Rotary Shakespeare Marathon

There has been some crecit card abuse today, and now I find myself with a Travelodge and a place.

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Better pull my finger out over the winter.

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Comments

  • BookyBooky ✭✭✭

    Ooh, I'd be tempted by that one, Stratford-upon-Avon is beautiful. For alternative accommodation I can recommend the youth hostel image

    Good luck!

  • I did it this year. Nice course, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
  • Does anyone know when this race is likely to fill up? I want to see if I've got in to London via the ballot first, and won't find out for a couple of weeks yet...
  • Ulen - you'll be fine waiting a couple of weeks I'd have thought. I entered this last year and don't think I entered until the new year. It's a nice race out in the countryside with excellent organisation.

  • I entered this years at the end of January and it was only just over half full so you should be OK waiting for a few weeks.
  • Thanks both. I may decide to do it anyway, and do both marathons in April. It certainly looks good, and I read a really good review of it somewhere...
  • It is on the same day as the first Milton Keynes Marathon.
  • I got the VLM fleece of rejection today. So I'm signed up for Shakespeare instead! image
  • Just started looking for alternatives after also recieving VLM rejection. My in-laws live near Stratford so ideal for me.

    2 laps is putting me off slightly as my only previous marathon was a 2 lap event and it's put me off a bit

  • GavoGavo ✭✭✭
    Think this will be my spring mara for next year. Ledgend777, the 2 lap thing is mostly mental IMHO - think of it as doing an out-and-back 13.1m training run so that you can count down the miles to go on the 2nd lap rather than worrying about counting up to 26.2
  • Hi Ledgend777

     Did Shakespeare this year and the two lap thing is well managed you don't really go near the finish line to get the euphoria of the Half Marathoners and the cheers from the crowd say come on only one mile to go... you sort of cut the last bit out and add it at the top of the course.

    I reccomend this Marathon it was great (saying that due to family I am having to go North and do the Greater Manchester Marathon for my Spring one)

    Good luck y'all

  • I'm in this next year. first marathon image
  • Gavo - Thanks for the advice - it was the mental aspect of the 2 lap marathon that got me last time and hopefully I'll be better prepared for that this time.

    Obi - sounds good - the marathon I did was the "Great Welsh Marathon" in Llanelli which took you right by the finish line at mile 8, 13 and 20!

    Will probably leave it a while before entering so hopefully it won't sell out to give me options.

  • This is my first Marathon I have already completed two half marathons and I think i will be doing this one next year too.

    looks like i can't hibernate away from the cold this winter  image............ I did put my name down to do the London Marathon in 2013, but by the sounds of it it's hard to get in.

    This is also close to home.

  • Says it's undulating - just how hilly does that mean please??

  • It,s not really hilly. the tough aspect of running stratford is the flat stretch of greenway and the usual hot weather. It is a superb marathon and I have already entered for next year.

  • What exactly is the "greenway" - I've heard both good and bad things about this section...
  • Ulen,

     The Greenway is a long path, I think it used to be a railway line:-

    http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/stratfordgreenway

    The second lap uses even more of the Greenway so you spend a large part of the marathon on it. It's quite pleasant just a bit monotonous.

  • Ah, then that would be a section of land under the eyes of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, whose long term plan is to restore a working line all the way from Cheltenham to Stratford...

    Thanks for the info!
  • hi their, ive ran this three times and i personally think its a flat course, you start with the half marafoners so dont get carried away, you run the same loop twice, i left a energy gel on the way round it was still their second time round so no problems, lots of people giving out sweets and jaffa cakes, the last three miles flat as my left foot, my fastest marathon time which was 3.42, hope you enjoy.
  • Did this as my first half marathon last year and thinking about doing it as my first and last Marathon next year ? Are there any other marathons I should consider or should i just go for this one as it is my local event.....
  • have done this one twice and it is a nice run, probably a bit more hilly than you think while running - if that makes sense but there is one large ish hill you go over a couple of times, but the drop on the other side is quite steep so you can rest/recover a bit on the way down.

    The Greenway is the main talking point as usual, on the first lap it will seem quite pleasant, nice straight and flat run taking you close to the half way mark, there are also a lot more runners at this point who break off to the half marathon finish. The second lap can be a different story though, the Greenway section is much longer (around 5 miles from memory) and by that time in the day it is usually much warmer, there are less people out there and of course you are in miles 20-25 of a marathon so the going is much tougher.

    Having said all that this is just my experience and some do like the fact that the Greenway is flat and straight and means you must be nearing the end! Just seemed a bit too long for me second time round. If I could choose I would reverse the course and get the Greenway sections out of the way earlier in each lap.

    The organisation was good and Stratford is great, stayed at the holiday inn both times which is right on the start line and has a jacuzzi for after the run.

    Seems to be two threads on this so will add this to both

  • I did this one in 2011 as my first marathon.

    The course is really very nice although indeed hilly.

    There is some support on the first Lap but this all falls away by the time you get down to the 2nd Lap. The good thing is that most people will want to chat to get up the last hill before the greenway, a huge help. a lot of people around me stopped running and started walking at mile 20 but you can mentally overcome that and just keep running (a marathon is all in the mind) .

    Be prepared to run in the heat imageas the greenway has NO shade and is indeed nearly 5 miles on the 2nd lap, if possible have water ready (or support with water) to cool down, and dont forget the sunscreen.

    Take it easy relax and enjoy. The finish is Bliss image!!

  • Well no going back now. I've registered and this will be my first full marathon! image Now cracking on with the training
  • I've entered image

    erm, training, yes

  • The shakespeare marathon website has a very good training plan and is easy to adapt to make your own to work for you.Good luck , but most of all enjoy because tahts what it is all about.

    Mery

  • I ran this as my first half marathon last year, came away around 15 minutes slower than what I wanted, so may run the half again in an attempt to heal old wounds.

    I remember it being more hilly than I was expecting, you can grab a google map file from the site, so you could check the elevation profile. I think I was just poorly prepared. And indeed, the greenway section isn't too long on the first lap, I'd imagine it'd be tough work on the second though.

    I'll decide in the next couple of days I think, but deep down I suspect I already know the answer

  • More credit card abuse here as well and seem to have a number of training runs in my diary as well.

    This will be my third marathon and wanting to crack the 5hr mark this time. Hopefully my experience of the past two will get me there.
  • I am hoping for sub 4 but not sure it is realistic.
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