NON-EU MARATHONS
LIECHTENSTEIN ALPINE MARATHON (11.06.22)
Having been seduced by the YouTube videos and wanting to try something a bit different from the usual street race I signed up for what was being touted as the last ever Liechtenstein (Alpine) Marathon. With a chance to find and support ME patients there as well as tackling a course that was over 5 times steeper than my hilliest ever marathon, it felt like I was learning a new sport in my training. No more long flat runs, it was all about short hill sprints and trail running in the 2 months I had from the end of the EU challenge.
I flew to Zurich with my mate Mark (fellow EU marathon collector) and following a little bit of sight-seeing we took the train to Buchs in eastern Switzerland. The 1hr 10 min journey there was nothing short of spectacular as we skirted the turquoise Lake Zurich and the farmland that followed with its stunning alpine backdrop. Walking over the Rhine bridge/border to Liechtenstein was equally breathtaking. After unexpectedly bagging a free bus to Bendern in the north of the country we hid in the shade chatting to some Brits (Dan and Claire) who had run the race 7 times, we'd have a beer and a good chat with them at the end.
Start
It was already 16c when we left Bendern and headed south towards the Rheinpark Stadion (home of Liechtenstien National Football team). With around 700 runners on a tight road then public footpath, progress was a bit slow and we were restricted to a fairly pedestrian 8.30 minute mile for the first 3 or 4 miles. On the left were well-kept fields with barns, farm machinery and views of the mountains and on the right were trees separating us from the Rhine. The track eventually took us up onto the path next to the river, past the football stadium, the rather bizarre Liechtenstein Country & BBQ Festival and a flat, scenic jaunt under a couple of bridges before turning left towards the centre of Vaduz. Running down the main street (Stradtle) was fun with people sat outside cafe's cheering and the first taste of the 'Hopp Hopp Hopp' shouts that I'd heard before on the EU challenge. The course turned right towards the start of 6 miles of climbing and after a few hundred yards it was obvious to all around me that it wasn't possible to run up the first peak. After a few painful switch-backs it flattened a little past the stunning Vaduz Castle, home of Hans-Adam II, the Prince of Liechtenstein. Very quickly things got hilly again and more zig-zagging up the mountain through the trees with plenty of opportunities to take pictures looking down on the valley with snow-capped peaks in the distance, just stunning. A little bit of shade and flat as we passed a small waterfall but it was pretty short-lived. A cyclist came by trying to climb our route near Triessenberg but he really wasn't getting anywhere fast but to be honest, neither were we. The sapping heat, elevation and my snotty nose were making it a pretty uncomfortable event from a running perspective. It was really hard not to keep stopping to take pictures of the incredible landscape, we had a loose target to get half way by 2.5 hrs but that was extremely ambitious!
Middle
At the halfway point we got up to beautiful hamlet of Silum and it felt like nearly all of the residents were cutting their lawns. There were 4 alphorn players booming out tunes which was just brilliant, we stopped to take a quick video. Some nice marshalling here and a very gratefully received water trough to dunk my head in. Not much further on from here was a happy chap on a stool in the grass playing accordion which brought a smile from everyone around us. We were over the worst of the elevation we thought (not true) and there was even some of the first downhill coming up. There were some pretty quirky wood carvings of men with binoculars on top of the rocks just before the decent towards Steg, I'd seen a handful of them in Vaduz the day before painted red. Hurtling down the hill towards the end of the 25+ race (where more than half of the runners would finish), it was a lot of fun getting back down to 8 minute miles after a horrendous 22 minute mile earlier on. Along a tight path with a sheer cliff edge on the left it was hard leaping over cowpats and not slipping in the mud but a thoroughly enjoyable 200 metre drop. The bells on the cows were almost deafening now, which was very surreal but a fantastic soundtrack to the lush alpine views. I couldn't help but wonder what all of the little hamlets would look like in a wintry scene. We could hear the announcements of the half-marathon finishers and a bit of music as we passed the stunning lake (Gänglesee) and it's amazing shade of blue-green. The course turned right for the marathon runners climbing again steadily as we ran through small streams and chatted about our favourite 90's Premier League footballers. Time goals had pretty much gone out of the window now and just finishing was the main aim, neither of us were too bothered really. I popped some paracetamol as my hips had started locking up a bit on the earlier downhills and it seemed to help a lot though the heat was making me feel pretty light-headed/dizzy at times.
End
Mile 20 through the fields towards the steepest part of the race was pretty brutal and I could feel a bit of cramp coming on. Not much I could do between water stations so I just had to take it easy and stay upbeat which was pretty easy as Mark and I chatted about football and how much we hate 'career/influencer runners'. My lingering cold was forcing me to rather grossly clear my nostrils a fair bit and I could feel the salt crystalising on my face from the lack of water. We had been warned about mile 21 around the Valorsch area and the drop to a walk, almost having to crawl up the path, steps and overgrowth. Regularly passing and being passed by the same handful of runners was a bit weird but we helped each other a bit checking in when someone had bad cramp and seeing if we could help. We saw plenty of hikers around the Sassförkle area who looked at us as if we were insane and they stepped to the side as we jogged through on whatever flat or downhill parts we came across. Soon enough we had a couple of miles downhill to enjoy and we managed to keep the 6 hour pacer at bay for a little while longer. I must admit I felt a bit delirious whooping and bouncing down the 300 metres or so unable to stop. It was getting very hot out there as we hit our 5th hour on the course and the buzz of the finish in the ski resort at Malbun bounced around the hills at us. We were expecting a flat loop around Malbun before a street finish but we got a very steep climb and I had a ghastly orange tea drink at the water station which I couldn't stomach. 3 miles to go and it was mentally tough to keep running as the end was so close but were going to be out at least another 30 minutes circling the village. Some enthusiastic marshalling at mile 24 was very welcome and I tried to chuck as much water down as I could. Mark cracked on with my full blessing and I was happy taking it a little easier over the last mile or so. I stopped to get a stone out of my shoe and immediately got quad cramp pinning me facing the wrong way in a bit of pain, but it was more embarrassing than anything and I got going fairly quickly. Last few hundred yards and I was buzzing as there were loads of people still cheering the runners on. The route got really narrow which added to the atmosphere and I got over the line delighted to finish my first alpine marathon and trail race. Mark was nearby and we posed with his Liechtenstein flag for the official photographer before grabbing our prize (a pink rubber duck and a Swarovski leather keyring with crystals). We both laughed about it but it did kind of suck that there was no crystal, medal or anything we could put on the mantelpiece. We grabbed some beers and sat on the benches chatting and baking in the heat before grabbing a shuttle bus back to Vaduz.
Weather
Warm start (17c) up to around 24/25c by finish.
Ratings
Course: 10/10 for views, 4/10 for pure maliciousness of the placement of hills!
Expo: 3/10 - A little hut and a handful of stands, nice buzz but not much beyond race bib pickup
Support: 8/10 - Excellent marshalling and a few residents out on the paths shaking bells and enthusiastically offering water.
Refreshments: 7/10 - Every 2.5km, water (cups), oranges, coke, gatorade, bananas, cereal bars, cake.
Goodie Bag: NA
Medal & Pics: 3/10 - No medal, we were expecting a crystal but ended up with a keyring with tiny crystals on it, a pink duck and a t-shirt.
Time Completed: 6hrs 00 mins
I flew to Zurich with my mate Mark (fellow EU marathon collector) and following a little bit of sight-seeing we took the train to Buchs in eastern Switzerland. The 1hr 10 min journey there was nothing short of spectacular as we skirted the turquoise Lake Zurich and the farmland that followed with its stunning alpine backdrop. Walking over the Rhine bridge/border to Liechtenstein was equally breathtaking. After unexpectedly bagging a free bus to Bendern in the north of the country we hid in the shade chatting to some Brits (Dan and Claire) who had run the race 7 times, we'd have a beer and a good chat with them at the end.
