Valleys and Views 2019

There were lots of marathon events on today - Boston (two of them), Paris, Peterborough and Durham. But we chose to do the Valleys and Views which we did five years ago (it is near Corby, Northamptonshire). We didn't remember much about it apart from it being good countryside, cheap and very laid back.

Well it has doubled in price since we last did it, it has now risen to £8 each ! That included food on the way round, but not at then end - that could be bought for £1.

One thing that hadn't changed was that you only know where you are going when you get to the start in Wilbarston Village Hall. Although we had done it before, we knew that it was a completely new route from last time. There was a map on the wall in the hall and we were all given a route description. The route description had been good last time we did it, so we were hopeful that it would be this time. And it was apart from a couple of places where it could be polished up a bit.

It was good to drive for 3 hours to an event and still meet friends from the marathon circuit - three sets who we had not expected to bump into 😀

Walkers and runners were going off at different times and we set off shortly after four runners who we soon overtook. The first mile or so was on quiet roads and then it was off into fields, over stiles and gates and it was quite undulating.

It was sunny at this stage and the wind was behind us.

Melanie was reading out the instructions and I was trying to spot which way to go and that worked well.

We always have to have a pond or a lake on our events and here was today's

After a while we came to an old railway line which we followed for about 4k into Market Harborough and the first checkpoint at 8m. They had run out of food and one of the marshalls had bought some which was nice !

We ran through Market Harborough making one minor mistake, but that was soon corrected. After a while we came to the Grand Union Canal and followed that for about 4m

to Foxton locks. Sadly we didn't get to see the lock closely and we left the canal soon after and started to head back into the wind. It got a bit cold here so we donned our waterproofs to keep a bit warmer.

Shortly after the church above, the route description was confusing. It said something like at the signpost with Welland on it turn right. However, the direction for Welland was straight on. Luckily we had an OS maps on my phone and we were able to look ahead on the route description and the OS map and go right. We heard later that several people went straight on though and added a few miles.

The last checkpoint was about 3m from the end (the checkpoint food was adequate without being plentiful) and shortly after this we came across this six way sign in the middle of nowhere.

Finally we came across this lovely sign. One quarter of a mile to go (shame it included a hill...)

and our Certificates at the end.

2014 blog

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 !

2018 blog

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.