Blog posts tagged 'half-marathon'

My top 5 races - based entirely on the food!

The longer you race, the more important food becomes and there are some events out there that put on a spectacular feed! I've known runners, mid-race, kept alive only by a trance-like state induced by thoughts of the free cake lying in wait for them at the finish.So I thought I'd present my top 5 and if you're one of these odd people that thinks the food is some kind of a sideshow, an afterthought…

The 2016 Northumberland Coastal

There are a couple of races that are permanent fixtures on my calendar each year.  Assuming, that is, I don't oversleep and miss them - they both go like hot cakes among people who have only just discovered cake, and could do with a bit of warming up. One's the Auld Lang Syne fell race in Haworth and the other is this gem - the Northumberland Coastal from Beadnell to Almnouth on the beautiful Nor…

Leicester Half Marathon

My 3rd and I think last road half marathon of 2014, this.  My home city (centre of the sporting world!) running from Vicky Park (Victoria Park, but you don't call it that here) out to roughly Syston and back on a different track.  It's broadly, and sometimes alongside, the River Soar.There's a marathon race too, bolting another half marathon loop from the 6 mile point of the half and a relay hal…

Maidenhead Half Marathon

There are a handful of races for which my attendance copybook is blotted and for the Maidenhead Half it's just all blots.  This is the 4th time the race has been.  I've entered all 4 but have yet to show up.Reasons have ranged from the acceptable 'injured' to the unacceptable 'couldn't be bothered'.  I can't remember exactly why I missed the 3rd event, so let's say 'injured' and prevent further…

Loughborough Half Marathon 23rd March

Second race in consecutive days, another 9am kick off and another drive to Loughborough.  I've entered this race 3 times now and never turned up so it was a minor victory even to make it to Market Square.  One of the previous occasions was lost to a night on the lash round Loughborough town centre followed by a massive curry and all the trimmings.  If you're going to miss a race make sure its f…

2014 is shaping up to be a year of challenges

There's still plenty of 2013 to go and a target marathon to attack in 10 days but I've started filling out 2014's diary.  Looking at the races already booked in I can't help but think these are distances and challenges I couldn't and wouldn't have even considered a couple of years ago and yet here they are back to back!Something seems to have switched in my head and the more outlandish runs are n…

Ealing Half Marathon

I'd planned to race the Maidenhead Half on the 8th September to see how the training for Frankfurt was going.  It's about as close to my house as a race gets - all of 5 miles away and this was the 3rd year the race has been held.  Unfortunately I managed to continue my shameful record of entering this every year and subsequently failing to turn up.  I can't remember what happened the previous t…

Woodhouse Challenge 13.5M May Bank Holiday Monday

Despite taking this one easy as I'd run 38 miles 2 days before and that the scenery was at least as good as the Oxon 40, I failed to bring my phone so all photos herein are stolen.  I've pinched a couple from the race web site and I hope to blag one or two more from @mikew30 who was far better organised than me. This race rounded off a fabulous bank holiday weekend of running.  Not one I'd heard…

No-Show at the Brighton Half Marathon

As you can tell by the title of this piece, there's not going to be a breathless, exciting account of how the promenade was conquered, the wind subdued and the kiss-me-quick hat and candy floss donned and scoffed respectively.While I had every intention of running this and had even booked a non-refundable hotel room to prove it, the race feel foul of a schoolboy error.  The week before I'd decide…