Race Rundown: Town Moor Marathon, 17th November 2019

Not sure where to start really as the Town Moor marathon was on my mind for most of the year. I love NEMC races and the Town Moor is no different. I know some don’t fancy the prospect of a 7-lap marathon, but I don’t mind. It never feels too lonely when you are out running for hours and you get to see the same lovely marshals loads of times! Also, it’s a lot easier to organise.

Why Town Moor and why try and run 100 marathons? Well, the Town Moor was the first marathon I ever enjoyed. Removing all the pressure of a big event proved brilliant for me. I knew I had to run a certain pace to hit my time goal, but my previous marathons saw me shoot off way too fast then suffer badly for the last 10K. It was a light bulb moment in pacing, which has served me well over the years. Also, I found my bunch of people. All walks of life from all over the world, but we share a love of running marathons. My 100th marathon had to be on the Town Moor.

I did not plan on going for my 100th marathon in 2019, but I wanted to try and raise some money for Get Kids Going. I thought I might struggle to raise donations for charity, so I needed a bigger challenge. I did the maths and if all went well then completing my 100th looked possible.

I know the drill during the build up to a marathon, so a lot of things just took care of themselves, but I did find myself getting nervous. It’s all I was thinking about and pretty much all I was talking about too. I had some fantastic messages of support. I even had a shout out from my favourite podcast courtesy of David Bentley! That really did take me by surprise. Thanks for doing that David. I was blown away with all the support.

I did my usual check of the weather and got my kit sorted for the next day. Forecast was canny. A windy day on the Moor would have been miserable and no fun for anyone. It rained a bit, but for November I think we got lucky.

I never get used to waking in the Dark. I had a rubbish sleep and could have snoozed for ages. No time for hanging around though. I stopped dragging the kids to marathons a long time ago. It’s not much fun for them. Hanging around for ages while I run, the early starts are miserable too. Lisa was coming up to cheer me on and marshal, so the kids had to come. They seemed fine and in good spirits when I saw them every lap. I think the steady supply of hot chocolate from the café helped distract them…

We parked up in Jesmond and walked through the tunnel to registration. I was supposed to be helping with registration, so I grabbed a high viz vest and took my position. I didn’t stay on registration long as they had lots of help. However, I was on it long enough to notice lots of familiar Harrier names! At first, I didn’t think much of it apart from it would be great to catch up with people, but there was a lot more than I was used too for a NEMC race. Then I started to see everyone arrive. I have to say it was such a lovely surprise. I don’t get over to Sedgefield much these days and I really miss the community and the sessions. I noticed a pic of me attached Melanie’s back which made me laugh. Well, until I saw loads of them and kept seeing them all morning… It was weird! I managed to come home with a large stash of the picture too!

I have shared quite a few miles with Ray over the years and I really wanted to run with him today too. We even have Razza and Gazza marathon club vests 😊 I represented all my clubs that day. First few laps in my NEMC vest then finish off in my Sedgefield vest and I wore my run Peterlee buff. Three great local clubs. Justin said he would stay with us once he lapped us, so he shot off and myself, Ray, Paula and Rosie set off together. The run itself went well. We chatted all the way, I kept stopping for toilets breaks and jelly babies. Ray had made me a Gazza drinks cup 😊 and the steady stream of Harriers who kept appearing and running with us was a real treat. It was nice to see a few PBs for the half marathon. Great running everyone!

Who would you choose to be with in a zombie apocalypse?

Good to his word once Justin caught us, he stayed with us. Like Ray, Justin and I have become good friends over the years and travelled to quite a few races together. We’ve run together over longer distances, but I can’t usually keep up with him over the marathon distance. It was great to finish the marathon with these two. The race was great. We chatted all the way and finished comfortably under 4 hours. Constantly bumping into Harriers really helped. The miles and miles always feel better when you can have a chat.

George wanted to run to the finish with me. He was waiting for me at the pond and we ran to the finish together. We both loved it. I don’t normally go for stuff like that, but it was such a special moment to share with George. The finish was the best finish to any race ever! To see everyone making a tunnel for us to run through was amazing and a lovely thing to do.

After the race we all gathered for some photos. Ray produced some marathon chocolate bars, which went down lovely with a brew once I got home. We then went to the café for a coffee and cake. Unfortunately, the cafe wouldn’t let us eat the cake, but we managed to make our way through it all the following week at cross country.

Ray presented me with a lovely card with loads of lovely messages from Harriers. It was great to read them all and something I’ll cherish forever. I love my 100-marathon t-shirt and bracelet too. Also, a load of money for the Get Kids Going Charity! Thank you all so much.

