Marathon 11/15 Virtual London Marathon in Poole: The one I ran (swam) with Keith

Pre-race photo. The calm before the storm before the storm! 

It had been only 15 days since the previous marathon in the New Forest, but the legs had recovered well and I was feeling good ahead of the Virtual London marathon. I had arranged to run this one in Poole, with my friend Keith, who like Pete last month would be another marathon debutant. Poor Keith had set out on this journey a year ago, training through the winter ready for the real London marathon in April, only for it to go the way of most other races this year and having to readjust his plans. With the new date set in the summer, Keith had restarted his training programme and was ready to join me in October around the streets of Poole. Originally we had planned to run from the New Forest down the coast through Bournemouth to Poole, but the storms of the previous few days meant some frantic rearranging on the day before. With 50mph+ winds predicted along the coast, we decided to remain more inland and to avoid the brunt of the storm, which was a south westerly and coming in off the Atlantic and up the Channel, so would have been directly in our faces. 

Syncing watches and apps and getting ready for the off

At the time of this marathon the rule of six was still in force, so I travelled down with Kev and Suzie along with their son Luca to meet Keith at Upton Country Park. Coincidentally this was the park where 23 years earlier I had proposed to Jayne, so there was an additional meaning behind the run, although it was not the focus of the day by any means. On a practical level it is only a mile from my parents’ house, and just down the road from Keith’s, so we both had a base to work from. We arrived at 8.50am, just a few minutes before our agreed scheduled start of 9am. I had loaded up the London Marathon App, which tracked our progress and every mile gave a pre-recorded celebratory cheer with voice over from Steve Cram and Paula Radcliffe, which was a great encouragement, albeit it always went off a third of a mile before we completed it! I guess it’s the thought that counts… After a quick warm up and obligatory photo, we were off, with Keith’s family on one side cheering on and Kev, Suzie and Luca on the other. 

First pit stop. Can I have a pint please? 

By the time we started we were already drenched, and a little bit trepidatious about the journey ahead. The first mile takes you through the park, down a path covered in slippy leaves to the main road and towards Poole Harbour. We had quite a few cheers in the first couple of miles, as car drivers and pedestrians alike encouraged the runners with their bibs on, and we saw other groups of VLM runners at various junctions along the way. There was a great sense of camaraderie and we felt good for the first few miles. Around the quayside, up past Poole Hospital and St Marys Church and to our first rendezvous at mile 6 with the support team at the Shah of Persia, a well known local hostelry. I’d have given anything to stop and have a pint but we kept going, with Suzie joining us up the long climb of Gravel Hill, with still more beeping cars and waving runners along the way. Keith and I kept each other at a steady 9 minute mile pace. 

Up Gravel Hill towards the second pitstop with Suzie 

We had agreed not to over-exert ourselves in the first half, but to keep a steady pace despite the rain and wind, and see where we were at 13 and 20 miles before deciding if we would really push for the 4 hour finish time or another target. In all honesty though we would be just happy to finish in one piece, given the atrocious conditions and the fact he had never run more than 21 miles before. We pushed up the long climb towards Merley and another pub, this time where we met Jayne and one of our daughters who had just arrived in Dorset, the other two having stayed back in Hampshire, and at this junction Suzie swapped with Kev and Luca and they joined me and Keith for the next 6 mile stretch back down to Upton via the attractive Castleman Trailway. We were sheltered under the trees and enjoyed chatting with Kev and Luca, and the time by we reach the end of the line we were back in Upton at the 15 mile mark. We stop briefly for Keith to nip indoors for high fives from his boys and we’re out on the road again, it’s absolutely lashing it down but we’re delighted to see my brother, his wife, their young daughter and Rio the German Shepherd to cheer us on along the main road, and are further boosted by stopping off at my parents’ house to say hi and for me to change a t-shirt and glug some Lucozade Sport. 

Through Poole Park at mile 19 - lovely surprise to see Keith's family cheering on

We trade Kev and Luca for Suzie again and away we go, onwards towards mile 20 and back into Poole around the quay again, through Poole Park where Keith's family give us an unexpected wave, remembering where the worst puddles were from the first time round! Up the hill to the Shah where Jayne joins us for the final push. There are less than 6 miles to go and Keith is now beyond the point of his longest ever run. He’s been a real inspiration, truly dedicated to the cause, and after following an exemplary training plan is still going strong. We aren’t going to break 4 hours but we won’t be far off it, as he’s not slowing down significantly. Keith is running for Child of Hope, which supports school children in Uganda by providing free education, healthcare, welfare, food and clothing to the poorest children in the Namatala slum near Mbale. Keith comments that he just can’t believe it’s all real, after all that training here he is on the final stretch of the marathon, still going strong and still chatting when he can. The breathing from both of us is getting a bit more laboured, whilst Jayne is fresh as a daisy, and together with Suzie encourages us to pick up our feet, to focus on breathing, and to keep our heads up. We cut over to the trailway again and turn for the last time towards Upton. 