Start
It was already 16c when we left Bendern and headed south towards the Rheinpark Stadion (home of Liechtenstien National Football team). With around 700 runners on a tight road then public footpath, progress was a bit slow and we were restricted to a fairly pedestrian 8.30 minute mile for the first 3 or 4 miles. On the left were well-kept fields with barns, farm machinery and views of the mountains and on the right were trees separating us from the Rhine. The track eventually took us up onto the path next to the river, past the football stadium, the rather bizarre Liechtenstein Country & BBQ Festival and a flat, scenic jaunt under a couple of bridges before turning left towards the centre of Vaduz. Running down the main street (Stradtle) was fun with people sat outside cafe's cheering and the first taste of the 'Hopp Hopp Hopp' shouts that I'd heard before on the EU challenge. The course turned right towards the start of 6 miles of climbing and after a few hundred yards it was obvious to all around me that it wasn't possible to run up the first peak. After a few painful switch-backs it flattened a little past the stunning Vaduz Castle, home of Hans-Adam II, the Prince of Liechtenstein. Very quickly things got hilly again and more zig-zagging up the mountain through the trees with plenty of opportunities to take pictures looking down on the valley with snow-capped peaks in the distance, just stunning. A little bit of shade and flat as we passed a small waterfall but it was pretty short-lived. A cyclist came by trying to climb our route near Triessenberg but he really wasn't getting anywhere fast but to be honest, neither were we. The sapping heat, elevation and my snotty nose were making it a pretty uncomfortable event from a running perspective. It was really hard not to keep stopping to take pictures of the incredible landscape, we had a loose target to get half way by 2.5 hrs but that was extremely ambitious!
Middle
At the halfway point we got up to beautiful hamlet of Silum and it felt like nearly all of the residents were cutting their lawns. There were 4 alphorn players booming out tunes which was just brilliant, we stopped to take a quick video. Some nice marshalling here and a very gratefully received water trough to dunk my head in. Not much further on from here was a happy chap on a stool in the grass playing accordion which brought a smile from everyone around us. We were over the worst of the elevation we thought (not true) and there was even some of the first downhill coming up. There were some pretty quirky wood carvings of men with binoculars on top of the rocks just before the decent towards Steg, I'd seen a handful of them in Vaduz the day before painted red. Hurtling down the hill towards the end of the 25+ race (where more than half of the runners would finish), it was a lot of fun getting back down to 8 minute miles after a horrendous 22 minute mile earlier on. Along a tight path with a sheer cliff edge on the left it was hard leaping over cowpats and not slipping in the mud but a thoroughly enjoyable 200 metre drop. The bells on the cows were almost deafening now, which was very surreal but a fantastic soundtrack to the lush alpine views. I couldn't help but wonder what all of the little hamlets would look like in a wintry scene. We could hear the announcements of the half-marathon finishers and a bit of music as we passed the stunning lake (Gänglesee) and it's amazing shade of blue-green. The course turned right for the marathon runners climbing again steadily as we ran through small streams and chatted about our favourite 90's Premier League footballers. Time goals had pretty much gone out of the window now and just finishing was the main aim, neither of us were too bothered really. I popped some paracetamol as my hips had started locking up a bit on the earlier downhills and it seemed to help a lot though the heat was making me feel pretty light-headed/dizzy at times.
End
Mile 20 through the fields towards the steepest part of the race was pretty brutal and I could feel a bit of cramp coming on. Not much I could do between water stations so I just had to take it easy and stay upbeat which was pretty easy as Mark and I chatted about football and how much we hate 'career/influencer runners'. My lingering cold was forcing me to rather grossly clear my nostrils a fair bit and I could feel the salt crystalising on my face from the lack of water. We had been warned about mile 21 around the Valorsch area and the drop to a walk, almost having to crawl up the path, steps and overgrowth. Regularly passing and being passed by the same handful of runners was a bit weird but we helped each other a bit checking in when someone had bad cramp and seeing if we could help. We saw plenty of hikers around the Sassförkle area who looked at us as if we were insane and they stepped to the side as we jogged through on whatever flat or downhill parts we came across. Soon enough we had a couple of miles downhill to enjoy and we managed to keep the 6 hour pacer at bay for a little while longer. I must admit I felt a bit delirious whooping and bouncing down the 300 metres or so unable to stop. It was getting very hot out there as we hit our 5th hour on the course and the buzz of the finish in the ski resort at Malbun bounced around the hills at us. We were expecting a flat loop around Malbun before a street finish but we got a very steep climb and I had a ghastly orange tea drink at the water station which I couldn't stomach. 3 miles to go and it was mentally tough to keep running as the end was so close but were going to be out at least another 30 minutes circling the village. Some enthusiastic marshalling at mile 24 was very welcome and I tried to chuck as much water down as I could. Mark cracked on with my full blessing and I was happy taking it a little easier over the last mile or so. I stopped to get a stone out of my shoe and immediately got quad cramp pinning me facing the wrong way in a bit of pain, but it was more embarrassing than anything and I got going fairly quickly. Last few hundred yards and I was buzzing as there were loads of people still cheering the runners on. The route got really narrow which added to the atmosphere and I got over the line delighted to finish my first alpine marathon and trail race. Mark was nearby and we posed with his Liechtenstein flag for the official photographer before grabbing our prize (a pink rubber duck and a Swarovski leather keyring with crystals). We both laughed about it but it did kind of suck that there was no crystal, medal or anything we could put on the mantelpiece. We grabbed some beers and sat on the benches chatting and baking in the heat before grabbing a shuttle bus back to Vaduz.
Weather
Warm start (17c) up to around 24/25c by finish.
Ratings
Course: 10/10 for views, 4/10 for pure maliciousness of the placement of hills!
Expo: 3/10 - A little hut and a handful of stands, nice buzz but not much beyond race bib pickup
Support: 8/10 - Excellent marshalling and a few residents out on the paths shaking bells and enthusiastically offering water.
Refreshments: 7/10 - Every 2.5km, water (cups), oranges, coke, gatorade, bananas, cereal bars, cake.
Goodie Bag: NA
Medal & Pics: 3/10 - No medal, we were expecting a crystal but ended up with a keyring with tiny crystals on it, a pink duck and a t-shirt.
Time Completed: 6hrs 00 mins
Florence Marathon (27.11.22)
I landed in Florence to run marathon 30 for Invest In ME Research very under-cooked, a bit injured but excited about the weekend ahead. I had a shoulder injury which kept me from running for a month, then a knee injury which took me out for 3 weeks so it was a tough period where I'd lost confidence and put on pounds. But nevertheless the chance of running in a beautiful city like Florence with Ben, seeing Fabio and representing people with ME in a landmark race for me was too good an opportunity to miss.
I arrived on Friday evening, dropped off my bag in the apartment and made it to the Florence Irish Pub with seconds to spare to see England bore their way to a draw with the USA at the World Cup. Ben joined me and we had a couple of drinks including a random nightcap at a quirky ACF Fiorentina craft brewery next to where we were staying. Saturday was spent checking out the incredible statue of David, the magnificent Duomo, Ponte Vecchio bridge, picking up our race bibs (and some very loud new trainers) at the expo, trying not to drink beer watching more World Cup games and pasta/pizza carb-loading at a Maradona themed Napoli restaurant.
