Strathearn Marathon 2014

On Sunday 8^th June in the glorious setting of the Perthshire countryside I took part in the 3^rd Strathearn Marathon in my 3^rd attempt at 26.2 miles.

Following on from a failed attempt last year at Edinburgh it is safe to say I was more nervous than normal when I set off from Cultybraggan Camp on the outskirts of Comrie.   The nerves did not last for long though, because as warned at the pre race briefing, the hilliest part of the course was the first 5 miles with a climb of over 500 ft.

With that out the way the course opened up onto 5 miles of flat and downhill which gave me a chance to make up some time lost on the first lot of hills. It also gave me the chance to appreciate the breath taking scenery all around me, as despite the forecast of rain it had in fact turned out to be sunny and dry with just a little breeze.

As the fastest section ended I braced myself for what I knew was coming just before 11 miles, a 250 ft climb over a mile on an old Roman road. Basically my least favourite form of climb i.e. straight up with the end always in sight.  I made it up in one piece and even managed a slightly demented smile for the sick photographer who had positioned himself 100 yards past the peak of the hill!

The next 4 – 5 miles were fairly undulating and I found myself moving well and I went through halfway in 1.35 . The only slight concern was coming off a climb onto a quick downhill just before 16 miles I felt a sharp pain in my right calf. Having only ever suffered from cramp once before, at Edinburgh in 2012, I was more worried that I had potentially strained the muscle but I kept on and it seemed to go away. Or so I thought…

Coming out of Crieff between miles 18 & 19 the pain in my calf returned and this time I knew it was cramp. I gritted my teeth and got on with it, but my pace was severely affected and I wasn’t helped with another 200 ft climb. I plodded on slowly but by the 22^nd mile the cramp had spread into both my calves and my left hamstring and at times I resembled a backing dancer from the Michael Jackson ‘Thriller’ video.

At mile 23 I spotted Team GB Ultra Runner Marco Consani in the distance who was out on course supporting his wife and fellow Team GB Ultra Runner Debbie. I yelled ahead to ask if he had any pain killers and as I approached he ordered me to the ground and handed me 2 Nurufen and some water and stretched out my legs for me. Getting back up and on with it, my pace was now akin to that of a fast walk but I was moving and after a little while the pain was manageable.

Coming into Comrie I got 2 boosts, one was the 25 mile marker and the other was the familiar sight of an Ayr Seaforth top in the distance. I knew it must be James Murray as I had seen him go off in front of me early on and I knew the other Ayr runner hadn’t passed me out on course. Through a combination of adrenaline and the pain killers I managed to churn out my fastest mile of the previous 7. By now the end was nigh and I could hear the sound of bagpipes and see the camp and knew the finish line along with my wife and daughter were waiting for me. I finished in 3.32:58, a PB of over 10 mins. I never did catch James however I did have a chuckle with him at the end and thanked him for giving me some added motivation at a crucial time!

If you are considering a marathon next year and are looking for something different to the big city runs, then I can highly recommend Strathearn. It is hilly, I clocked up 1475 ft of elevation gain but you do get it back although it doesn’t always feel like it. The organisation by the Strathearn Harriers from start to finish was superb and afterwards there was an excellent spread put on for runners and supporters. Much to my delight there were also physios available for a post-race massage which in my case was well needed.