Wendy Kennedy reports.
This race is held in
Sturminster Newton and travels through the northerly villages of the
area, such as Stalbridge, Marnhull and Child Okeford, in an undulating
loop.
My previous experience of
this event was last year, as a last minute replacement in one of the two
women’s relay teams. I ran the third leg (after a slightly frantic
changeover in Todber), and after a good effort from all the women
runners, both teams featured in the top three teams. I enjoyed running
in the relay and would have been keen to run do again but due to changes
to the DRRL fidelity requirements, the full marathon was to be my
challenge instead.
After a yet another
disappointing run in London last year, I commenced my marathon training
in mid-January with quite a bit of trepidation, did I really need to put
myself through this again? I had a training plan, obtained from an old
Flora London website many years earlier, which required 3 runs per week,
with some flexibility for rest days and cross training etc. and I stuck
to it doggedly. Most runs went smoothly and I managed to stay fairly
injury free. Throughout February and March I persisted with my regular
6-7m weekly walk and also weights and yoga sessions, but halted the
Zumba classes in April, as they seemed to upset my knees!
During the last few long
runs in April the weather was unseasonably warm, making them tougher and
more draining, as WAC London marathon runners will testify. So, as race
day came closer, it became a worry that 1st May would be the
same, thankfully this was not the case and conditions were perfect.
The marathon starts at
8.30am, which is great planning as it means a good portion is run before
the day gets too warm and the traffic is light. Ian and I travelled over
in good time, the only slight issue was that I drove; I just hoped I
would be in a fit state to drive home afterwards!
Red Wimborne vests were
plentiful, with two women relay teams running, along with 20 full
marathon runners for WAC. As with previous marathons, my race plan was
to stick to 10min miles, Ian intended to fall in to something similar,
as his training was not as complete as he had hoped, exacerbated with
back to back DJing for 2 nights previously and therefore his
expectations were low. A mile in and Ian had gone off (chasing Paul
Grist!) and I was 30 seconds too quick, so I cut my pace slightly. In
previous long races I had not been so controlled and have paid in the
later stages, however, a very disciplined 2010 March Hare (mainly run in
a group of WACers) and the resulting 20m PB, taught me the benefits of
sticking to a set race plan. Within a short time I had been joined by
Georgina and Annemarie, who were also adopting a 10min/mile pace, they
had successfully run New Forest with the same strategy, and so there
formed a great running team.
Running at a slightly
slower pace allowed us to chat without difficulty and the miles passed
steadily, discussions concerning the Royal Wedding and recent holidays,
etc., were some of the topics. At each of the well stocked water
stations (the organisers provide water, squash, cola, jelly sweets and
raisins) we took our time to ensure a decent drink, and also topped up
our bottles to keep ourselves supplied at all times. Although the
spectators were obviously sparse, there were still enthusiastic
supporters, with familiar faces cycling and also driving around the
course, including the relay girls, and it was great to see them.
The route wound its way
through, and also up and down, the loveliest parts of Dorset, and
although there seemed to be fairly frequent hills to climb, most
resulted in a pretty viewpoint at the top! At around 10-11 miles we
spotted a familiar vest in front and gradually caught up with my other
half, who seemed to be hitting a low point. It was nice to see him again
but I was concerned that his race wasn’t going so well. We ran together
for a mile or so, passing through the village of Todber, the spot where
both Annemarie and I had misjudged the 3rd leg changeover the
previous year, and it was a moment for remembering the adrenalin burst
we both felt when forced to run an extra 2 miles in front of the second
leg runners to get to the correct changeover and receive the relay
baton! Oh how we laughed! At the next drink station Ian had a burst of
speed and went off into the distance again, and we continued our steady
pace onwards. As the race continued we talked happily on how the mileage
left was decreasing, and focussed in a very positive way on our
progress, a comment from a fellow runner at around 20 miles, that we
were a great example of team work, was a fantastic compliment.
The 20 mile point is
probably the toughest part of this course, with a testing hill that is
not only quite an elevation but prolonged (it definitely felt like that
to me!) but the motivation of our group was strong and it was extremely
satisfying to know that we ran up every hill, and in doing so, passed
many of other competitors. By this point our conversation reduced a
little, as each of us were digging in to our reserves and concentrating
on getting through this last stage. I was trying not to think of the
previous years London, where I had caved at the 23 mile point and
walked/run for 3 miles. There was one last hill, after passing through
Hammoon, which we negotiated and finally we were on the old track bed
and on the final mile and a half. This section should, in principle, be
the easiest to run but how that last mile seemed to stretch on;
Annemarie and particularly Georgie were amazing and buoyed spirits all
of that last mile, chatting to fellow runners and encouraging some
walkers to join our little band. The cheerleading of the Littledown
Harriers girls with their pom-poms at last bridge half a mile from home,
was great.
It’s all smiles
as Wendy, Georgie and Annemarie cover the final few yards
to the finish line in Sturminster Newton.
Photo Kelly Williams
When the finish line was
in sight I wondered how we should meet it, and would happily have seen
the others go ahead to complete, as they are both faster runners than
myself, and asked how the others wanted to finish, without hesitation
the reply was ‘all together of course’, which was really, really lovely,
with a time of 4.23.32 – a personal best for me by approximately 19
minutes.
Ian finished his race just
in front, by a minute, and may have been caught if we had had to run a
little further!
After the race, I expected
to feel pain and nausea, as has been case with every other marathon, but
somehow this time it was different, yes, my legs were tired but I felt
fantastic. After running London three times and each time failing
miserably to get sub 4.30, I found the NDVM a joy to run, completely
without stress and without the crowd hassle that tires you out. It is a
race that provides the opportunity and freedom to run your own pace
whether on you are your own or in a team of three.
Wimborne runners did
superbly on the day, with the men’s team winning first place in the
marathon and the women’s team taking a well-earned third in the relay.
Many WAC runners also recorded personal bests.
I would like to thank both
Annemarie and Georgie for their wonderful company that day and making it
a race I will remember, they were both encouraging and positive and I
hope that I was able help them during the run, in the same way they
helped me.
The NDVM has only been
running for three years but is an extremely well organised friendly
race, and I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking a marathon
challenge next year.
Wendy
