Russell Gardham writes:
Rather than slumming it like I did last week when I slept in my car prior to a 27 mile training run in Scotland, this week I stayed in Luxury in the Hilton in Edinburgh. Anyone that knows me knows that expensive hotels just is not me at all. Normal service will return later in the week when I sleep in a tent after each marathon.
I ran an incredible hot Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday. With one eye on my upcoming marathons I decided to go all guns blazing for this one and slowly but surely paid the price. What my splits below don’t tell you is that I walked/run from the 21 mile marker. Someone once told me that the half way point of a marathon is at mile 20. I know now that it is around mile 21.
I have to be pleased with my performance at the race. However, at mile 9, I made a mental note to myself that I was not going to get beyond mile 10 at the maximum. Mile 10 became mile 11 and onwards through to 18 before I realised that I had not succumbed to heat exhaustion and dropped out.
I took on as much water as I possible could and actually wore some factor 50 (Another first for me).
Lots of runners, including front runners were walking, many had collapsed through the heat. This shows how tough the event was on the day. That aside, I would say that this is the best of all the marathon courses I have competed in to date and it would do it again if at all possible.
Anyway, so I got through the heat. As per normal, I pretty much sprinted the last half mile (if races were just half a mile long, I think I might win some). Then I crossed the line , hoping for water and plenty of it. What happened? A medal the size of my fist was placed over my head. I did get some water pretty quickly after the finish and more Lucozade. It was then a mile (??) to the baggage trucks, to collect my few things I had with me. A drive home as a passenger, before showering the next morning.
The scenery, countryside, sea and fantastic support (which included many people with hoses) for this race is worth another shot at it.
I came 1,237 out of around 13,500. My splits were:
10k: 00:46:58
Half: 01:41:31
30k: 02:29:05
Marathon: 03:38:53
Well done Russell! Edinburgh is getting a reputation for being hot now I think.
