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 !