Start
After a hotel room breakfast of strawberry croissants and bananas we walked towards the bag drop at the stunning Piaza Santa Maria Novella. We did a good amount of sitting watching everyone run about before getting into position towards the back, shivering a little under our grey bin bags. Walking to the start line out of stubbornness whilst others ran, we wished each other luck and got going on our respective journeys. There was a reasonable amount of space between the runners in the early part which was a pleasant surprise as we travelled north up Via de Martelli, over a roundabout and past the University. I bid farewell to Ben and settled into a mid-paced jog of around 9-9.30 min/miles. I knew that he would be going slower but with less stops than I'd planned, my prediction that we'd come in at a similar time would be surprisingly accurate. There were a fair few runners relieving themselves on trees and in bushes watching out for the well-armed local police. It was chilly but with the sun coming out I still found myself aiming for the shade of the trees lining the road and weaving around an assorted selection of walkers, guided blind-runners and shuffling older gents (those guys are always so impressive).
A fairly sharp right turn took the runners around another very picturesque roundabout at Piazzolo Donatella before going past the stunning Piazza Della Liberta, a very French looking arch that once marked the most northerly part of the city. I felt pretty good at this point, the knee was strapped well and not causing any pain so far, I wasn't thinking about what lay ahead, just that I'd get to the finish by hook or by crook. Next up we passed a fortress which wasn't as impressive as it sounds, over two sets of railway lines and through the first water station where I grabbed a bottle even though I probably didn't need one at that point. Next up was my favourite part of the race where we ran through a collection of parks including Prato Del Quercione with the leading female in the race coming back the other way and I gave her a clap. There was a little street splitting off Cascine Park dedicated to Florence Nightingale, a revered nurse who had M.E herself in later years. Out of the park and around a corner I saw a guy lying on the ground with a bleeding head who'd obviously taken a nasty trip. I asked the people tending to him if they needed help but they waved me on and I pointed him out to the marshals up ahead.
Middle
The route then crossed the River Arno for the first time over Ponte Alla Vittoria and after a short while there were fantastic views on the left hand side as we headed back towards the centre of the city. We passed 3 bridges and then the huge and magnificent Palazzo Pitti Palace which had hundreds of people sat on the slopes outside cheering on the runners. I managed to message Fabio to let him know we were nearly at the iconic Ponte Vecchio where he said he would be trying to catch us. There was a really nice buzz around this part as we approached halfway though I couldn't pick Fabio out of the crowd as we veered right so he let me know he'd try us again when we came back through towards the end. Ben and I had walked over Ponte Vecchio the day before with all of its jewellery shops -not a part of the city we'd ever take our wives to we joked. I'd learnt that until the late 1500's it had an abundance of butcher shops on it who would throw any unsellable meaty parts into the river turning it into a putrid red mess; my mind drifted to this thinking about what it would be like.
I'd got to halfway in 2hrs 10 or so and was OK with that given the training and injuries (I'd normally aim for 1.45-1.50) and we crossed another couple of bridges before arriving as the beautiful gothic cathedral Basilica Di Santa Croce with its Florentine white panelling. We did a quick loop of this area before heading back to the river and towards the eastern part of the city. It was here that I saw Ben on one of the many switchbacks and we did our usual epic high-five, he wasn't more than 5-10 minutes behind me. The local fire department had sprinklers out and I ran through, it was definitely feeling warm as I rang out my headband. I saw a few UK Macmillan charity runners and said hi, we exchanged a couple of euro marathon race recommendations before I dropped into a water station for a tasty orange jam tart and a banana. There was a band playing enthusiastically as we headed towards the ACF Fiorentina football stadium but I couldn't make out the tune so jumped back into my Rolling Stones playlist. Coming away from that area, the course threw up a few inclines, one in particular that had me cursing getting onto the bridge, more nice views of the river and city though so not the end of the world!
End
After a fairly dull couple of miles running parallel to the railway line we got into the Firenze Marathon athletics track and did half a lap which was pretty cool. Ben and I had walked over to Fiorentina's home ground the day before whilst at the expo and couldn't see a great deal of the inside, as was the case today, I was just about able to pick out the purple seats. It was fair to say I was struggling a fair bit now. I'd done well I thought to get to 18 miles without too much difficulty but the knee was panging a bit and I'd run out of energy. I chucked a gel down my throat with an accompaniment of ibuprofen and trudged on dropping to 10-10.30 a mile; no problem I thought, still under my loose target of 5 hrs. The course headed back west towards all the landmarks and a I shared my location on WhatsApp with Fabio hoping he'd managed to find a sitting spot in the sun or a cafe somewhere. 3 miles to go and I saw Fabio up ahead along the river from Ponte Vecchio. I stopped for a quick chat, selfie and salty sweaty hug before chugging on towards the built up old town. A pretty frustrating bit of spaghetti streets in the centre followed where we could hear runners finishing over the tannoy but still had a couple of miles left! It was fun running through the narrow lanes though as people sat outside of the bars raised their glasses whilst another DJ did his best to keep us moving along.
I was down to running 2 songs on my playlist then dropping down to walk for 1 minute, an emergency trick I'd used a few times in order to keep going. The last mile before the finish was a bit of a mess to be honest as so many people were wandering onto the course and running the gauntlet from side to side getting in the way. I nearly knocked one of them over and wasn't best pleased but it pretty much always happens in the smaller races. I could see the finish up ahead and I knew I'd be well inside 5 hours even if I walked so I was very relieved to see the epic monster of the Duomo and the start of the blue finish line carpet. I got over the line with a fist pump, pure relief after the last few weeks. I met Fabio at the exit and we only waited a few minutes for Ben before hopping into a kiosk to buy a couple of beers and back to the bag pickup for photos in the sun. That was a pretty awesome course, perfect running weather and one I'd actually like to run again, well done Florence.
Weather
Nippy start of 8C rising to about 15C towards the end but definitely felt a little warmer with the cloudless sky and sun in our faces.
Ratings
Course: 8/10 - Superb mix of old town, riverside, lap of the stadium and Ponte Vecchio bridge. Support over 80% of the course.
Expo: 8/10 - Large hall with a nice buzz, well organised and plenty of stands. Not much for food/lunch and a bit of a trek.
Support: 8/10 - Plenty of people out on a sunny day, bands, djs, fireman with sprays etc.
Refreshments: 9/10 - Frequent water stops, gels, isotonic, biscuits, orange marmalade tarts, bananas, apples, tea, oranges.
Goodie Bag: 7/10 - Nice t-shirt, blister plasters, gels, lots of leaflets, nice drawstring bag.
Medal & Pics: 7/10 - Unusual rainbow tower medal with nice ribbon. 11Euros per photo was very steep.
Time Completed: 4hrs 52 mins.
I arrived on Friday evening, dropped off my bag in the apartment and made it to the Florence Irish Pub with seconds to spare to see England bore their way to a draw with the USA at the World Cup. Ben joined me and we had a couple of drinks including a random nightcap at a quirky ACF Fiorentina craft brewery next to where we were staying. Saturday was spent checking out the incredible statue of David, the magnificent Duomo, Ponte Vecchio bridge, picking up our race bibs (and some very loud new trainers) at the expo, trying not to drink beer watching more World Cup games and pasta/pizza carb-loading at a Maradona themed Napoli restaurant.
Start
After a hotel room breakfast of strawberry croissants and bananas we walked towards the bag drop at the stunning Piaza Santa Maria Novella. We did a good amount of sitting watching everyone run about before getting into position towards the back, shivering a little under our grey bin bags. Walking to the start line out of stubbornness whilst others ran, we wished each other luck and got going on our respective journeys. There was a reasonable amount of space between the runners in the early part which was a pleasant surprise as we travelled north up Via de Martelli, over a roundabout and past the University. I bid farewell to Ben and settled into a mid-paced jog of around 9-9.30 min/miles. I knew that he would be going slower but with less stops than I'd planned, my prediction that we'd come in at a similar time would be surprisingly accurate. There were a fair few runners relieving themselves on trees and in bushes watching out for the well-armed local police. It was chilly but with the sun coming out I still found myself aiming for the shade of the trees lining the road and weaving around an assorted selection of walkers, guided blind-runners and shuffling older gents (those guys are always so impressive).