Final couple of miles down the railway

We see more runners out and about, some walking, some running, some looking very professional and others dressed in fancy dress, just like the London Marathon itself, which is always a mix of the sublime and the ridiculous, all in a good cause. We cross the final roundabout and into the park, but with over half a mile to go we have to take a bit of a detour to make sure we cover all the mileage. Before long we here Steve Cram emanating from the app, congratulating us for finishing the marathon even though we’ve got 1/3 of a mile to go. But never mind, it’s part of the fun. We bank round to the side of Upton House where we are greeted by two groups of Keith's friends and family, cheering him over the line. Jayne, Suzie and I peel off so that he can take the flag, in fact his boys have made a finish tape which he bursts through, with the energy of a man who looks like he’s on mile 6 and not mile 26!! 

Amazing effort by Keith. The boys made him a finish line to run through! 

We have finished in 4 hours 5 minutes which is an extraordinary achievement for his first ever marathon. My parents and daughter join us shortly afterwards and after the obligatory photos we say our goodbyes to everyone. Again it is so hard not being able to touch, to give a high five or a hug to Keith or to our close friends, nor to my folks. It still feels so unnatural. This marathon felt different because of the dire weather. I had run in heavy rain before but nothing quite like this, so I’m absolutely delighted with the time, and above all that Keith did so well on his first marathon. 

Celebrating finishing 

I head back to my parents’ house for dinner and it’s great to catch up with them… it’s been so hard during lockdown not to meet frequently and not to hug when we do I’m absolutely freezing and in desperate need of a bath and a coffee. 

what a team! 

Soon afterwards it’s dinner time… is there anything more warming than a casserole made by your mum and a pint of beer poured by your dad? It’s been another great day of memories, and as we get back we find that the total raised has gone up to £3,750, so we are 75% of our way to the £5,000 target. Thank you so much to each and every one of our supporters, you have been magnificent, and driven us on. I learned a lot from my previous marathon about supporting those who were new to the race, running at their pace, maybe a step or two behind, to encourage them all the way and not to run my own race. Everyone's endurance race is different, be that a real marathon, living through lockdown, or a life of bereavement after baby loss. We can encourage them along the way but can't run it for them... Onwards then to marathon 12 in Exeter in November, where I hope to put the running bib on again with a race number. Having run the last two with someone the whole way round, it will be strange running solo again. It has been an absolute joy to share today’s journey, to raise awareness of Sands and to help a friend achieve their own goal too.

Back home with a pint of the favourite beer. The Golden Champion! 


The t shirt and medal which arrived three weeks later 

Marathon 10/15: New Forest: The one I ran with Pete

It was a strange feeling getting up on the morning of the 10th marathon of my 15 in 15 challenge. 

The previous three had been run in lockdown or near-lockdown conditions, and it was over 6 months since I had pinned on a race bib. 

I was feeling on good form, with plenty of mileage locked away from a summer of running both in Somerset and Yorkshire where we had enjoyed a family summer break, often up early whilst the rest of the family enjoyed their lie-in and downtime. Running along a canal or river path is downtime for me, and I’d loved one week in particular where I had completed more than 40 miles of running in a week for the first time. 

I had finally broken the four hour mark at the marathon I ran in Winchester in July, so was feeling good.

It had been a tough few months emotionally of course, in the middle of the pandemic, and the need for raising funds for Sands was obvious, after such a downturn of events and other fundraisers due to the socially-distanced conditions we were under. With rising demand for our services and reducing income, I felt really encouraged by the generous money that had come in over the summer, including a successful Facebook birthday appeal by my brother-in-law Pete, who was about to run his first marathon ever. 

From a race perspective today was different, it wasn’t about me or about my time, it was about trying to get Pete round for the first time. It was about partnering, collaborating, encouraging and running with him, partly to thank him for his continued support over the previous 12 months in helping me get to this, the 10th one. 

Pre-race caffeine top-up

Pete had suffered with a sore knee for the fortnight before the marathon but thankfully had received some emergency physio in time to give himself a chance of completing the course. He arrived in plenty of time and we made our way down to the Hampshire/Dorset border, where the New Forest marathon was taking place - it had been rescheduled and relocated due to the virus, and a private estate at Wimborne St Giles had offered to put on the event, with socially distanced conditions in place, and plenty of other restrictions and guidelines to ensure it went ahead in a secure way. The NFM has far fewer participants than some of the major UK races and as such it was logistically easier to relocate and revision the event. Sadly the biggest downside was that no spectators were allowed in or around the course. This meant that neither of our families could see us run, and although we had considered pulling out, we decided to go ahead with it after such a good summer training programme behind us.  

