This was billed as an undulating course which it certainly was, I can only recall two or three flat stretches. A lovely sunny day with lots of shade on the route and a slight breeze which helped us stay cool. There was also lots of supporters out on the route giving encouragement, which helped.
My plan for this my first marathon was to do 10 minute miles and then see how I felt towards the end. The first mile went according to plan, but from then on I found myself going faster than that. I was going great until 21m when the second big hill appeared (the first one was at 7m). I started to get cramps in both calves so thought I should slow down, not a hard decision as I was running out of energy in spite of regular gels and isotonic drinks. The last five miles were very slow, but overall I was over the moon with my time of 4h 13min 59sec. A well organised race in beautiful surroundings.
All runners received history of Brathay and coaster.
I found the stairs very challenging when I got home !