A fairly sharp right turn took the runners around another very picturesque roundabout at Piazzolo Donatella before going past the stunning Piazza Della Liberta, a very French looking arch that once marked the most northerly part of the city. I felt pretty good at this point, the knee was strapped well and not causing any pain so far, I wasn't thinking about what lay ahead, just that I'd get to the finish by hook or by crook. Next up we passed a fortress which wasn't as impressive as it sounds, over two sets of railway lines and through the first water station where I grabbed a bottle even though I probably didn't need one at that point. Next up was my favourite part of the race where we ran through a collection of parks including Prato Del Quercione with the leading female in the race coming back the other way and I gave her a clap. There was a little street splitting off Cascine Park dedicated to Florence Nightingale, a revered nurse who had M.E herself in later years. Out of the park and around a corner I saw a guy lying on the ground with a bleeding head who'd obviously taken a nasty trip. I asked the people tending to him if they needed help but they waved me on and I pointed him out to the marshals up ahead.
Middle
The route then crossed the River Arno for the first time over Ponte Alla Vittoria and after a short while there were fantastic views on the left hand side as we headed back towards the centre of the city. We passed 3 bridges and then the huge and magnificent Palazzo Pitti Palace which had hundreds of people sat on the slopes outside cheering on the runners. I managed to message Fabio to let him know we were nearly at the iconic Ponte Vecchio where he said he would be trying to catch us. There was a really nice buzz around this part as we approached halfway though I couldn't pick Fabio out of the crowd as we veered right so he let me know he'd try us again when we came back through towards the end. Ben and I had walked over Ponte Vecchio the day before with all of its jewellery shops -not a part of the city we'd ever take our wives to we joked. I'd learnt that until the late 1500's it had an abundance of butcher shops on it who would throw any unsellable meaty parts into the river turning it into a putrid red mess; my mind drifted to this thinking about what it would be like.
I'd got to halfway in 2hrs 10 or so and was OK with that given the training and injuries (I'd normally aim for 1.45-1.50) and we crossed another couple of bridges before arriving as the beautiful gothic cathedral Basilica Di Santa Croce with its Florentine white panelling. We did a quick loop of this area before heading back to the river and towards the eastern part of the city. It was here that I saw Ben on one of the many switchbacks and we did our usual epic high-five, he wasn't more than 5-10 minutes behind me. The local fire department had sprinklers out and I ran through, it was definitely feeling warm as I rang out my headband. I saw a few UK Macmillan charity runners and said hi, we exchanged a couple of euro marathon race recommendations before I dropped into a water station for a tasty orange jam tart and a banana. There was a band playing enthusiastically as we headed towards the ACF Fiorentina football stadium but I couldn't make out the tune so jumped back into my Rolling Stones playlist. Coming away from that area, the course threw up a few inclines, one in particular that had me cursing getting onto the bridge, more nice views of the river and city though so not the end of the world!
End
After a fairly dull couple of miles running parallel to the railway line we got into the Firenze Marathon athletics track and did half a lap which was pretty cool. Ben and I had walked over to Fiorentina's home ground the day before whilst at the expo and couldn't see a great deal of the inside, as was the case today, I was just about able to pick out the purple seats. It was fair to say I was struggling a fair bit now. I'd done well I thought to get to 18 miles without too much difficulty but the knee was panging a bit and I'd run out of energy. I chucked a gel down my throat with an accompaniment of ibuprofen and trudged on dropping to 10-10.30 a mile; no problem I thought, still under my loose target of 5 hrs. The course headed back west towards all the landmarks and a I shared my location on WhatsApp with Fabio hoping he'd managed to find a sitting spot in the sun or a cafe somewhere. 3 miles to go and I saw Fabio up ahead along the river from Ponte Vecchio. I stopped for a quick chat, selfie and salty sweaty hug before chugging on towards the built up old town. A pretty frustrating bit of spaghetti streets in the centre followed where we could hear runners finishing over the tannoy but still had a couple of miles left! It was fun running through the narrow lanes though as people sat outside of the bars raised their glasses whilst another DJ did his best to keep us moving along.
I was down to running 2 songs on my playlist then dropping down to walk for 1 minute, an emergency trick I'd used a few times in order to keep going. The last mile before the finish was a bit of a mess to be honest as so many people were wandering onto the course and running the gauntlet from side to side getting in the way. I nearly knocked one of them over and wasn't best pleased but it pretty much always happens in the smaller races. I could see the finish up ahead and I knew I'd be well inside 5 hours even if I walked so I was very relieved to see the epic monster of the Duomo and the start of the blue finish line carpet. I got over the line with a fist pump, pure relief after the last few weeks. I met Fabio at the exit and we only waited a few minutes for Ben before hopping into a kiosk to buy a couple of beers and back to the bag pickup for photos in the sun. That was a pretty awesome course, perfect running weather and one I'd actually like to run again, well done Florence.
Weather
Nippy start of 8C rising to about 15C towards the end but definitely felt a little warmer with the cloudless sky and sun in our faces.
Ratings
Course: 8/10 - Superb mix of old town, riverside, lap of the stadium and Ponte Vecchio bridge. Support over 80% of the course.
Expo: 8/10 - Large hall with a nice buzz, well organised and plenty of stands. Not much for food/lunch and a bit of a trek.
Support: 8/10 - Plenty of people out on a sunny day, bands, djs, fireman with sprays etc.
Refreshments: 9/10 - Frequent water stops, gels, isotonic, biscuits, orange marmalade tarts, bananas, apples, tea, oranges.
Goodie Bag: 7/10 - Nice t-shirt, blister plasters, gels, lots of leaflets, nice drawstring bag.
Medal & Pics: 7/10 - Unusual rainbow tower medal with nice ribbon. 11Euros per photo was very steep.
Time Completed: 4hrs 52 mins.
BERGEN MARATHON (29.04.23)
I'd been looking forward to visiting Norway since I started running in 2015. As they weren't in the EU I knew I was always going to leave that visit for a good while but the opportunity to run in Bergen and visit the scientists working on ME trials at Haukeland Hospital was too good to refuse. Before I set off for Norway I was lucky to be featured on 2 podcasts about my running, one with Running Tales and one with the Norwegian ME Association. I also managed to interview 2 people with ME living in Norway; Kristine Nilsen Oma and Luna Anette -here's what they told me.
I landed in Bergen on the Thursday afternoon (race start Saturday 8am) and was lucky to get some sunshine to explore Bryggen and the harbour area. I took the light rail to Haukeland and had a sandwich and an hour's chat with Profs Mella, Fluge, Elme, Tronstad and Dyrstad. They told me about a very small pilot study that they're working on with a cancer drug that is showing promise, just funding required to scale it up and see if it works. From there I took the cable car to the top of Mount Ulriken and had a hot chocolate and Skillingsboller (Norwegian cinammon roll) as it snowed outside, absolutely breathtaking views of Bergen and nearby fjords.
After I had got back to the hotel I felt pretty shattered and my glands were up. I barely had enough energy to go out to get dinner and started feeling pretty rough. A feverish, sleepless night followed and when I eventually woke up to force down 2 bananas and some pastries I had a throbbing headache and couldn't stop sweating. I trundled over to the start through driving rain without an old jumper or coat and tried to wake up my fingers. I had a quick call with Cat and Lucy at home but couldn't really hear them over the on-stage warm-up next to the start line. Only 300 marathon runners or so, it felt like a small race and there was some decent support at the start despite the nasty conditions.
