Sunday April 28th
Newport Marathon
| Will Downey | 3.21.26 |
Thursday April 25th
Charlton-On-Ottmoor Mota-vation
| Dan Blake | 27.21 | |
| Matt Lock | 27.45 | |
| Jack Gavin | 28.47 | |
| Cormac Malone | 29.03 | |
| Tegs Jones | 29.12 | |
| Paul Taylor | 29.37 | |
| Jamie Horne | 30.33 | |
| Luke Edwards | 31.10 | |
| Andy Green | 32.15 | |
| Mark McLeod | 32.24 | |
| Steve Young | 32.37 | |
| Will Downey | 33.22 | |
| Isabel Stubbs | 33.43 | |
| Martha Sherwood | 33.50 | |
| Graham Ferris | 33.55 | |
| Murray Lawrence | 34.09 | |
| Fraser Howard | 34.11 | |
| Chris Mulcahy | 34.20 | |
| Theo Shayler | 34.43 | |
| Tony Lock | 35.51 | |
| David Morley | 35.40 | |
| Neil Morrisey | 36.14 | |
| Nick Dalton | 36.20 | |
| Simon Welch | 35.57 | |
| James Hackney | 36.50 | |
| Lauren Beedie | 36.49 | |
| Mark Crosby | 37.23 | |
| Andy Richards | 37.37 | |
| Paul Ainslie | 37.47 | |
| Sarah Fry | 38.37 | |
| Rachel Stanley-Evans | 38.27 | |
| Martin Bate | 38.44 | |
| Will Spracklen | 38.12 | |
| Alan Jones | 38.12 | |
| Dan Wymer | 39.17 | |
| Nathan Shayler | 38.50 | |
| Ian Charnock | 39.12 | |
| John Gardener | 39.26 | |
| Louise Taylor | 38.57 | |
| Scott Ward | 39.28 | |
| Holly Palmer-Reade | 39.19 | |
| Bethany Jones | 39.42 | |
| Craig Perks | 40.16 | |
| Jason Shailer | 39.30 | |
| Sarah Whatman | 39.45 | |
| James Field | 39.13 | |
| David Cadywould | 40.50 | |
| Toby Clarke | 39.46 | |
| Nick Morley | 40.00 | |
| Hamish Law | 40.50 | |
| Brian Moore | 40.42 | |
| Michele Hustler | 40.53 | |
| Phil Raven | 40.36 | |
| Kim Parry | 41.22 | |
| Harriett Bowyer | 41.28 | |
| Martha Holland | 41.29 | |
| Clare Archer | 41.14 | |
| Jessica Wright | 41.52 | |
| Leanne Smith | 42.09 | |
| Graham Le Good | 42.02 | |
| David Clatworthy | 41.54 | |
| Peter Rendell | 42.40 | |
| Kate Henderson | 43.02 | |
| Ita Moore | 43.25 | |
| Paul Molyneaux | 44.16 | |
| Colin Tidy | 44.13 | |
| Emma Shayler | 44.28 | |
| Wendy Perks | 44.48 | |
| Tracey Andrews | 44.43 | |
| Emma Wilder | 45.39 | |
| Bradley Millar | 45.30 | |
| Kate Hudson | 46.15 | |
| Sharon Christie | 46.22 | |
| Tabitha Durkin | 46.27 | |
| Keeley Davis | 48.06 | |
| Linda Field | 49.24 | |
| Karen Bisp | 49.44 | |
| Lee Vanstone | 50.05 | |
| Megan Hill | 50.54 | |
| Anna Flory | 52.49 | |
| David Johnys | 53.30 | |
| Rebecca Floyd | 54.05 | |
| Rebecca Edwards | 54.29 | |
| Regina Johnys | 57.29 | |
| Kris Sylvester | 58.20 | |
| Frida Ford | 1.01.16 |
Sunday April 21st
London Marathon
| Matt Lock | 2.29.24 | PB |
| Morgan Thompson | 2.37.15 | PB |
| Nigel Cotton | 3.23.44 | |
| Lisa Kay | 3.36.06 | PB |
| Andy Church | 3.47.28 | |
| Sally Howard | 3.49.06 | |
| Jon Mills | 4.19.31 | |
| Chris Gardener | 4.28.43 | |
| Colin Tidy | 5.18.28 | |
| Claire Brennan | 5.23.37 | PB |
The alarm went off at 4.30 – I’ve slept! Woohoo. Well that’s a good start. Quick shower, porridge, electrolyte drink, check my bag and race belt for the gazillionth time, Colin arrives and then we’re off to the car park to meet the WRR coach. How lovely to see all the friendly faces, even at 5.45am – the excitement, and nerves, were palpable.
