4 October 2015 was a great day for running and this a great trail marathon. The course runs East from Salisbury to Winchester – mostly footpaths and bridleways, but with some short sections of tarmac. It’s scenic, well organised by the Rotary Clubs of Salisbury and Winchester and marshalled by local charities at the 10 feeding stations along the way. There is some lumpiness, but nothing too serious. The longest climb is up Farley Mount at around the 20 mile mark.
I’d done little training before this – on average, just 12 miles a week for the previous 4 months – so my sole aim was to get round. As such I jogged round at a steady pace – and finished in 4:35:15.
Things I recollect:
- The trail was well signposted – impossible to get lost.
- The mile markers count down – especially heartening when you hit single figures.
- The annoying competitor with a music player strapped to the back of his rucksack – it was irritating when he approached, worse when he moved in front – but he eventually disappeared into the distance so peace and quiet was restored.
- I was able to jog all the way up Farley Mount, my heart rate hitting 175 in the process.
- However, this was probably not the best idea as after that, cramp was always threatening, so I had to slow down, walking occasionally.
- Felt ok at the finish, could have gone further, but not faster.
- Good bus service back to the start afterwards; journey took an hour.
A great event, that I planned to repeat the next year (but didn’t).