Start
After withstanding some serious shivering the race got started at 8am as the rain briefly stopped. Runing away from the centre and stunning Bryggen area with its colourful wooden facades the course passed through Beffen Bradbenken, a ferry point followed by the working dockyard. The crowd was fairly bunched up but there was soon space to get into a rhythm as the course entered the first 2 flat miles before the inclines began. There was some light snow flurries as the route weaved about on Bontelabo street before beginning to climb just aft Sandviksveien through Gamle Bergen; an open-air museum consisting of 50 houses around a town square, pretty cool. I grabbed a half-filled cup of water at an aid station here and started to attack the first hill which was a switch-back at Nyhavnsveien with another one just below the psychiatric clinic. A brass band hiding under a marquee accompanied a pretty steep climb that I knew I wouldn't look forward to later on lap 2, it just went on and on and I could now see the sea and docks of Bergen from above. Despite the fact it was 2c I started to feel quite hot in my own head, whatever virus/illness my body was fighting, it was not appreciating the quickened breaths on the hills. I was the only one I could see in just a t-shirt and shorts, perhaps a mistake as my body was working hard to keep warm and deal with the endurance but nothing I could do now, at least my fingers were waking up a bit!
After another corner the course joined Fjellveien which was a really pretty tree-lined path that felt more trail than road and there was some scattered support from people outside their houses shouting 'hei hei' (hello I think). Fjellveien is a 4km trail popular with hikers that skirts Mount Floyen and there were a few people out and about now that the snowy rain had stopped cheering the runners through. More elevation along the path and the rain was back but I knew we were near the highest point and there would be some decent downill towards Haukeland. Fjellveien gave way to tidy suburbs and things quickened up as the downhills brought relief and I felt strong. Some more twisty cornering before running through the garden yard of Sosterhjemmet and another aid station where I grabbed some banana pieces and dark chocolate. I ran around the front of Haukeland hospital and past the graveyard, up another small hill where there was some enthusiastic marshalling before another drop towards the Kronstad district on the western side of the city. Skirting Store Lungegårdsvannet, a giant (disappointingly non-picturesque) lake it got pretty windy as we ran in a cycle lane up to a traffic cone switchback at the massive swimming pool ADO Arena. About 10 miles done in 1hr 30, not too bad given the climb and my fragile head but I knew I was in for a tough day as more cold driving rain arrived.
Middle
I grabbed more water and chocolate at Nonnekloppen bridge and rang out my sodden headband, it was kind of working but maybe today it just made my head feel heavier! Running under a bridge I had to vault over some massive puddles before a quick lap of a smart looking marina and a thumbs up from the policemen by the park at Nygårdsparken. The track climbed back onto a residential street before dropping down towards through the port area which was a pretty boring section with no crowds and lots of car parks. Over a little footbridge near Nostegaten there were some girls doing acrobatics before the course re-joined the road. The right-hand turn at Munkebekksmauet made me laugh out-loud as it was a very sharp incline up a cobbled street, I dropped down to a walk alongside everyone around me. Now outside my hotel on the 12th mile it was pretty tempting to run in and hide! The path went up again before reaching a school, another water station and then the really nice downhill lap of the peninsula that I'd seen for the sunset on Thursday at Nordnesparken. Up again and then straight down what felt like an endless mile down Strandgaten with all its shops and bars before curving around the harbour to the start/finish line.
I saw Linda in the crowd cheering my name as the 300 or so marathon runners were sent off onto the pavement as the masses of the half marathon race were on the start line waiting to start their race. I nervously kept looking back at them, fully expecting the leaders to accelerate and potentially push through the 20 or so marathon runners that I had around me. They set off and I moved over to the far right hand side so as not to get swept up/hurt and the second lap began. No rain at the start of this lap and the legs felt OK, hips a little tight but everything working fine. Back through the harbour bit and up on to Fjellveien and all the elevation, I got to about 15 miles and felt a bit sick so stopped for a bit and walked whilst I tried to calm my mind. After a few minutes I got back up to a jog, threw some water over my head and changed up the playlist to my 80's classics. Having got around the half marathon in around 2 hrs I didn't feel like I had the energy to repeat that time and I'd instead just try to get around in one piece. There were quite a few (recently started) half marathon runners down to a walk up the hills which I found a bit distracting, it definitely influenced me a fair bit to drop to a walk/run.
End
Downhill towards the hospital once more and it started hammering it down again and there was loads of water flowing down the street! I got to about 19 miles and leg parts were starting to hurt; mostly my problematic right hip and right calf. Past the graveyard and I started adopting Paula Radcliffe's strategy of counting to 100 and starting again (it works trust me). I started trying to calculate potential finish times and think about what I'd be ordering for dinner later and trudged on. As the course returned back to the Arstad borough of the city I was running for 2 songs then walking for 2 minutes and still getting 11 minute average miles which wasn't too disgraceful. It stopped raining with about 3 miles to go and there was a little bit of sunshine (still around 5-6c), a few more people were out on the course cheering on the finishers and I started to do battle with a few other runners around me as we overtook each other regularly.
Once more through the marina and docks I felt pretty done, down to a slow jog and trying to distract my brain from wanting to walk. It was pretty windy and I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere but it was nice to get another look across the water at Nordnesparken. Strandgaten took an eternity again and there were a lot of finished runners walking back in the opposite direction and it gave me a little lift to see the medal I'd be getting shortly. Just 300 metres left and I just decided to push it and try to run fast, I had a tiny bit left in the tank. The crowd at Bryggen were pretty great and there were more 'hei hei's' as I picked up the pace and sprinted towards the line. I didn't have much left to do anything other than clench my fist and stop my watch as I picked up the medal and a bottle of water. I was delighted to have got it done in such rotten weather, feeling well below par and with elevation 3-4 times greater than my usual city races. I met Linda and Martine in the Brian Boru Irish pub around the corner, amazing to have supporters there cheering me on. That one was for Ane, Katrine and Luna Anette along with the people of Norway with ME.
Weather
4 seasons in one day. Heavy rain at the start, 2c followed by hail, light snow, regular downpours and the occasional peek of sunshine. Didn't climb above 4-5c all day.
Ratings
Course: 7/10 - A tough one to score. The 3 miles of hills at the start were very challenging but beautiful.
Expo: 4/10 - The Vikingshallen was a town hall with a handful of running gear stands but no real buzz or variety.
Support: 6/10 - Decent at the start/finish and occasional in the built up areas but largely not many people around, the harsh weather no doubt a big factor!
Refreshments: 7/10 - Well spaced and frequent, cardboard cups of water, sports drink, banana pieces, dark chocolate. Well organised.
Goodie Bag: 7/10 - Really nice training t-shirt, handful of leaflets, nice big orange drawstring bag.
Medal & Pics: 8/10 - Nice turquoise ribbon and intricate city-scape of Bergen on the medal. Speedy photos, c£7 each.
Time Completed: 5 hrs 07 mins, run info here.
I landed in Bergen on the Thursday afternoon (race start Saturday 8am) and was lucky to get some sunshine to explore Bryggen and the harbour area. I took the light rail to Haukeland and had a sandwich and an hour's chat with Profs Mella, Fluge, Elme, Tronstad and Dyrstad. They told me about a very small pilot study that they're working on with a cancer drug that is showing promise, just funding required to scale it up and see if it works. From there I took the cable car to the top of Mount Ulriken and had a hot chocolate and Skillingsboller (Norwegian cinammon roll) as it snowed outside, absolutely breathtaking views of Bergen and nearby fjords.
