Snowdonia Marathon

The race started at Nant Peris (300 ft above sea level) on a bright October morning. The first 4 miles was a long climb up to Pen-y-Pas (1,300 ft). At the top of the hill we turned right towards Bedgellert, circling round the valley lake, across which we could see the runners behind us making their way along the ridge. The next 3 miles were downhill, at this point going downhill was still pleasant, an opportunity to shake of the quads and get ready for the next climb. At the 7 mile marker I was feeling fine. Conscious of never having run a marathon and having had an inadvisable amount of training beforehand, I was trying to keep myself rained in and not go running off like a loon into the unknown. I reached 7 miles in almost exactly 1hr 10mins, sticking to my plan of a 10min mile.

The following 11 miles were fairly uneventful. Various pains and stiffness in different muscles came and went. Nothing severe enough to question the runner's mantra "It'll feel better in a mile or two". The road winded its way through the valleys, always either rising or falling; I don’t think there is a flat bit of ground anywhere in Snowdonia! The food stations were a welcome break (especially the one at 10 miles outside a youth hostel staffed by Nordic female backpackers). The only time I allowed myself to walk was at the stations and only until I was passed by 5 people, when I forced myself to start running again, ready or not. Whilst walking I drank my cup of water, fiddled with my shoes to get stones out and tried to unwrap my Kendal mint cake pieces from their cling film cocoons (I thoroughly recommend going old school with the mint cake for future endurance events).

We then started the 3 mile long steady climb to the 21st marker. It felt good to break the 20 and to get into familiar 'only a 10k to go' territory. By this time though my legs were beginning to permanently stiffen and the impact from downhill was taking its toll on my knees. At the 21 mile stage the terrain changed radically as we began the steepest climb of the day and encountered the off-road section. The last summit of Bwlch-y-Groes rises very steeply as the tarmac is replaced by track and eventually loose slate. It appears that it is tradition for competitors to walk this final climb as near everybody slowed to a walk. Not one to be defeated by a hill and having only one strategy for getting up them, I attacked it eyeballs out. As I made my way through some now familiar people I was spurred on with encouragement and calls of "have you done this before?" and "it doesn't finish until you see the trees... but you get another water station"

After about 25 minutes and arriving more shuffling than running I made the top. I didn't get chance to take in the view as the course drops near vertically down the other side almost immediately, only this side has no path! At this point I realised why people didn't run the assent, my first step downward was agony. My right knee finally gave way from the constant impact of the hills, a sharp pain down the outside of my leg and shooting through my knee with every bend. With only 4 miles to go I could use the promise of it ending soon to get me through, especially as I felt fine everywhere else. The people I passed on the way up were now bounding past me as I stuttered down sideways over the mud, moss and rocks. When I finally reached the bottom and got back onto firm ground there was just the last mile of shuffling round Llanberis before the finish, a cup of tea and a welsh lamb burger (between 2 slices of bread because they had run out of buns!!!)

Official finishing time 4 hours 32 minutes.