This week I complete my look at 2014. The year I raised the bar with my running. I look back at it now and I laid the platform for future challenges I set myself. In a way the vast array or races in 2014 from big city ones, rural races, small fields, large fields, canal running, heatwave running etc. meant that I gave myself races to look back on inspire me to keep digging in when the going got tough.
The last 5 races I’m covering today were part of a sequence of a race every weekend for 9 weeks. I stopped doing any mid-week runs and Parkruns in this time. It was race, recover, race, recover and repeat.
| 16 | 05/10/2014 | Chester Marathon |
| 17 | 12/12/2014 | Oxford Half |
| 18 | 19/12/2014 | Birmingham Half |
| 19 | 26/12/2014 | Leicester Full |
| 20 | 02/11/2014 | Droitwich Half |
So, a week after Nottingham marathon in which I had a real struggle, both mental and physical I faced upto another marathon. I wasn’t sure going into Chester marathon how it would go. I didn’t feel fully recovered from the week before and although I had done halfs on successive weekends and even 2 in the same weekend a second full in succession now felt like a huge gamble.
However, I knew if I could get through it, even if my time was back to the 6 hours plus of my first few ones, it didn’t matter. The focus was to finish and then look at using the next 2 races, both halfs just to re-focus before the final marathon.
Chester marathon is one of my favourite races. It’s a race I would highly recommend to anyone looking to do a marathon. Whether your first one, an autumn one or just another one to tick off, Chester is up there as one of my favourite places to run; and you know I’ve ran in a lot of places! I have ran it 3 times and I would have ran it more but clashes with other races, a running holiday to Malawi and a pandemic amongst other things meant it hasn’t worked out for me. 2023 will be next time running it and hopefully I’ll be at approx. 60 official marathons when that happens.
The race is very well organized, it’s easy to get to the start, parking is not a problem, and everyone is so friendly. The organisers, the volunteers, the people cheering you on and fellow runners. It’s a lovely race and the unique thing about it is the 2nd race that happens on the day. The metric marathon, 26.2km which starts about an hour after the full goes off. It’s further than a half and really gives you an idea if you’re looking build to a full what it feels like to run further than a half marathon.
Another unique aspect of the race is that you run in 2 countries! You start and finish in England, but you do cross into Wales which is kinda cool. So, the race itself starts on the racecourse, or it did back then. A bit of running on grass then out onto the streets and then into Chester before heading out into the sticks. You run through some lovely places and take in some old churches, a village green where a game of cricket is usually taking place and there are about 3 uphill sections; the toughest of which is at about 24 miles!
Otherwise, it’s quite flat and with the sun out, it is an ideal place to run. Enough other runners taking part so you don’t feel alone like you can do at Stratford, but not busy that you can’t find your pace and stick to it without worrying about tripping someone up, like London! And as it turned out once I got into my stride and being sensible for about 5 miles i.e., easing my way in; I managed to run a strong race coming home in 5 hrs. 25. This was significant as it was only Manchester, I had run quicker at but given how I had done the half marathons in September this was the sort of time I realistically could expect to run. And it was a huge boost to finish it pain free, in the company of another 5 runners, after we created a little group with a ‘Parkrun’ to go! One other thing at the finish that I love about Chester. The 2 organisers, Chris and Andy are there to greet every finisher. That is dedication and respect to them both.
A good day’s work and the following week it was onto Oxford Half. Now the 2014 version of this race was very different to the Oxford half that exists now and that I did in 2017. When I did it in 2014, it started and finished at the Kassam Stadium, home of Oxford United. It was a weird race. The 1-mile marker was at 1km. The 2-mile marker was at about 1.5 miles it was mile 5 where the marker was at the right place and then mile 6 was at mile 6.5! The strangest part of the route was running next to or through the Mini factory, which was next to busy main road. We used a Subway (under the main road, not the sandwich shop!) to pass onto the other side of the main road. Now I’ve done MK marathon where wide underpasses are used. This was a proper narrow subway! Runing 2 abreast, if that. Most bizarre.
Another thing that was notable at Oxford Half 2014 was the fact it was started by the legend Sir Roger Bannister to mark 60 years of having broken the 4-minute mark the mile. As part of the route, we ran on a track near the university and that 1 mile was marked as the Bannister mile which I did in just over 10 minutes! The live music around the route was also noticeable, with runners asked to vote for the best live act. The finish was really good, in front of the main stand in the football stadium. The time of 2 hrs. 18 wasn’t too shabby either. The 4th best time of the 14 halfs that year and I found that after back-to-back fulls my stamina was very good so even though I felt tired at mile 10, my pace never dropped as my body was up for it. The picture below was taken by a fellow runner who has since become a friend and who has done many running adventures. Ewan “Forrest Gump” Gordon. A top bloke and one of the people who inspired me to attempt JOGLE after he showed it can be done.