I have to say I was taken back with all the generosity and kindness that day. I have seen the group chat, so I know all the effort that has gone on behind the scenes to make the day so special. A big thank you to everyone! I won’t try and list everyone because I would hate to miss anyone out, but an extra special shout out to Ray. I’m sure most of you remember him and his tractor helping at XC a few years ago. He achieved legend status that day. Well, Ray is truly the best of us. I often have a chat with my son about what and who would I like with me if there ever was a zombie apocalypse. Well, Razza would be first on the list. Nailed on he’ll have coffee and chocolate.

Thanks to all the marshals who gave up a massive chunk of their Sunday, thanks for NEMC for another great event and big shout out to my long-suffering wife Lisa who marshaled too. I even bagged a kiss every lap. She made cake too, so we have eaten a lot of cake lately.

by Gary Thwaites.

Results – http://www.racetecresults.com/results.aspx?CId=16685&RId=16

Race Rundown: Kielder Dark Skies Marathon, 23rd March 2019

2019 Trail Outlaws Dark Skies Marathon is one big loop around the stunning Kielder reservoir. The course is mainly on gravel paths with plenty of ups and downs that last the whole loop. The only flat bit I can remember is the dam. The forecast was promising, and we had our fingers crossed for the Aurora Borealis making an appearance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be so no light show on the night, but the conditions were perfect for running so I won’t grumble.

Ray was kind enough to drive again and we had some company this time from fellow Harrier Lisa Darby and Catriona Miller Frampton. The journey went well apart form no coffee stop and Ray getting the start time muddled up with Sunday’s race, so we arrived 1 hour late! I was very stressed… Luckily though we allowed enough time and made it to registration in time. To be fair to Ray I should have paid attention to the start time myself instead of letting him sort it all out… I had my usual several trips to the loo, sorted my bag out and headed to the start. I chatted with a few friends and Garry Scott did the race brief. There was a bit of controversy the day before with some runners ditching kit. I know it’s a safe, well marked trail and it’s not the longest of events and the weather was okay, but why go against the rules? They got disqualified so hopefully it won’t happen again.

I was treating this run as a long hard training run. My training plan said to do some miles at my goal marathon pace, but the bulk of it easy. Kielder is lumpy, so I don’t think I did anything at goal marathon pace, but plenty of the miles were run at marathon effort. Also, the easy never felt that easy… Saying that, I ran the following week as normal so overall, I gauged the effort right.

The race started at a quick pace and the runner who eventually won the race was out of sight very early on. I could see 2nd, 3rd and 4th for about 5 miles, but 2nd and 3rd vanished after that too. I did manage to catch 4th up, but he caught me back when I stopped for the loo. I was really surprised to be so near the front with this being a training run and it was hard not getting wrapped up in the event. I just kept telling myself I’m training for London, I’m training for London!

Even though it was quite lonely running I found the miles passed easy. It’s a lovely trail with lots to see and some great sculptures on route so my mind was constantly occupied. Also, when the sun went down you could see the headtorches from the other runners. I never get bored of sights like this and I never get bored with being outside too.

I opted for the high-tech nutrition approach of 12 month out of date mountain fuel and half a bag of jelly babies. I’m still sticking to the mindset of we don’t need all the expensive nutrition that we consume before, during and after a run. I’ll run important races with gels, but everything else comes from whatever is kicking around in the cupboards. Luckily for me, out of date mountain fuel goes down and more importantly stays down.

I found it easier running in the dark. I couldn’t see the hills and I had no concept of how long was left to go before we reached the top of a climb. This just allowed you to run completely in the moment. I always kept a check on my heart rate. This kept me from slacking off and pushing too hard.

Getting to the dam was brilliant and it felt like I was on the home straight after that. It was great to see this checkpoint as I approached in the dark. I didn’t stop at any checkpoint, but it’s always a welcome sight and a boost so I’m really grateful for these people giving up their evening. I imagine quite a few of them gave up Friday, Saturday and Sunday!! Big shout out to Graham Darby for giving up most of his Saturday so we could run around the reservoir.

I did slow down quite a bit after the dam, but my heart rate was consistent, so I was happy to just go with the flow. On reflection it was a lonely run for me, but I never felt bored or the need to reduce my effort. I wished for a headlight to appear in the distance to give me something to aim for, I wished for the finish to come sooner too, but these are all natural when the race is in its final stages. I can’t get enough of running around our capital, but as soon as I see Big Ben, I’m begging for the finish line. Well, eventually the finish line did appear, and it was like running into a Christmas grotto. Loads of lights lighting up the route made for a lovely finish. More smiling and helpful marshals and a great medal.