We drop the marshals at Tower Bridge, next stop: the start! This is all getting very real. Off the coach, quick group photo and then we’re off to our separate colours – Sally, Colin and I are blue – good luck everyone!
Blue area found we join the queue for the loo. I must say it’s impressively efficient – I think every portable toilet in the South East must be here. Then the hanging around begins, luckily I’d brought a bin bag to sit on (top tip for us not so quick runners). In no time, Sally’s wave is open and she’s off. Eeek – us soon! Bag drop next, another toilet queue and then it’s on to our starting pen. But flipping heck, it’s freezing up on this hill. Luckily, I’d brought a hoodie to chuck / donate at the start line, unlike some (poor Colin!).
Then it’s our turn to start the shuffle to the start line, it’s getting closer and closer….. and then we’re off – yeeehah, I’m running the London Marathon!
The crowds are there from the very start, and it never lets up. Jelly babies are offered within 100 meters – no thanks, I think I’ll pass for now. We pass the marshals manning the road humps: “mind the humps”, “best hump you’ll have all day”. In what felt like no time 5k is done and we’re merging with the other coloured waves. I spot the first person I know and hi-five my first adult (any kids holding out their hands have been well and truly hi-fived along the way).
Then we can see the river – to be honest I got a bit overexcited thinking we were nearly at the Cutty Sark but I’m an idiot as we’re nowhere near. But I’m buzzing, our names are being called constantly and the atmosphere is just incredible. Then we really are at the Cutty Sark – my God, the noise! My cheeks hurt from smiling. And there’s a TV camera – tummy in, smile, wave like a loon!
On to Bermondsey and I spot my first group of friends. A couple of k’s more and there’s another group, then just before the turn right to get to Tower Bridge, my family. A quick hug with mum (who’s bawling into my ear) and off over Tower Bridge. Oh my lord – soak this up! And then there’s the WRR marshalls – heelllooooooo.
We turn right after Tower Bridge and disaster. A hip niggle I’d picked up two weeks before flared up big time. Step, ouch, step, ouch. Oh crap, I need to walk. Look at all those runners going the other way – we’ve got another 9 miles until we’re at that point – sob! Frankly I’m surprised more runners don’t hit some sort of psychological wall here – maybe they do….. The next few miles pass in a bit of a blur, but I’m still moving forward, and Colin is keeping me going. We see all 3 groups of supporters again around Canary Wharf, and we’re actually running each time we see them – result! We devise a plan – run to the next km marker, walk for 150 meters, then run to the next km marker. Excellent, we have a strategy. And it works – though I swear someone kept moving the darn markers!
Suddenly we’re back at Tower Bridge with all the WRR guys cheering / yelling us on – I will never forget that – what a boost! And now it’s less than 2 Parkruns to go – which feels like a bloody long way – but the strategy is still working, the crowds are now at least 4 deep and still yelling our names. And, yes please, I’ll have some jelly babies now.
Then we’re nearing Embankment tube so I’m searching for my family again – there they are! And they’ve met up with my friends so there are 9 people jumping up and down, waving and yelling our names. Loonies! I mouth an expletive to my dad who just laughs – how supportive!
Wow – there’s Big Ben! Try to take it all in Claire. I really need to walk for a bit so unleash Colin who has been by my side the entire way but who’s also reliving his own marathon memories from back in the day (somehow he pulls out a 5:30 km – how the hell?) and it’s a hobble up Birdcage Walk. Then there’s Buckingham Palace, the gantry saying 385 yards to go and the right hand turn in the Mall. Oh My God – there’s the finish! Come on girl, you have to run this last bit…. And I do! Over the finish line and my legs do a Johnny Brownlee. A lovely St John’s Ambulance guy catches me on the right and Colin’s back by my side on the left. We’ve done it!! Yes please, I will definitely have that beautiful medal.
