Spires and Steeples 26m 2015

I had been looking for a marathon for October and this is an event I had not done before. It sounded very low key and a very much like a LDWA type of event. The event started at 9.30 in Lincoln and we followed the Spires and Steeples path most of the way down to Sleaford. It was an event for walkers and runners (the walkers on the 26m route started an hour before the runners and the runners and the walkers on the 13m route started together at 11.00)

Melanie had some academic work to do so she opted to stay at home whilst I travelled down to Sleaford the day before and stayed in the local Travelodge. I had a bit of time to find the car park where the coach would take us to Lincoln and where the finish would be. I also looked at the last half mile of the event and the signs were already out. It looked like it might be very well signed.

The coach to Lincoln left Sleaford at 8.00 and I met up with Gary and came across Adrian and we chatted away for a while. We arrived in Lincoln for the start near the Castle with plenty of time to spare. I had a chat with with Jim, another 100 marathon club runner I have met at various events.

We started soon after 9.30 and made our way down to the river through the quiet streets of Lincoln. This was definitely a net downhill event as we started off relatively high and after that there were no hills at all, just very gently rolling countryside and small villages.

The event was a little different in a few ways to most events of this type. Firstly we were given six wristbands, we left one at each of the five checkpoints and at the end.

There was also no results, though there was a certificate, medal and small goody bag. The organisers said there would be a clock at the end to record your time, I didn't notice it, but I am used to recording my own time anyway. The other unusual feature was that the checkpoints, with the exception of one which had cereal bars, had no food. There was also no food at the end, apart from the local Rotary serving soup for a donation. I didn't mind any of these, I was carrying my own food and there was plenty of shops open in the villages and in Sleaford if I had run short.

The route was superbly marked and also marshalled in many places. A few runners carried on along the road instead of turning off on a footpath in the first village, Washingborough, but luckily someone who had done the event before shouted most of them back. I made one mistake at about 20m, there were runners and walkers ahead of me and I just put my head down and followed them, but within 100m I realised that I hadn't expected to go this way. On with the glasses and I checked on my watch where I had downloaded the route, checked my OS map on my phone and both devices said I was definitely off route. I had expected to be going right at this point and there was a path in that direction, should I take that one ?? Or maybe the people ahead had followed the route description and I hadn't plotted it correctly ?? Uncertain about what to do, I glanced back and saw some other walkers and runners waving me back, so I went back there and realised I had completely missed a sign down another path. By the time I had done all this faffing, the people who had been in front of me were far away and there was no hope of shouting them back. I ran by those who had waved me back and thanked them and let the next two sets of marshalls know.

After leaving Lincoln we ran along an old railway line and then had a brief diversion on to slightly muddy track and into Washingborough. After that it was a succession of paths across or around fields, slippery footbridges, small villages, churches, canal towpaths and some sections of quiet roads.

Overall I was pleased to have chosen trail shoes for the event, but there was quite a bit of tarmac and pavement. The last 4m was on the towpath of an old, largely abandoned, canal which was a nice way to finish.

I was happy with my time of 4hr 47min, it was probably the flatest trail marathon I have ever done. I did miss the hills, which I would normally walk up. I am just not used to running continuously for 26m - I didn't, I took walking breaks up some very gentle inclines !