The following week it was the ‘home’ race. My 5th Birmingham half. If I hadn’t added the 4 extra races and changed 1 of my marathon options, then this would have been my last race. Finishing the challenge at a big race made more sense and taking nothing away from the 2 races I still had to do, I wish I had made it the last one. As it was, I saw many familiar faces around the route. It was still a Broad Street finish at this time so that flat finish helped. I Saw many friends from my new running club, Aldridge, regulars from my Parkrun, some of the Shabba runners who I had gotten to know and a few other familiar faces, including one Haroon Mota!
Quite a few runners in the Midlands had got used to seeing the afro at a number of races and the thing about this race is the 2-way section into Stirchley where you get to see so many people you know. It was running through this stretch that I saw a familiar face shouting encouragement. One of friends from my university days, one Tony Lowe. Not a bad left foot when it came to playing football and probably the biggest Friends fan, I knew back in the day. We high fived and started chatting until Tony reminded me, I had a race to run!
I got round in 2:21, so another solid run and it was 18 down with a full and a half to go. This led to the Leicester the following week and for the first time I had people supporting me at the start and the finish! My sister lives in Leicester so she and my 2 nieces made our way to Victoria Park for the Leicester marathon. Guess who I bumped into? Yep, Haroon Mota. I was seeing my Muslim brother everywhere now. I think this was the 5th race our paths crossed and we have remained good friends since.
Leicester, like Stratford and Nottingham, saw full and half marathon runners go off together. At some point the routes split. The marathon went off one way and eventually came back to the point where the 2 races split to pick up the last few miles that the half covered. From memory it was a pleasant route. Bit of suburbia, countryside, some very weird cut throughs of new housing estates! Reading my social media post of the race it seems like the race went well upto mile 9 at which point both my knees gave me a lot of grief. I jeffed at 13-minute mile pace and then at some point I found running was less painful! There was an uphill finish to the race through the city centre and I got a lot of stares from people shopping or enjoying a coffee as I slowly ran towards the finish.
I remember my sister and niece running out of a shop with a tray of cupcakes!!! I’m pretty sure a couple of those got smashed at the finish! I came home in 5 hrs. 43 and given the pain I was relieved and quite happy as it was 6 marathons done in 1 year, mixed with halfs and I’d pretty much survived. Being in Leicester I was treated to some fine Indian food before I drove home looking forward to the fact it was almost over!
And so, to the final race. The Droitwich half marathon. I think this race had been postponed from earlier in the year and I found it by chance. The start and finish were near a golf club but as they had no parking we parked in the town and then got a minibus to the race start. It worked out quite nicely and the other thing was that it was a midday start. A lie in before a race! It was overcast and it did rain during the race, but it felt refreshing.
Now, whilst running, again a rural route, I had a strong sense of déjà vu. I thought I had run some of this route before, but this was my first time doing the race. Afterwards I realized that I had run part of the route during the Worcester City half earlier in the year. I found it quite an undulating course, but others felt it was flat! Maybe having done so many races in quick succession made it feel tougher, but I finished in 2 hrs. 31. When I finished, I knew I had achieved something special but there was no one there who knew what that finish meant to me! A 16-race plan that became 20 as in the space of 8 months I doubled my race tally.
I was now a 12-time marathon runner with 24 halfs to add to that list. Not bad for someone who only wanted to do 1 of each and then ‘quit’ marathon running for 2 years! There were only 5 runners behind me in a field of approx. 270 runners so you can see what I mean about a low-key finish. My fundraising had gone well. Whenever it slowed down another race came along, I’d get some local media coverage and it would give me a little boost. Looking back, it may have helped to contact more local press in the more local races, but I was happy enough raising almost £4k for Macmillan’s and I’d toughed it out.
One final observation. I wore the same blue Adidas trainers in all the races and additional runs I did in training, which decreased as the year went on. Off the top of my head I think they were Supernovas but entirely certain. They looked after me though! 850 miles I did in those!
This is my post from that last race (which was the day after I turned 39)!
“20 races in 8 months complete. 14 half and 6 full marathons done. Been an amazing journey. Painful, emotional, tough, good, hard so many words to describe it. I’m glad it’s done, but also a bit sad. Not sure what to do with my weekends now. Thanks for everyone’s support. If I were asked to do it again, you know what, I actually think I would!!”
And I did do it all again! On a bigger scale, but that was in 2017 so we’ll eventually come to that. So what would I do in 2015? Initially, I had no fixed plans. I knew I would do GNR and Birmingham halfs again and after the success at Manchester marathon I definitely wanted to do that race again. But then I came up with another challenge. Quite an ultra one! Find out more in 2 weeks.
Usingh Bolt - Endurance Runner 