Windermere marathon – Tearfund

First published in St Georges Church magazine in June 2010.

On the 16th May I ran my first marathon, around Windermere in the Lake District. Why? Initially, it was just to prove to myself that I could do a marathon, it then needed to be 2010, to prove I’m not over the hill (as it were). I then realised that this wasn’t just about me, it needed the support of my family, but also, something told me that some good could come out of it as well. Then, at about the same time as I entered the race, St Georges announced we would be supporting Tearfund this year and that was the extra incentive I needed.

Training actually brought home just how difficult the challenge was going to be. As I increased my distances, probably too quickly, I struggled to finish and actually had to be rescued twice by Louise when I attempted 20 miles on two attempts (first after 16 miles, then after 19 miles). This didn’t improve my confidence as I travelled up to Cumbria on the Friday before the race.

My confidence took another knock as I drove around the route on the Saturday morning ahead of the race on Sunday. The old Passat seemed to be asking me what I was doing as well, as the car climbed incline after incline, then rolled down hill after hill, twisting and turning through little country lanes. My only response to Louise when we spoke later was, “It’s scary”. She proceeded to give another one of her excellent pep talks which helped, a bit. Later that day I wandered up Loughrigg. From there, it was possible to see the entire length of Windermere, which put the whole experience into perspective. From a few miles away, it just looked like a small pond, surrounded by hills, woodland, blue skies and wildlife. At that point, I thanked the Lord for all he had created, the world around me, for the opportunity to be in that place and for the support of my family and friends which had got me there.

The next day, Sunday, was race day. Nerves and anxiety are my main memory from before the race, until we lined up ready to be led out to the start. A youth drumming band marched the runners to the start line with a vibrant, lively rhythm which gave everyone a buzz. The local groundsman fired a shotgun (into the air!) and, at 10.30 am, we were off.

The race was a blur, the road twisted and turned, almost always either going up or down. Around me was the sound of feet on the road, but as the runners thinned out, Scooby-Doo overtook me and the road became quieter. The first seven or eight miles were on closed roads, but with very few spectators, except the odd cyclist and in Hawkshead, small groups of cheering people. Then all was quiet again.

Mile seven brought the biggest hill of about 200 feet, which slowed almost everyone to a walk. After that, I decided to walk up all the hills, if I was to stand a chance of finishing. The halfway mark at Newby Bridge was about two and a half hours in for me. This was a good milestone to reach and gave me a boost, especially as the next few miles were flat. I overtook a few people and started to feel better, but we soon started to hit hills again which became more and more difficult. The real bonus was the drinks stations, with energy drinks and Kendal mint cake, which to me, was like rocket fuel. Each bite seemed to give me a burst of energy.

The next set of crowds in Bowness also gave a boost and as I hit mile nineteen, I was overtaken by a cardboard helicopter. I also resolved that as this was now uncharted territory, I’d not run this far in training, so now there was no reason not to finish. It was only seven miles and I’d done that many times before. So I started jogging and didn’t stop, I now jogged up and down the hills and kept going. I passed the traffic jams leaving Ambleside, over (what seemed like) a very steep footbridge, then up the drive to Brathay Hall. I was still running as I crossed the finish line, but as soon as I stopped, I could hardly walk. I was handed a medal, someone cut the timing chip off my shoe and that was it. I finished in a time of five hours thirty minutes, not very quick, but it’s a personal best! To put it another way, I started at 10.30 and finished at 4.00pm.

There were many reasons to do this, some were personal, but more than anything else, the biggest motivator was knowing that friends, family and colleagues had shown their faith in me. I had to repay that with my own faith and determination. Together we raised £600 for charity, including the Brathay Trust. Of that, £470 will go direct to St Georges Tearfund project. I never expected to achieve a total like that, so many, many thanks to you all.