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.