I had originally planned to spend this weekend over in Ulster running the Newry Marathon for the third year in a row. But a combination of mounting total costs and my
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| Post-race, with medal. |
friend who lives out there being Über-busy meant I ditched the idea and went for
something on the mainland instead. A quick scan of the 100 Marathon Club's race list highlighted the inaugural Kent Roadrunner Marathon scheduled, rather untypically for an English race, to be on the Bank Holiday Monday. It was also going to be the very first running event at the recently opened Cyclopark venue just off the A2 a few miles outside of Dartford in Kent.
Being on the Bank Holiday Monday meant it was a good opportunity to arrange a weekend away and whilst Dartford might not be the most salubrious of tourist destinations, it's only a few miles from some very nice places like Rochester, Canterbury and Whitsable. I'm a big fan of Kent and have been down there many times over the past few years. There's a lot of things to see, some fantastic sights, great fresh food if you hit it at the right time and I've always found Kent folk to be very friendly. Dartford for all it's limitations did, however, have the advantage of having a selection of very reasonably priced hotels.
I'd booked a Premier Inn just a few miles up the A2 from the Cyclopark so getting there on race morning was a piece of cake. When I arrived at the venue I was greeted by a team of fundraisers for Kent Air Ambulance who were collecting at the car park gates. As it happened the usual £2 car park fee had been waived by Cyclopark and so the fundraisers were hoping people would donate their fee to them instead. Having grown up on the Lancashire / Cumbria border where the Air ambulance plays a vital life-saving role and being one who participates regularly in remote distance running events I was more than happy to chuck a few quid in their bucket. All air ambulances like lifeboats are funded entirely by charitable donations. Routinely the chaps (and chapesses) behind the Air ambulance give up their time and energy and risk their lives to save others, to my mind these are proper heroes.
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| A view of the Cyclopark from the air as it neared completion. |
Registration and number/chip collection was straight forward, and there was plenty of indoor space to hang about before the race started. The nature of the venue also meant that there were adequate clean indoor changing and toilet facilities too, which made a nice change from most races. There was a short pre-race briefing by race director Ian Berry just before 9am, which included a heads-up about a runner who was stopping after each of the 17 laps of the course to decorate cupcakes to be sold in aid of her charity. There was also a mention for Roger Biggs, 100 marathon club chairman, who was there running his 750something marathon. As 9am approached we were directed outside to the starting position on the track.
When I'd heard that the race was to take place on a Cyclopark, I'd envisaged it to be on a velodrome type course with steep banked corners and flat straights. The course was actually much different. The side tarmac track undulated quite dramatically as it twisted and turned its way around each 1.6 mile lap. Alhough each runner was chip timed, we were given 16 coloured wrist bands to help us keep track of which lap we were on, At the end of each lap we were instructed to chuck one of the bands in a box, leaving the last lap to run once all bands were gone.
The one good thing about a 17 lap race like this is that you are never far from a water stop. Useful at any time, more so when the weather is warm and you're still shaking off a big curry and red wine session from the night before last. I'm not sure what more I can add for the next 3 and a bit hours. They were repetitive as you would expect. Which is kind of the challenge in a race like this. I chatted to a few people along the way. I rued the fact I'd left my headphones at home so was left without any music to jolly me along. Everything was going ok 'til about mile 18 when the inclines really started to bite. I started to get a real feeling of stiffness in my calf muscles and a sense of nausea as soon as the gradient started to climb. The last few laps gradually went by in a blur of run/walking and eventually I approached the climb to the finish line for the very last time.
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| How the Kent medal (right) compares to this years London medal (left). |
Once I handed in my timing chip I was presented with a fantastic medal. It's a huge beast of a thing and is primed to take pride of place in my collection. A small goody bag was also presented containing banana, Hula Hoops, sweets and much to my delight a 9bar. I grabbed a Diet Coke from the on-site cafe and headed off back to car. Marathon #49 done and dusted. A tough one and no mistake, although I've subsequently heard that quite a few runners achieved a pb. I have two weeks to decide whether I want to enter next years race at a 33% discount. Hmmm... maybe...
For more information visit the Kent Roadrunner Marathon website.
Michael
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