Isle of Wight Marathon

Listed by heres johnny
  • Rated 69%
  • 26.2mi
  • Road
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Entrants (6)
Club		 PB SB Pred Time WAVA
Windsurfin' Susie The weather was absolutely foul! Torrential rain at times, with only the occasional dry spell. Windy too for much of the middle section. I started out in the opening laps of the canoe lake as 3rd lady (finally I get to run a race where I know where I am in the field), but after half a mile got overtaken by runner after runner. This continued on the brute of a first hill in the 2nd mile - women charging up the hill. I knew my pacing was sound though so just had to wait to pick them off. At around 8 miles the marshals shouted that I was 9th lady. I could see Judy, MikeG's coachee, up ahead and caught her - 8th. I then had regular targets for much of the remainder of the race. 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th. I crossed the line in 3:36:25 - slower than I'd hoped but not too bad in the wind, with shoes full of water, on the country's hilliest course (I believe). I thought I was 4th, was quite flattered by the questions
Victory AC 		3:15:18 3:24:10 3:36:25 65.28
RacingSnake26
Sandhurst Joggers 		3:21:52 3:21:52 3:42:08 60.31
RM
Lordshill Road Runners 		3:37:39 3:46:24 4:02:12 60.47
Anna Finn
VEGAN RUNNERS UK 		3:40:54 3:55:11 4:21:26 51.24
heres johnny that was hard wet the hardest thing ive done in my life
Unaffiliated 		4:06:52 4:12:26 4:12:26 50.04
plodding hippo Isle of Wight Race Report—a soggy sorry tale of Hippo versus Car Oh , come on-when do I ever do a good marathon???????? Race prep consisted of 4 days of trots following a holiday in Marrakech, accompanied by viral aches and pains. Fortified with immodium, we headed to the IOW on Saturday, and spent a pleasant evening watching the eurovision Song contest on the tiny hotel TV. D Day dawned grey, rainy and windy.TOTM arrived Met up with Shades, Windsurfin’ Susie, Aussie,TS, Pam and Goat in the Rowing Club The gremlins in my head began their usual litany of “You shouldn’t be here.These are all proper runners.” The gremlins chuckled evilly in delight at being right when the race started-and everyone shot off at 8 minute miling I managed to stick to Shades and TS until the first big hill at 2 miles-and then decided to stick grimly to my race plan of 12 minute miles So, very early on, I was alone at the back It was by now pouring with rain I was demoralised by mile 4, and seriously contemplated pulling out-I didn’t feel great-and I certainly wasn’t enjoying it But I stuck to running up to each mile point, and taking walk breaks to slow me down to 12 minute miles.A great deal of the running was on main roads-and the traffic made no concession to runners, despite plentiful warning signs.I was glad I didn’t have a HRM on! The Marshals were ridiculously cheerful-as were the helpers at the manned sponge stations, with whom I exchanged wry smiles and comments. This worked up until 10 miles-despite having to walk up a few hills. And then I hit a bad patch-when my legs just wouldn’t go properly. The only thing to do when this happens is walk I wasn’t quite sure why-I didn’t feel breathless or tired It might have been the driving rain and wind It might have been a hill-I was no longer aware of them Running along the main roads was very distressing too-the cars drove dangerously close and fast-and there was no way to get out of the way-I was distinctly uncomfortable.It was safer to walk than run-at least I could cower on the grass verges when the buses came along. Although I was soaked to the skin-car splashing still took my breath away-just when you thought you couldn’t get anty wetter--------- A van passed and tooted loudly.I thought I could hear shoutiong, and I muttered a curse under my breath The van turned round, and came back towards me And suddenly I heard a broad South Walian voice calling my name------------- It’s a small world-but here was a nurse I had worked with in Cardiff over 5 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had a chat and hug-and then it was time to go on Well, I HAD to make a bit more effort now-and the resultant “spurt of speed” revealed a walker ahead of me I caught him-a 61 year old doing his last ever IOW, but with a damaged kneee.He was running in memory of his recently departed father. We walked together for half a mile He was full of dire warnings about the hills ahead-which delighted my gremlins-------- But the rain had stopped, and there was a downhill, so off I went again-plod walk I admonished the gremlins-hell, I can WALK well, cant I? And so it was a brisk 4mph up the hills, and a run down them My red Bull arrived at mile 16-marvellous I guess there must have been a few hills-I was averaging 14 min miling up until mile 17 And then the all too familiar stomach cramps started---- I was on open road, but there was nowhere to stop because of the maniac cars, and there were no bushes in sight As I came into Shanklin-I looked about desperately for a toilet------but no luck The only suitable Lay-by had marshals in it-arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh They did tell me that there were at least 7 people behind me-er-I had only overtaken one Ok, so I wasnt last But the belly needed relieving And there was no-where!!!!!!!!!!! (I apologise to the residents of Lake for what happened next) My slowest mile But then it was off again Mile 19-20 was confusing-it wasn’t obvious which way to go, and there didn’t seem to be a trail of runner debris to follow Fortunately-my slow pace meant that I could still read and follow road signs-although my map was too saturated to be of any use Luckily I didn’t go the wrong way---- And now I began to overtake people, even with my brisk walk(although out of courtesy, I overtook with a plod-shuffle-nothing more demoralising than being ovetaken by a walker) Met Julia(injured) at mile 21 And now it was just a case of finishing Having dried out-the rain started again, and I was once more running blind. The 70mph cars were really starting to get to me now, several times I gave up trying to run and teetered about on the grass verge to avoid them.No marathon time is worth your life. I wasn’t going to make 5.30-or even 5.45.Lets just go for sub 6 And then I saw Tesco Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Downhill all the way now-----------and pavement-AT LAST Ok-that means FLAT in IOW speak-not really downhill The sun came out weakly as I rounded the lake and staggered across the finish line I nearly fell over as the massive medal was hung around my neck! Wouldn’t do this again It was like Anglesey-but without the good bits The organisation was fine, apart from lack of directions after mile 19 The marshals/drinks station attendants/sponge station people were fantastic-and I thank them wholeheartedly But the dangerous traffic made this a very stressful race
100 Marathon Club 		4:16:46 5:09:22 5:51:08 39.33

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