Charnwood marathon 2019

We do enjoy the Charnwood marathon, it is a scenic route, lots of food at the checkpoints and at the end. The cost of £14 is a bargain.

The start was as usual at Rawlins Academy in Quorn, south of Loughborough. The walkers had started at 8.00 and the runners were starting at 9.00.

One of the nice things about travelling south at this time of year is that many of the trees are blossoming which hasn't happened at home yet.

The usual laid back start.

We ran through the pretty streets of Quorn, out into the country, through a couple of pretty villages and up Broombriggs Hill

then a plunge downhill and up Beacon Hill

and we arrived at the first checkpoint (not counting a self clip point) where the 15mile and the 27 mile routes parted.

Into woods

At the checkpoint the marshall had said it was a bit boggy down the bottom...

Up the other side

Down to go under the M1 and then up yet another hill. There didn't seem to be many flat sections...

A road section and then into woods again, past Blackbrook reservoir

and the next checkpoint at Mount St. Bernard Abbey  (great selection of food here)

On to some heathland

Copt Oak checkpoint was busy (and had fruit salad as well as cakes, sandwiches, cheese rolls etc) as there were many walkers by this time

More woods and a long flat quiet road section

 and into Bradgate Park which has a collection of fairly tame deer

Another climb, the last significant one

and on to the self clip at Old John

There is another well stoked checkpoint at the end of the Park which beside the usual food was serving hot drinks. A number of walkers and runners seemed to be spending quit a while there. We moved on across fields and into woods again

before completing the last 3 miles. We finished 45 minutes faster than last year. The route was certainly less muddy this year and I felt much less tired at 20 miles than I have done at all the other marathons this year. It does seem strange that I wasn't tired considering our last marathon was only six days previously, but running performance is very hard to predict.

A choice of three different soups at the end and lots and lots of tea and cake. A lovely event !

NEMC Winter Wonder Ashington Woods marathon 2019

This is probably a very good thing to do after a marathon - a bit of mindfulness  colouring in McDonalds with a coffee. Not sure that the young boy who came along for some crayons and saw some of them were being used by adult was too impressed...

This was a free event for me because I had marshalled at the Winter Wonder Leazes Park event (marshalling also entitles you to free NEMC membership as well 😀). Ten laps of a route round Ashington Woods. It was very well marked and the marshalls were very encouraging. Drinks station and toilets at the end of each lap (2.6 miles). Pretty flat just a few gentle inclines. It was a sunny day, but windy and as the event was in woods this didn't affect us at all.

Just over 100 were registered for the event and as usual at these events some were doing 5 miles, 10miles, 20miles,  a marathon or just running as far as they could in 6 hours which was the time limit.

We adopted our usual plan for these events. Run everything in the first half and walk the inclines in the second half. Here is the first incline after the start (taken on lap 8 if you were wondering where everybody is)

Then a nice gentle downhill

Thanks to John Brennand for this photo on the approach to the lake

More woods

and then after a very short sharp climb running next to an old railway line

and then onwards to a more open section

followed by a slightly muddy section (which wasn't that muddy) I had trail shoes with minimal grip on and Melanie has road shoes and neither of us had any issues.

 Next the bridge which you get very familiar with

and then just before the final straight (thanks to Clare Stanton for this photo)

The long straight back to the finish which has two slight inclines.

These two photos were taken at the end of lap 8 by Paul Evans (who had already finished by then !). You might well conclude that one of us was feeling fresher than the other one...

 Back to the mindfulness colouring afterwards

Finishers collected a medal, a chocolate bar and a bag of crisps at the finish.

Golden Fleece Circuit 27.5m 2019

Last year this event was postponed from early March to May because of snow and we ran it in lovely sunny conditions in May. This year we ran it again in mainly sunny conditions in early March after a very warm end to February.

The route and the atmosphere were the same as they always are at this event, this is the fifth time for me at this one and the fourth time for Melanie. It is low key, two routes 16 miles and 27.5 miles, amazing checkpoints and food at the end all for £14. About half the field were runners the rest walkers and we all start together. We all have a check point card which is stamped at the checkpoints.

Apart from one tricky section  through Walkington the route is not marked. The ground was very firm and we could have run it in road shoes this year. Early on there was a slight delay at a narrow bridge and a gate. Our wait at the bridge was made more entertaining by someone attempting to cross via rope swing. He didn't make it and ended up in the stream, uninjured, but with wet feet.

On to North Cave

and Hotham Hall park

and Hotham church which looks a bit like they ran out of money during construction

Through the first checkpoint and off into the fields and woods before arriving at the wonderful North Newbald checkpoint. This is just a selection of what was on offer. The two routes separate after this and the longer route is much quieter.

The climbing starts here, nothing too strenuous, but they are noticeable.

The next checkpoint arrives quickly at Newbald Lodge (again lots of food to chose from). On towards the outskirts of Bishop Burton and Walkington (another checkpoint here) before heading south to Skidby and the last but one checkpoint. We were now into the slight breeze and tiring a bit, so more walking was done. Under the old railway bridge where the water level was much lower than in previous years

On to the final checkpoint and on to the Wolds Way

Down to Brantingham and its lovely church

Before the final steep climb well above South Cave with a view of the Humber estuary.

Down into South Cave, through the village and the Cave Castle Hotel

to the finish in the Village Hall. Here we had some lovely thick soup, cups of tea and too many cakes. A lovely day and much to our surprise, our second fastest time at this event.