Race report by Dave Phillips.
This event together with the half and fun run gets bigger each year. I’ve done all 3 marathons since it started in 2016 but the 09:0 hrs start means getting up at 05:00 hrs as the car park at the college HQ gets full from 07:30. Today was no exception with record numbers in all events.
So off we went on what is the flattest course anywhere in the world. 11 ft of uphill is what they claim on the whole of the course. What they don’t tell you is that it has to be the most boring course anywhere. For the whole of the 26 miles you run along small lanes surrounded by huge fields (most many hundreds of acres in size) but there are no hedges, trees, sheep, cattle or horses. In fact just vegetables and mile after mile of them. We passed 1 shop, no farms as they are miles off the road, no pubs and the only people were the marshals.
Absolutely mind boggling with mile after mile of just nothing. Even the fields come to the edge of the roads with no paths or hedges.
At some places you could see many miles in each direction of plain flat fields. Think I also saw Holland (no not Jules).Trouble was there was a realy nasty cold wind and with no protection it was often head on and made it hard to progress. Also the course zig zagged in all directions along the lanes between the fields so that the wind was with you or against you constantly.
The organisation was great and there were loads of drink stations and great marshals in fact there were more of them than the population along the whole route I reckon.
Eventually the 20 mile mark came and I saw 8 plodders in front of me so I plodded faster and overtook them all. A collectors’ item for me or what?
Finally at 25 we were back in Boston and the end couldn’t come soon enough for me.
Great medal and another T Shirt to add to the collection then there will be more for me at London next Sunday.
There were 2 locals there from Kenilworth and Northbrook with me so next year let’s have a few more Masseys.
Massey result:
Dave Phillips 6 hrs 08 mins. (Race walked and jogged all the way. Never stopped).