I didn’t think Delamere was very hilly so it was fairly easy to persuade me to enter this race. I became slightly worried when, the day before the race, I was informed that Delamere was hilly – by now it was much too late to do any hill training!
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| Lou, Heather, Tony, Mat and Steph |
The day dawned bright and sunny, perfect for a run. We arrived without a lot of time to spare and I still had to change into my morris dancers outfit. I was giving the costume a comfort test before the Meddoc Marathon. The ever crazy Matt agreed to wear fancy dress too so that I wouldn’t too silly – he made a lovely Snow White! Steph and Louise had also entered in the spirit of things with dwarf hats and painted cheeks.
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| Heather with her bells jangling in the wind |
The race was well organised with plenty of parking, short toilet queues and chip timing. The half marathon, which Tony, Matt and I had entered started a little before the 10k which Steph and Louise were running. Having not done a half marathon for about a year I failed to pace myself and ran off much too quickly – it’s so hard not to get carried away when the adrenalin is flowing and people are clapping on the side lines. I paid the penalty for a quick start, of course, when after a few miles I was struggling up hills and then a few miles after that struggling on the flat too! It was though a lovely course along a mixture of broad cinder tracks and muddy paths winding through the trees. Just when I thought the worst was probably over, since the finishing line was drawing near, the route took us up Old Pale Hill, the highest point in mid Cheshire. It was at this point I contemplated, as I do at some point in most races, giving up running and taking up a less arduous hobby – like Morris dancing.
Nevertheless, we all finished having enjoyed a hard run in lovely countryside. A good run which I would recommend to anyone who fancies a local trail run and is prepared for a few hills.
For more information visit the website.
Heather