¶ Last Sunday I completed the inaugural Brighton marathon. It was also my first. It was a glorious day – the warmest of the year so far – but still a very comfortable running temperature, without a breath of wind. It belied the 4 months of training through the coldest, snowiest winter in a generation. Regularly running 8 miles in the dark, wind and sleet was not a pleasant experience. But it was all worth it.
The day as whole was hugely enjoyable. There were crowds throughout the course, 8 people deep in some places, so I’m told. Even from a runner’s perspective there seemed to be a celebratory, carnival atmosphere. It was great, too, having my name on my running vest, as I was personally cheered on throughout the distance.
Credit: Dave Rutter
This was particularly welcome when I hit the wall at about 21 miles. It wasn’t what I was expecting. It was far worse. When I’ve been mountain biking I’ve blown up or bonked, when you suddenly run out of energy and it becomes hard to even turn the pedals. That’s what I thought hitting the wall would be like, but it’s turns out to be much more painful. I didn’t so much feel that I’d exhausted my reserves, instead every foot fall suddenly started sending shooting pains through all my leg muscles. It was like being kicked hard with every step. The urge to walk was almost overwhelming, but I knew if that happened I wouldn’t be able to start running again, and I really, really wanted to get in under 4 hours.
So as I passed the 25 mile point, with the end in sight, it was great to receive a massive cheer from friends and family who’d come out to support – thanks everyone! That spurred me on for the final push, and I was mightily relieved to the huge FINISH banner, with its clock beginning with a 3. (And thanks to Jeremy Keith for the photo.)
The official timing showed that I ran the second half of the marathon quicker than the first, which was a surprise. That said I’d tried very hard to pace myself at the beginning (in fact my Nike+ recording even shows a comfort break at about 6 miles). In the end my registered time was 3 hours 51 minutes. Well chuffed.
I ran the marathon partly as a personal challenge, but also to raise money for Have a Heart which funds local charities supporting disadvantaged and disabled children. If you’d like to make a small donation, I’m sure they would be most grateful, and Clearleft will gladly match all gifts made.
Comments
1
Yay, congratulations! It’s a tremendous achievement, and we were really happy to be able to cheer you on at the 25(!) mile point. I’ll bet you enjoyed that well-deserved lunch at the Yeoman after… :-)
2
excellent work mr rutter. the pain and discomfort will fade away, but the pride and happy memories are yours to keep. (just don’t do anything stupid like signing up for next year ;)
3
Don’t think I’ll be doing the Brighton marathon again, however my friend Bownie is tempting me into doing the Amsterdam marathon with him in October. Maybe once I’ve forgotten those last 5 miles…
4
Awesome, sincere congratulations.
Comfortably running a half marathon is my goal for next few years, not sure I would push for the full thing.
5
Congrats! Training in the winter is tough but your finish time reflects your hard work :)
6
Awesome achievement Rich! You’ve set the level now, so if you do anything apart from a marathon it won’t be the same! :) Proper well done.
7
It is quite an achievement to complete your first marathon under 4 hours, let alone 3:51. Well done.
I live in nyc and have run 16 marathons, all of them in the US. But what I really want to do is run one in Europe. I had been eyeing Zurich, Budapest, Dublin, & London for some time. But when then I heard about the Brighton marathon…perfect
! I cannot think of a better location, city vibe, flat course, etc. Unfortunately, it was 100% booked by the time I’d caught wind of it. In retrospect, the volcano would have prevented me from flying over, anyway.
I hope you decide to run more marathons. I think it will also help you appreciate what you’ve got in your own backyard. You MUST run Brighton every year.
Good luck, I hope you eventually collect lots and lots of medals from around the world. I would not bother with the nyc marathon, in case you’d ever consider it. Do something fun like Grandma’s or Flying Pig instead :-)
8
Well done, on your marathon a good cause and a personal achievement you should be proud of yourself. What’s next?
9
Rich – well done! Only just saw this now, so I’m a bit late to the party, but that’s a great time.
I’ve never run a marathon on its own before, but I doubt I could run it in the time you put together. The fact that you ran a faster second half is even better. Congratulations!
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