After I had got back to the hotel I felt pretty shattered and my glands were up. I barely had enough energy to go out to get dinner and started feeling pretty rough. A feverish, sleepless night followed and when I eventually woke up to force down 2 bananas and some pastries I had a throbbing headache and couldn't stop sweating. I trundled over to the start through driving rain without an old jumper or coat and tried to wake up my fingers. I had a quick call with Cat and Lucy at home but couldn't really hear them over the on-stage warm-up next to the start line. Only 300 marathon runners or so, it felt like a small race and there was some decent support at the start despite the nasty conditions.
Start
After withstanding some serious shivering the race got started at 8am as the rain briefly stopped. Runing away from the centre and stunning Bryggen area with its colourful wooden facades the course passed through Beffen Bradbenken, a ferry point followed by the working dockyard. The crowd was fairly bunched up but there was soon space to get into a rhythm as the course entered the first 2 flat miles before the inclines began. There was some light snow flurries as the route weaved about on Bontelabo street before beginning to climb just aft Sandviksveien through Gamle Bergen; an open-air museum consisting of 50 houses around a town square, pretty cool. I grabbed a half-filled cup of water at an aid station here and started to attack the first hill which was a switch-back at Nyhavnsveien with another one just below the psychiatric clinic. A brass band hiding under a marquee accompanied a pretty steep climb that I knew I wouldn't look forward to later on lap 2, it just went on and on and I could now see the sea and docks of Bergen from above. Despite the fact it was 2c I started to feel quite hot in my own head, whatever virus/illness my body was fighting, it was not appreciating the quickened breaths on the hills. I was the only one I could see in just a t-shirt and shorts, perhaps a mistake as my body was working hard to keep warm and deal with the endurance but nothing I could do now, at least my fingers were waking up a bit!
After another corner the course joined Fjellveien which was a really pretty tree-lined path that felt more trail than road and there was some scattered support from people outside their houses shouting 'hei hei' (hello I think). Fjellveien is a 4km trail popular with hikers that skirts Mount Floyen and there were a few people out and about now that the snowy rain had stopped cheering the runners through. More elevation along the path and the rain was back but I knew we were near the highest point and there would be some decent downill towards Haukeland. Fjellveien gave way to tidy suburbs and things quickened up as the downhills brought relief and I felt strong. Some more twisty cornering before running through the garden yard of Sosterhjemmet and another aid station where I grabbed some banana pieces and dark chocolate. I ran around the front of Haukeland hospital and past the graveyard, up another small hill where there was some enthusiastic marshalling before another drop towards the Kronstad district on the western side of the city. Skirting Store Lungegårdsvannet, a giant (disappointingly non-picturesque) lake it got pretty windy as we ran in a cycle lane up to a traffic cone switchback at the massive swimming pool ADO Arena. About 10 miles done in 1hr 30, not too bad given the climb and my fragile head but I knew I was in for a tough day as more cold driving rain arrived.
Middle
I grabbed more water and chocolate at Nonnekloppen bridge and rang out my sodden headband, it was kind of working but maybe today it just made my head feel heavier! Running under a bridge I had to vault over some massive puddles before a quick lap of a smart looking marina and a thumbs up from the policemen by the park at Nygårdsparken. The track climbed back onto a residential street before dropping down towards through the port area which was a pretty boring section with no crowds and lots of car parks. Over a little footbridge near Nostegaten there were some girls doing acrobatics before the course re-joined the road. The right-hand turn at Munkebekksmauet made me laugh out-loud as it was a very sharp incline up a cobbled street, I dropped down to a walk alongside everyone around me. Now outside my hotel on the 12th mile it was pretty tempting to run in and hide! The path went up again before reaching a school, another water station and then the really nice downhill lap of the peninsula that I'd seen for the sunset on Thursday at Nordnesparken. Up again and then straight down what felt like an endless mile down Strandgaten with all its shops and bars before curving around the harbour to the start/finish line.
I saw Linda in the crowd cheering my name as the 300 or so marathon runners were sent off onto the pavement as the masses of the half marathon race were on the start line waiting to start their race. I nervously kept looking back at them, fully expecting the leaders to accelerate and potentially push through the 20 or so marathon runners that I had around me. They set off and I moved over to the far right hand side so as not to get swept up/hurt and the second lap began. No rain at the start of this lap and the legs felt OK, hips a little tight but everything working fine. Back through the harbour bit and up on to Fjellveien and all the elevation, I got to about 15 miles and felt a bit sick so stopped for a bit and walked whilst I tried to calm my mind. After a few minutes I got back up to a jog, threw some water over my head and changed up the playlist to my 80's classics. Having got around the half marathon in around 2 hrs I didn't feel like I had the energy to repeat that time and I'd instead just try to get around in one piece. There were quite a few (recently started) half marathon runners down to a walk up the hills which I found a bit distracting, it definitely influenced me a fair bit to drop to a walk/run.
End
Downhill towards the hospital once more and it started hammering it down again and there was loads of water flowing down the street! I got to about 19 miles and leg parts were starting to hurt; mostly my problematic right hip and right calf. Past the graveyard and I started adopting Paula Radcliffe's strategy of counting to 100 and starting again (it works trust me). I started trying to calculate potential finish times and think about what I'd be ordering for dinner later and trudged on. As the course returned back to the Arstad borough of the city I was running for 2 songs then walking for 2 minutes and still getting 11 minute average miles which wasn't too disgraceful. It stopped raining with about 3 miles to go and there was a little bit of sunshine (still around 5-6c), a few more people were out on the course cheering on the finishers and I started to do battle with a few other runners around me as we overtook each other regularly.
Once more through the marina and docks I felt pretty done, down to a slow jog and trying to distract my brain from wanting to walk. It was pretty windy and I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere but it was nice to get another look across the water at Nordnesparken. Strandgaten took an eternity again and there were a lot of finished runners walking back in the opposite direction and it gave me a little lift to see the medal I'd be getting shortly. Just 300 metres left and I just decided to push it and try to run fast, I had a tiny bit left in the tank. The crowd at Bryggen were pretty great and there were more 'hei hei's' as I picked up the pace and sprinted towards the line. I didn't have much left to do anything other than clench my fist and stop my watch as I picked up the medal and a bottle of water. I was delighted to have got it done in such rotten weather, feeling well below par and with elevation 3-4 times greater than my usual city races. I met Linda and Martine in the Brian Boru Irish pub around the corner, amazing to have supporters there cheering me on. That one was for Ane, Katrine and Luna Anette along with the people of Norway with ME.
Weather
4 seasons in one day. Heavy rain at the start, 2c followed by hail, light snow, regular downpours and the occasional peek of sunshine. Didn't climb above 4-5c all day.
Ratings
Course: 7/10 - A tough one to score. The 3 miles of hills at the start were very challenging but beautiful.
Expo: 4/10 - The Vikingshallen was a town hall with a handful of running gear stands but no real buzz or variety.
Support: 6/10 - Decent at the start/finish and occasional in the built up areas but largely not many people around, the harsh weather no doubt a big factor!
Refreshments: 7/10 - Well spaced and frequent, cardboard cups of water, sports drink, banana pieces, dark chocolate. Well organised.
Goodie Bag: 7/10 - Really nice training t-shirt, handful of leaflets, nice big orange drawstring bag.
Medal & Pics: 8/10 - Nice turquoise ribbon and intricate city-scape of Bergen on the medal. Speedy photos, c£7 each.
Time Completed: 5 hrs 07 mins, run info here.
LUCERNE MARATHON (29.10.23)
Having passed though Switzerland in 2022 to run Liechtenstein Marathon, the pull of the lakes and mountains was proving strong and I couldn't wait to come back and run Runner's World's most picturesque Half Marathon (twice!) in Lucerne. I'd trained pretty hard after my flu/Covid-ridden race in Norway 6 months prior and despite persistent knee niggles I felt reasonably confident that I'd give a good account of myself. I interviewed Gary from near Zurich who told me about his struggles with ME in Switzerland (read here) and got chatting to Nicole and GraceMarie at Verein ME/CFS Schweiz who were keen to help me raise the profile of the illness.
