Day and he is looking for another half-marathon for Jan/ Feb, so that's all good.  We had a great time in Malaga, so much so I've already booked for the marathon again next year and this time its my wife who wants to run her debut half marathon (she will be running it on her own though, no "help" from me this this time  ;) )  Look forward to catching up again and meeting you one day at a Spanish marathon, maybe Madrid.  All the best. 
  • Thanks OO. Good to read your son and wife are beginning to ‘see the light’, so to speak, and that you enjoyed the rest of your time there. I may well be back next year although it’s a little early to say. 

    Got a 10k race in a place called Aranjuez not far from Madrid this Sunday. It’s an excellent race and Sunday will be my eighth consecutive participation. Will see how the legs feel but will just trot round to keep the run going if not feeling recovered. Hope your NYD trail race goes well.

    Good luck with your running, especially Geneva. Definitely get in touch if you do Madrid. May see you in Malaga next December!
  • GipfelGipfel ✭✭✭
    Well done to you both in Malaga, and congratulations on another PB, LT - that is great news and an excellent time! You must be feeling pretty good afterwards too, given that you're doing a 10k this weekend. Hope that goes well for you, even if it is more of a trot round than really going for it. I watched a little bit of the Malaga livestream (with a fair amount of jealousy, given the nice-looking blue skies - it was hammering it down here at the time) - it looked really nice. I then saw that places had opened for next year and are only 25 euros, which seems excellent value - I have already come very close to signing up. I have no unused holiday left for next year so am restricted in when I can travel (luckily I have the option of working remotely on the Friday and/or Monday, but I can't actually be travelling/offline during the main working day), and there aren't many flights showing at the moment, so it is a risk, but I'm sure it'll look more possible closer to the time! 

    OO, that's great that your family have either caught or are in the process of catching the running bug - there should be some good trips for you all ahead. I caught the bug from my partner originally, but the marathon addiction is all my own! He did enjoy the Valencia 10k last year, though - and thinking very far ahead now(!), I'm going to look at the Barcelona half for us both in 2021. 

    Talking of Valencia, there have been >20,000 entries already (probably quite a few over by now, as I saw that announcement at least a week back) - crazy!

    LT, in answer to an earlier question of yours, yes, Tokyo will be my second Major. I have a vague lifetime aim to run all of them, but that might be a bit tricky, so we'll see! I've not currently got any races planned before it - there's a half-marathon in Wales that I usually enjoy (I was unexpectedly only a few seconds off my HM PB last year, so I'd have liked to try it again), but sadly it is on the same day as Tokyo! I'm well and truly stuck into Hansons now and am still finding it really good - I'm actually amazed at how strong I feel. I can definitely see why it is so highly rated by you and other people who have used it.
  • Hi Gipfel,

    Thanks for your congratulations and kind words in general. We’ll just have to see how the 10k goes Saturday. In some ways it’s a shame Malaga wasn’t a week or two earlier as Sunday’s race is on a fast course with pb potential. Will just have to see how I feel on the day. Not planning on doing any running this week except for a gentle 5k or 6k shakeout on Saturday morning. As usual post marathon, I’ve been eating loads this week. I keep thinking I’ve eaten plenty and then feel hungry again a few hours later.

    Anyway, glad Hansons seems to be working out for you. Completely agree with you about how strong it can make you feel and that’s the thing. I wouldn’t really say I’ve become a faster runner but definitely a stronger one and I particularly notice this at the end of races and hard workouts. 

    Valencia sounds crazy. I wonder if they’ll introduce qualifying standards at some point? I also wonder how long it’ll take to sell out and whether races like Malaga will see an increase in numbers?

    Despite a few reservations, on balance I’d definitely recommend Malaga. It’s a great city too with arguably more buzz than Valencia. The current price is very good and I’m tempted but want to let the dust settle first.

    Tokyo sounds massively exciting in so many ways. A good friend of mine has done four majors now, whether he does Chicago & Tokyo to complete the list remains to be seen. Another pal of mine has done all six. I’ll keep an eye for your progress on the Tokyo thread. Hope the training continues to go well.


  • Interesting table showing the number of finishers in Spanish marathons since 2016. Highlights how popular Valencia has become and how the other big marathons in Spain appear to be declining in numbers, all late winter / spring races too whereas Valencia is late autumn, of course.


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