From Sally Armitage…

Yesterday I took a deep breath and drove back over for my second attempt at the Blackpool Marathon. This was a free entry as it was my prize for third place last year, in reality I don’t think I would’ve entered it again otherwise. I find this distance quite challenging, and not much fun! Does anyone? I’d ummed and ahhed about doing it up until probably a few days before, though I’d trained and tapered so put on my big girl pants and my vaporflys and lined up on the start line. 

It was no more fun that it was last year, this year there was the additional challenge of a headwind in one direction, last year there was miraculously zero wind, almost unheard of for Blackpool! The race begins on the promenade, bang in the middle of the two laps up and down. There’s not much to say about the route, it’s dull and once the half marathon runners finish it becomes a bit of a solo effort as by then the marathon runners are so spread apart you are pretty much running alone. 

I set off aiming for the same time as last year, 3hrs 7, which I think I may have managed had the headwind not given me a beasting. I actually felt better in the final 6 miles than I’d felt all race, or maybe that was because I knew I was nearly finished! The fast females didn’t come which was great as it meant my finish time of 3hr 13 was good enough for first place, although sadly this gives me free entry to next year’s event again, hoping I’ll have a good excuse not to run next year!

Results:

1st male Martin Brown (Kilmarnock Harriers & AC) 2:29:14 

1st female Sally Armitage (Ilkley Harriers) 3:13:25