After some plane delays, I landed at Zurich and took the train to Lucerne meeting my running buddy Mark for dinner and beers. The day before the race we took the world's steepest cog railway to the top of Mount Pilatus (2000m) with it's breathtaking view of the Swiss Alps and Alphorn players. We had an affordable pasta meal, a futile walk to find chocolate and 9 hours sleep (making the most of the clocks going back). No bananas at the 6am breakfast so I loaded up on scrambled eggs and pastries before a chilly walk to catch the ship shuttle across the lake to the start line. It certainly was an awesome way to arrive at a race. I chatted to Cat and the kids from the deck and showed them the stunning sunrise view of the massive Lake Lucerne. After an hour of keeping warm in the Museum of Transport Mark and I parted ways and I took my place in my starting pen.
Start
The race began to a countdown in German from 10 and a fair amount of jostling for the first 300 metres or so. The weather was cool and there wasn't much of a breeze. I felt pretty good, a little anxious that the first mile was too slow with all the weaving and bunching but happy steadily catching the 4.30, 4.15 and 4 hour pacers along Haldenstrasse. The course took us back towards the town past a feathered up samba band and an enthusiastic crowd behind the barriers outside the race Expo. Over Seebrucke bridge and it was difficult to decide whether to look over at the iconic wooden Chapel Bridge or the lake but even though I'd taken hundreds of photos of it since I arrived, I settled on Europe's oldest covered bridge and water tower shrouded in pink flowers (14th century). Past the tourist ships by KKL Luzern (a massive concert hall we'd run through later) and down Werfstrasse I was running pretty solid well inside PB pace and feeling good. It was a relief given the knee issues I'd had and the fact that I hadn't run long for 3 weeks but as ever, I had no idea how long that could last.
I was expecting a couple of reasonably steep hills but what presented itself on mile 4 was pretty mad. I hustled up this one but knew it was going to be a problem on lap 2 after 2 hours of running. Fortunately this time around the downill was long and offset the slow ascent nicely so it wasn't too bad but I knew there was another one on the way. My watch seemed to have lost satellites for a few minutes and was telling me I was going much slower than I knew I was, I hoped that wouldn't mean that I'd be short of the marathon distance at the end. In keeping with tradition I was wearing a national football shirt of the country I was running in, so I had many calls of 'Hop Schweiz' on the way round and the odd 'Hop Mike'.
Middle
The peninsula at Horw was breathtaking, I actually had a bit of a lump in my throat running alongside the beautiful lake to the left and mountains ahead. I tried to capture it on my phone as I was running but of course I didn't do it justice. The outlying houses tracking the lake at St Niklausen and Kastanienbaum were classical wooden alpine ones with shutters, some with a small stables and a field. I grabbed plenty of water as the course turned right towards Horw village but I was starting to overheat a bit. Mark came running by me and we did a quick high five, he was motoring along really well, probably about 10-15 minutes ahead at this point. There was a slight incline to climb a small bridge and then the route tracked the rail track before running round a traffic cone for the switchback. This was probably the dullest part of the race in truth, only livened up by a brief stint past a large log pile. I grabbed some banana pieces, drank an electrolyte pouch that I was carrying on my bottle belt and continued at a steady speed across a railway line with allotments, sheds and a family having a barbecue.
Next up was a run through FC Luzern's football stadium which was pretty cool. The Swissporarena is only 12 years old and a cute 18,000 capacity but it has a solar farm on top of it with over 7000 panels providing energy to the local area! Gold in colour from the outside, with a mass of blue seats on the inside, it was fun to run around 2 edges of it on the astroturf just next to the pitch with maybe 100 spectators cheering, as well as a video screen and PA blaring out names as the runners came by. Out through the stadium, through some unremarkable car parks, a flyover and up towards central Lucerne I was making decent time still and chucking water over my head at every opportunity. I could hear the blaring euro-pop of the Culture and Congress Centre by the docks and soon enough I was running through there on a wide red carpet with inflatable arches and dazzling disco lights. It was a bit weird after the tranquility back by the lake but kind of fun, especially as strong gusts of wind were making the carpet rise and waft at points. Running across light cobbles before crossing at Reussbrucke, there was a good view of Chapel Bridge to the right and the even older wooden bridge at Spreuerbrucke.
End
I ran back past the imperious Schweizerhof Hotel having crossed a couple of small squares in the old-town and the pretty pink and blue clock tower at Burgerstrasse. There was another traffic cone turn-around at the halfway point at Hofkirche, a Renaissance style catholic church with two towers and curved rooftops. I put in my earphones at this point and spent the next few miles listening to a weird combo of Elton John, Metallica and Sam Fender as I could feel my pace drop a bit from 8.15 mins per mile to 9 mins per mile. I wasn't looking forward to a repeat of the hill at mile 16/17 and found it pretty tough shuffling up it and trying to pick up the legs down the other side. I overtook 4 firefighters in full kit with breathing apparatus on and an old lady running the Half who must have been in her 80's, amazing. Back out towards the lake it was very tempting to jump in for a bit but I kept restrained and chomped on another energy gel and threw another paper cup of water over my head and wrists. I got to 20 miles in around 3 hours, I knew that the chance of PB was over really but decided to make sure I got under 4hrs 15 mins which would still be my best for 2 years and good use of my training. To do that I'd have to make sure that if I walked up the hills, I had to get good speed down them. I high-fived 7 girls who were cheering the runners dressed in inflatable dolphin costumes, not sure what that was about. We were also treated to more longhorns, large cowbell ringing and accordions out by the river along with a DJ playing 'You Shook Me All Night Long' by ACDC (the only song of theirs I like).
Back around the edge of the lake, this time without the log pile switchback and through the stadium once more. I knew there was only 3 miles or so to go and felt pretty slow, I wasn't stopping much or walking a lot but I was passed by the 4 hr 15 mins pacer who I thought was well ahead of where he should be. I got hit by a half full water cup in the face at one station here, the lady was apologetic -she was aiming for the bag bin. A timely wake up call to get a move on maybe! The half marathon runners were powering by as I got within 1 mile of the finish, always a bit disconcerting but not their fault I guess. The last mile along Haldenstrasse took forever. Finally at the Transport Museum (Switzerland's most popular apparently), I ran through the building, then through the fuselage of a jumbo jet, overtaking the 4 hr 15 pacers in a sort of sprint and over the line. I found Mark at the finish and Nicole, Cornelia and Patrick, all Swiss residents from the ME community who came to cheer me on. We went for a beer and some schnitzel and chatted about ME, Swiss Politics and Trip-hop before heading back to the hotel for a shower and into the Irish bars for many pints and football matches.
Weather
Starting at around 10c rising to 18/19c. Sunshine and light cloud throughout and the occasional breeze.
Ratings
Course: 9/10 - City centre, leafy suburbs, gorgeous lakes and mountains all around, views were breathtaking at times.
Expo: 6/10 - Inside the very grand Hotel Schweizerhof. A few stands, nice bustle but all a bit cramped.
Support: 8/10 - Excellent in the built up areas, alphorns, brass bands, samba, lone accordions and plenty of signs, kids high-fiving etc.
Refreshments: 5/10 - Water in carboard cups (a third full), sports drink, banana pieces and biscuit.
Goodie Bag: 4/10 - Leaflets, 'digital offers', free beer and pasta voucher, white t-shirt that was a bit see-through, pretty uninspiring.