Find the family – tears all round. Stagger to the pub. Hugs with other WRR runners and the fabulous supporters. Well earned beers and back to Witney. Cheers and claps for the runners as we stagger off the coach.
It wasn’t pretty but I’m a marathon runner! That’s been one of the best days of my life!
Claire Brennan
Stratford-Upon-Avon Half Marathon
| James Hackney | 1.49.15 | 1.50.00 pacer |
Sunday April 14th
Manchester Marathon
| Jack Gavin | 2.54.05 | |
| Steve Young | 3.12.51 | |
| Glen Jones | 3.24.54 | |
| Paul Ainslie | 3.38.57 | |
| Will Spracklen | 3.44.56 | PB |
| Holly Palmer-Reade | 3.53.43 | PB |
| Fraser Howard | 2.59.57 | |
| Alice Abbott | 4.18.56 | PB |
| Alan Jones | 4.19.51 | PB |
| Robert Green | 4.24.05 | |
| Sharon Christie | 4.31.56 |
No ‘good for age’ times achieved, no ballot place, no club place…so we needed an alternative to London if we were going to do a spring marathon in 2024. Paul had run Manchester in 2016 and, despite some exceptionally poor organisational issues (some runners waiting over 2 hours to retrieve their baggage!), enjoyed the route and was happy to do it again.
Our hotel was centrally located, ideally placed to get the tram out to the start (actually, maybe not ideal as from our room we could both see and hear the trams – they finish at 1am!). As our start times were an hour apart we decided to make our separate ways to the start. Paul had a fairly smooth journey but by the time I headed out there was a long queue for the tram, from where I watched one tram pull away. Once on the platform I couldn’t get on the first tram, already packed with runners, and so I braced myself for the arrival of the next one determined nothing was going to stop me getting on it. I forced my way on like a woman possessed and spent the next 10 minutes up close and personal with my fellow runners. It did stop us getting cold though!
Arriving at Old Trafford cricket stadium, baggage drop off was easy but as you would expect toilet queues were crazy. We had been advised to use the toilet before heading to the start area, even though our time to access the start was 45 minutes ahead of our actual start time. I decided to risk using the toilets near the start area and what a decision… hardly any queues at all!
My training had gone reasonably well (after a slow start) and aside from the usual ‘maranoia’ in the week leading up to race day I was feeling ready…but at the start line I just wasn’t ‘feeling it’ and couldn’t get excited about running 26.2 miles!
I don’t want to diss (not sure that’s the most current slang!) Manchester marathon but I didn’t enjoy it – I think this says more about me and my run, than the event. The route is fairly flat and fast with closed roads and plenty of support. We saw the Old Trafford football stadium, which was exciting! went into the city centre, went out to Sale and Altrincham and there was plenty of music and amusing banners…but I felt bored quite early on and just wanted the finish line to appear!
Having crossed the finish line with much relief, it seemed to take an age getting back to the race village but eventually we were rewarded with our T-shirt, medal and a cold can of Erdinger alcohol-free beer. Paul (along with Will, Holly and Alan) was getting rather cold waiting for me. I retrieved my rucksack which seemed to weigh a ton (the baggage guys did comment on how heavy it was!) and proceeded to produce layer after layer of clothes to put on, plus an endless supply of food and recovery drinks. I’m not sure how much post-race food and drink Will had consumed before I got back but he seemed very impressed and a bit jealous of my Tesco meal deal purchased that morning.
Later that evening we met up with Fraser, Alan and Will for celebratory food and drinks. Despite the strong desire to toast our achievements I couldn’t face alcohol and everyone was on shandies, except Paul, of course.
So, during the run I had decided I was never running another marathon again. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t achieved my long-standing goal to run 4.22 (10 minute/mile) or get a good for age time. But, of course, by Wednesday I was already considering it, thinking of what was good and bad about my run, how could I improve and convincing myself I know there’s a quicker marathon in me…somewhere. And then watching London Marathon, so inspiring and exciting, I was in that ballot without hesitation.
I don’t want to put anyone off doing Manchester (it is a good event) and this was my personal experience, but I confess quite soon after I finished I said
‘Well, it’s not London is it?’
PS Just realised the magic ingredient missing from Manchester – the incredible support and huge boost you get at Tower Bridge from the WRR massive!
Sharon Christie