Race Report: Rhyl Marathon 29/06/2014

Marathon de la Rhyl. Or the Rhyl Marathon?

 Ok, time for a race report. I have two waiting but thought I would get on with this one quickly whilst Nikki runs me a bath to relax. 

So, I decided to drive and the day got off to a disaster. Up bright and early to pick Mat up but unfortunately I realised I didn’t know where he lived. He had facebooked me his address but I had lost it in the phone change (s3-s5). I rang and no reply, but Mat soon rang me back and gave me the rendezvous point. With Mat on board we headed off for Rhyl and the prospect of running 2 laps of the spectacular scenic high end Welsh seaside town. As we approached Rhyl Mat placed the sat nav code in to the phone and we blindly followed it to arrive at some industrial estate with a few others. Immediately realising this was wrong we got the instructions back out and headed for the parking at some sort of leisure complex on the sea front. When there we were faced with shock number two, £4.50 to park the car for more than 4 hours (Mat tried to convince me we would be back before 4 hours). Now I don’t mind having to pay for parking, but why they didn’t let us know in the race info who knows. 

So with the car parked and vaselined up to the eyeballs and with the weather already really hot, we toddled off to the start area. No portaloos just about 2 loos for all 800+competetiors in the public domain and a local cafe which was the race start. With Mat collecting his race number and me managing to eventually get a seat in the toilets we took off to the start line to meet a few friends of ours. We met up with a wonderfully dressed Paul Barnett whom was sporting a lovely top from captain pugwash (just different colours). It was great to see Paul and as many striders know he no longer lives local but still joins us for a run most Wednesday but also now represents Liverpool running club. He introduced us to a couple of his new running friends and then before we knew it we were on the start line. The race was slightly delayed as things got sorted but not by much and we were soon being told to get on our way. 

Mat with the two Pauls

The first few miles went in a Westerly direction round a boat yard and over a suspension bridge. Now this bridge with a load of runners on it was so weird as it gave a very funny sensation when running on it. Soon we were turned around and running east along the long promenade. This was a promenade with no shops, made of concrete a little windy but it was what it was. I love to say the promenade was packed from side to side with spectators offering cheer but it wasn’t. Most of the people walking or cycling along the prom seemed more bemused as to why someone would want to come to such a hot spot destination like Rhyl and merely run around it without taking in some of its wonderful culture? 

At this point we were running with the half marathon runners and I spent that time making friends with a couple of ladies and chatting away as only I can. Soon we were confronted by the leaders coming in the opposite direction led by a man on a bike. Some familiar faces and we egged each other along as we were now up to about mile 7 in the Welsh seaside culture capital. We ran along this concrete promenade for about 8 miles before turning past some toilets which I could not miss. The graffiti in these toilets would not have looked out of place in a Banksy memorial garden and to be honest, if I ever wanted what was on offer in those cubicles I don’t think any of the advertised numbers would actually work. 

Having made a pit stop I headed back along the route which then took in a golf course. A short run around a path and we were being turned around at what would be mile 8 and mile 21. No chip mat there to give a split or any indication that a runner had simply not just turned around miles earlier and “cheated”. So back we went, back down the long drag of the promenade. It was getting busier now as the sun was making Rhyl look alot like Monte Carlo. Still the participants of the British holiday couldn’t see their way to clap or give a “well done” and still they looked bemused as to why we had even bothered to not only turn up in Rhyl but actually run. 

Down the long drag we continued looking and dreaming about being able to afford a holiday in this metropolis eating mile upon mile of glorious hard packed concrete with a slight slope on one side and too much sand on the other until we saw the end in sight. No not the end for us marathon junkies but the end for the half marathon runners whom simply just disappeared to the left as the marathon runners carried on to the right to start lap 2. I was pleased that we got to go around again as I had failed to count all the windmills on the sea wind farm the first time round. Over the shaky bridge and back along the promenade we ran. This time though very much alone Paul Barnett had said that he had heard there was only 80 marathon runners in the race so that meant a big gap would appear when the half marathon runners diverted off and we were not disappointed. 
On lap two the pain started to come and this was mainly due to the heat, it was now really hot and only mad dogs & English men go out in the mid day sun, oh and marathon runners that don’t run sub 3 hours too. We were kept amused as I spent much time wishing other runners coming towards me luck, be it those at the very front or the very back. It was about this time that I saw something strange. A man in full clothing (tracksuit bottoms, long shirt) and no number was running towards us. I thought nothing of this at the time but when turning back around at mile 21 the man was running towards us and had obviously thought he would try some running out and had even been given a water bottle and lucozade from one of the water stops, how bizarre. 

Mat and Paul in Rhyl

Anyhow I was now turning around at mile 21 and officially heading back along the gorgeous promenade one last time. This time though I was going to make the most of it by running as close to the sea as possible to cool down. As my running went from running pace to walking pace and back to running pace I started to take notice of my watch once again. I now had 5 miles to run in under an hour to go sub 4-30. However I was suffering from heat exhaustion, the ill effects of accepting isotonic and general fatigue so although that sounds easy, to those that have ran a marathon will know nothing is guaranteed in this crazy sport of ours. 

Like a finely tuned sports car I was now stuttering stalling and breaking down. My goal was disappearing in to the sunset and along with it my dream of getting this marathon runner a sub 4-30 for the first time in 27 difficult marathons.  But this is the new me, heavier built yes, but determined and with a body of steel I knew the only thing that would get an achievement would be to knuckle down shout out loud, pick my feet up and see it through. I had just gone through mile 25 in 4:20 meaning I now had to push past 1.2 miles in less than 10 minutes. I dug in and ran for it, I managed to shout my way over the line covering the last mile in just 8mins27 seconds, a time I would be happy with on the park run not after 25 miles. 

So it was over the line with my Garmin saying 4:29 and the clock saying 4:30:18 seconds... I then remembered I had started right at the back of this race so it was going to be a close run thing. Fortunately at this time I didn’t care, instead I decided to go in to the sea to cool down. Beautiful it was in there, cooling, therapeutic and generally chilling on the Costa del Wales. 

Paul Barnett came in at 3:31 and Mat at 3:58

Rhyl promenade yesterday

So was it any good? Well yes and no. Here’s a little list of what I liked and didn’t like but remember this was the first year it had been ran so I’m sure the organisers will get on the case. 

Liked

• The Medal- fantastic and shows that I done the marathon, not just a generic thing. 
• The atmosphere- great high fiving other runners as they come to wards you, I saw Mat and Paul at least 4 times. 
• The live band playing on the start/finish line. 
• The Price, thought it was very good value 

What I didn’t like and definitely needs improving. 

• The post code- it was wrong.
• The organisation, lacking, no spirit amongst the marshals other than the fantastic cadets at the water stops. 
• Lack of toilets at the start.
• Lack of water stops on a hot day....some of us don’t like isotonic when running. 
• Lack of runners, but I’m sure this will improve when others see this race report. 
• What definitely needs changing is a chip mat at the turn around, way too easy to cheat if you were that way inclined.

For more details visit the Rhyl Marathon website.

Paul N.