I spent the last 2 hours thinking about the food I’d ordered so I quickly thanked everyone, found my bag and tucked into a big plate of chilli! It was canny, but the Victoria sponge cake was amazing. Perfect with a cuppa!

The room soon filled up with runners and before I knew it, Lisa Darby, Catriona and Ray finished. It looked like pretty much everyone had an enjoyable evening. Ray loved it so much he went back the next day for more hills. Would I go back again? Yes, 100%. I loved the route, atmosphere and I had a great run so why not. I came 4th in the end and 1st V40 male. I was over the moon with my award and it sits pride of place on my fire place at home.

Trail Outlaws put on slick events and everything seemed to run like clockwork. I have marshalled for them before, so I have seen it from the other side of the fence too and they really know what they are doing.

I’d do this race again without hesitation. I could even have my arm twisted to do all three of them!

Thanks again to Ray for driving. It’s my turn to drive this weekend as we head to Manchester for what will be hopefully marathon number 91.

I’m trying to reach my 100th marathon this year and hopefully I’ll raise a few quid along the way. I have been blown away with people’s generosity. If you would like to support me then pop over to Virgin Money Giving and give what you can.

 

By Gary Thwaites.

 

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/GaryThwaites1

 

Results: https://darkskiesrun.com/dark-skies-kielder-results-2019.php

 

 

Race Rundown: Leas Marathon, 24th February 2019

2019 Leas Marathon, around South Shields and Souter lighthouse. The course is mainly on gravel coastal paths with some gentle inclines. It can be tough if it’s windy, but we had perfect running conditions today. I travelled and ran with Ray and we saw Ben Swales on the course too. I haven’t seen any results yet so I’m not sure how Sedgefield Harriers faired on the day.

I really enjoy North East Marathon club events. No massive nightmare getting to the start line and the relaxed atmosphere is always welcome. Ray picked me up and we headed up the coast. As usual the conversation turned to food. It was the AGM that day too so there would be a buffet! Back-up would be a Big Mac Grande and a Twix McFlurry. The buffet was great so no trip to the golden arches was needed.

The weather was fine in Wingate, but the fog was so thick in South Shields you couldn’t see more than 50 meters in front of you! We found the tent, picked up our numbers and got ourselves ready to run. It was a staggered start, so Ray and I started on our own. No race briefing or anything like that, just turn up and run. Ray and I decided to run together. It’s great to have company and miles seem to pass much quicker when chatting. Basically, I talk about food for a few hours with a bit of cross county, football and other running chat too, but it’s mainly food.

The thick fog made it hard to stay on track during the first lap and we took a few wrong turns. Maybe I shouldn’t blame the fog… I have run this marathon a few times and always get the route wrong. Nothing major and the distance still adds up to marathon distance. We even followed fellow marathon clubber Paul Blakey thinking he knew the course, but he went wrong too. No harm done and we quickly got back on track. The fog made everything wet too! You could see dew on runners’ hats, my feet got wet and I could even feel water on my eye lashes. The route was basically two out and backs with a little loop at each end. You did these 4 times, so you kept bumping into other runners throughout the whole event. I love this type of event when it’s a small field of runners.

I wasn’t sure if I drank too much water or my compression gear was too tight, but I kept needing the toilet. Luckily you ran past public toilets so I didn’t have to wait too long before I could go again.

The run was going well, we ran well together and pretty much chatted for the whole run. The sun made an appearance too and we were treated to a beautiful sunny afternoon in South Shields. We could see a warship just out to sea which was pretty cool. I started looking at my watch and could see a sub 4 marathon was achievable if we kept moving at a reasonable pace, but I kept needing to pee and Ray needed to stretch to keep cramp at bay so it would be close. We did manage to just sneak under 4 hours so that was great.

After the run we made our way to the AGM. This is a great time to chat and catch up with everyone plus take care of club business. Peter King came to the AGM so four Harriers in total at the event. The food was great! A simple but lovely fish and chip buffet with pasta for vegetarians and vegans. I love fish and chips, but never eat it so this was a proper treat for me.

Everyone received a Marathon Club travel mug as a surprise gift! This was a really nice touch, and everyone seemed pretty chuffed with it. After that we said our goodbyes and headed home. It was a long, but very enjoyable day out at the seaside.

All in all, a great day out catching up with running friends and another step closer to completing my 100th marathon. Thanks to Razza for the lift and the company and everyone at NEMC who helped put on another great event.

By Gary Thwaites

Results: http://www.northeastmarathonclub.co.uk/the-leas.php