Medal & Pics: 8/10 - Chunky gold medal with nice ribbon. Only 7 pics and no video highlights (for me), 1 free pic voucher code.
Time Completed: 4 hrs 13 mins - race info here
After some plane delays, I landed at Zurich and took the train to Lucerne meeting my running buddy Mark for dinner and beers. The day before the race we took the world's steepest cog railway to the top of Mount Pilatus (2000m) with it's breathtaking view of the Swiss Alps and Alphorn players. We had an affordable pasta meal, a futile walk to find chocolate and 9 hours sleep (making the most of the clocks going back). No bananas at the 6am breakfast so I loaded up on scrambled eggs and pastries before a chilly walk to catch the ship shuttle across the lake to the start line. It certainly was an awesome way to arrive at a race. I chatted to Cat and the kids from the deck and showed them the stunning sunrise view of the massive Lake Lucerne. After an hour of keeping warm in the Museum of Transport Mark and I parted ways and I took my place in my starting pen.
Start
The race began to a countdown in German from 10 and a fair amount of jostling for the first 300 metres or so. The weather was cool and there wasn't much of a breeze. I felt pretty good, a little anxious that the first mile was too slow with all the weaving and bunching but happy steadily catching the 4.30, 4.15 and 4 hour pacers along Haldenstrasse. The course took us back towards the town past a feathered up samba band and an enthusiastic crowd behind the barriers outside the race Expo. Over Seebrucke bridge and it was difficult to decide whether to look over at the iconic wooden Chapel Bridge or the lake but even though I'd taken hundreds of photos of it since I arrived, I settled on Europe's oldest covered bridge and water tower shrouded in pink flowers (14th century). Past the tourist ships by KKL Luzern (a massive concert hall we'd run through later) and down Werfstrasse I was running pretty solid well inside PB pace and feeling good. It was a relief given the knee issues I'd had and the fact that I hadn't run long for 3 weeks but as ever, I had no idea how long that could last.
I was expecting a couple of reasonably steep hills but what presented itself on mile 4 was pretty mad. I hustled up this one but knew it was going to be a problem on lap 2 after 2 hours of running. Fortunately this time around the downill was long and offset the slow ascent nicely so it wasn't too bad but I knew there was another one on the way. My watch seemed to have lost satellites for a few minutes and was telling me I was going much slower than I knew I was, I hoped that wouldn't mean that I'd be short of the marathon distance at the end. In keeping with tradition I was wearing a national football shirt of the country I was running in, so I had many calls of 'Hop Schweiz' on the way round and the odd 'Hop Mike'.
Middle
The peninsula at Horw was breathtaking, I actually had a bit of a lump in my throat running alongside the beautiful lake to the left and mountains ahead. I tried to capture it on my phone as I was running but of course I didn't do it justice. The outlying houses tracking the lake at St Niklausen and Kastanienbaum were classical wooden alpine ones with shutters, some with a small stables and a field. I grabbed plenty of water as the course turned right towards Horw village but I was starting to overheat a bit. Mark came running by me and we did a quick high five, he was motoring along really well, probably about 10-15 minutes ahead at this point. There was a slight incline to climb a small bridge and then the route tracked the rail track before running round a traffic cone for the switchback. This was probably the dullest part of the race in truth, only livened up by a brief stint past a large log pile. I grabbed some banana pieces, drank an electrolyte pouch that I was carrying on my bottle belt and continued at a steady speed across a railway line with allotments, sheds and a family having a barbecue.
Next up was a run through FC Luzern's football stadium which was pretty cool. The Swissporarena is only 12 years old and a cute 18,000 capacity but it has a solar farm on top of it with over 7000 panels providing energy to the local area! Gold in colour from the outside, with a mass of blue seats on the inside, it was fun to run around 2 edges of it on the astroturf just next to the pitch with maybe 100 spectators cheering, as well as a video screen and PA blaring out names as the runners came by. Out through the stadium, through some unremarkable car parks, a flyover and up towards central Lucerne I was making decent time still and chucking water over my head at every opportunity. I could hear the blaring euro-pop of the Culture and Congress Centre by the docks and soon enough I was running through there on a wide red carpet with inflatable arches and dazzling disco lights. It was a bit weird after the tranquility back by the lake but kind of fun, especially as strong gusts of wind were making the carpet rise and waft at points. Running across light cobbles before crossing at Reussbrucke, there was a good view of Chapel Bridge to the right and the even older wooden bridge at Spreuerbrucke.
End
I ran back past the imperious Schweizerhof Hotel having crossed a couple of small squares in the old-town and the pretty pink and blue clock tower at Burgerstrasse. There was another traffic cone turn-around at the halfway point at Hofkirche, a Renaissance style catholic church with two towers and curved rooftops. I put in my earphones at this point and spent the next few miles listening to a weird combo of Elton John, Metallica and Sam Fender as I could feel my pace drop a bit from 8.15 mins per mile to 9 mins per mile. I wasn't looking forward to a repeat of the hill at mile 16/17 and found it pretty tough shuffling up it and trying to pick up the legs down the other side. I overtook 4 firefighters in full kit with breathing apparatus on and an old lady running the Half who must have been in her 80's, amazing. Back out towards the lake it was very tempting to jump in for a bit but I kept restrained and chomped on another energy gel and threw another paper cup of water over my head and wrists. I got to 20 miles in around 3 hours, I knew that the chance of PB was over really but decided to make sure I got under 4hrs 15 mins which would still be my best for 2 years and good use of my training. To do that I'd have to make sure that if I walked up the hills, I had to get good speed down them. I high-fived 7 girls who were cheering the runners dressed in inflatable dolphin costumes, not sure what that was about. We were also treated to more longhorns, large cowbell ringing and accordions out by the river along with a DJ playing 'You Shook Me All Night Long' by ACDC (the only song of theirs I like).
Back around the edge of the lake, this time without the log pile switchback and through the stadium once more. I knew there was only 3 miles or so to go and felt pretty slow, I wasn't stopping much or walking a lot but I was passed by the 4 hr 15 mins pacer who I thought was well ahead of where he should be. I got hit by a half full water cup in the face at one station here, the lady was apologetic -she was aiming for the bag bin. A timely wake up call to get a move on maybe! The half marathon runners were powering by as I got within 1 mile of the finish, always a bit disconcerting but not their fault I guess. The last mile along Haldenstrasse took forever. Finally at the Transport Museum (Switzerland's most popular apparently), I ran through the building, then through the fuselage of a jumbo jet, overtaking the 4 hr 15 pacers in a sort of sprint and over the line. I found Mark at the finish and Nicole, Cornelia and Patrick, all Swiss residents from the ME community who came to cheer me on. We went for a beer and some schnitzel and chatted about ME, Swiss Politics and Trip-hop before heading back to the hotel for a shower and into the Irish bars for many pints and football matches.
Weather
Starting at around 10c rising to 18/19c. Sunshine and light cloud throughout and the occasional breeze.
Ratings
Course: 9/10 - City centre, leafy suburbs, gorgeous lakes and mountains all around, views were breathtaking at times.
Expo: 6/10 - Inside the very grand Hotel Schweizerhof. A few stands, nice bustle but all a bit cramped.
Support: 8/10 - Excellent in the built up areas, alphorns, brass bands, samba, lone accordions and plenty of signs, kids high-fiving etc.
Refreshments: 5/10 - Water in carboard cups (a third full), sports drink, banana pieces and biscuit.
Goodie Bag: 4/10 - Leaflets, 'digital offers', free beer and pasta voucher, white t-shirt that was a bit see-through, pretty uninspiring.
Medal & Pics: 8/10 - Chunky gold medal with nice ribbon. Only 7 pics and no video highlights (for me), 1 free pic voucher code.
Time Completed: 4 hrs 13 mins - race info here