We got down to the venue in plenty of time, and it was a really warm morning waiting. It was strange walking across the fields from the car park to the event entry, where our ID was checked and we had a temperature check and sanitised our hands. Going through to the start line was slightly surreal, as there were so few people compared to last year when I had run my first marathon of the 15 challenge. On the plus side, we’ll never have such choice of portaloos, or such a short queue! A local journalist asked about the Sands t shirts and interviewed us for the New Milton Advertiser, so it was nice to share the story of the challenge and of the inspiring people I’ve met along the way and why I am doing this challenge. They included it in a nice write-up about the marathon later in the week: 

Over the course of about half an hour, the announcer invited runners to come over towards the start line in small groups, and we set off at 15 second intervals to ensure distancing. Once I had started I gently jogged along and waited for Pete to catch up, and we were away. We were to run the same course twice, 13.1 miles each time. The first mile or so was on the beautiful grounds of the Earl of Shaftesbury’s estate, lots of green grass and lovely scenery. Then off site around the country paths and lanes, along the edge of a number of fields and up a couple of hills, allowing for some breathtaking views up to Salisbury Plain and beyond. 

We're off! Pete coming over the start line

We felt good and before long had settled into a rhythm; the marshals dotted around the course were fantastic and we enjoyed some banter and encouragement with other runners. At about 7 miles a downhill section became tricky as we were essentially running along a bumpy field, along some rutty tracks churned up by tractors, and it was an effort to concentrate and keep your balance. Because of the recent dry weather I had decided to go with road shoes and not trails, which was of benefit on the softer grass but was challenging in sections like this. 

A beautiful setting! 

We went through a wooded section for a couple of miles and out into the open again at about mile 10. after a steep downhill section along a small road, we were faced with a daunting hill on uneven tracks, but we both pushed on and reached the top, out of breath, but feeling good and ready to press on. we arrived back at the site, in view of the magnificent country house and running alongside a beautiful river in some much-needed shade. we were running a smidgen over 9 minute miles, so hit the halfway mark at about 2 hours. as mentioned this was never about the pace but about making sure we both made it around the course safely. 

Things seemed on track but within a couple of miles of the second lap Pete was beginning to flag a little, the long climb taking longer to overcome than the first lap, and the pace dropping gradually. He’s an absolute trooper though and we pressed on, taking each half mile at a time, not stopping for fear of seizing up, just going slower than on the first lap. We reached 20 miles at about 3 hours 15, with each mile taking longer, 10 minutes, 10.5 minutes, 11 minutes. 

The marshals encouraged us on and a number of text and voice messages arrived from friends and family which helped enormously. I must confess there was a temptation to run on as I was feeling ok but every time I pulled away I stopped myself and waited for Pete, having promised to run it I with him I was determined to do so, even though it was challenging not to go ahead and run my race. It struck me at about 20 miles that this was very much like some of the stories families talk to me about in our work for Sands - once they’ve run their own marathon(s) they are more ready to help support others to run theirs. They move from being coached to being coach, from encouraged to encourager, from trained to trainer, supporting newly bereaved families along in their own endurance journey, even though it must be tempting at times to go their own way. The uphill at about 23 miles was a truly heroic effort by Pete to keep going, every time I ran I would stop and look back, there he was determined not to stop and walk, just running more slowly but completing his marathon his way, in his Sands vest. 

I was so proud of him for his efforts and so grateful for helping me over many years - not just on my Sands journey but in life in general since we had met back in the early 90s when he started dating my sister… so the least I could do was to hang in there with him and journey over the final few miles. At about mile 23 a runner just behind us had a nasty fall and luckily we were able to locate a nearby marshal to help him back on his feet again, the sun was pretty hot at this point and it was hard going for everyone. Runners were spread out well but we were always within a hundred yards of a runner and there was a good atmosphere throughout, exemplified by the half dozen or so runners going to his aid. He had some nasty grazes but was really keen to carry on and we saw him later on so he did well. 

Run/walking towards the end

We were back on the estate for the final push, running/trotting slowly by the river and the main house again, being cheered on by the marshals. It was a bit unfortunate that the course took you so near the finish area even though you had a couple of miles left! like a mirage, it felt rather tortuous. Anyway we pressed on and Pete found a second wind in the last mile as the end came into sight. I let him run ahead the final few metres to cross the line, and take the applause of a handful of runners nearby. it was a shame there wasn’t such a big crowd for him as there was last year at the NFM, but like everything at the moment, we have to cheer each other on virtually. We held onto the nearby fencing for support as the terrain and the heat had really taken it out of us.

Seconds after crossing the line! 

Sadly we couldn't embrace even though all I wanted to do was hug and high five Pete for his amazing efforts. It was quite an emotional phone call home to let the family know that it was all over. We finished in 4h35, so the second half really did take much longer than the first, but that’s not surprising, all things considered. And it really doesn't matter.

No hugs so a selfie will have to suffice 

Again it’s strange that we collect our t-shirt and medal from a table rather than being presented it from a volunteer, but it was just one element of a really well organised and safe race day, so it’s worth it for the experience. Mind you although the medal is environmentally friendly and quite unique, being made of wood it does feel quite flimsy. The t-shirts are nice though. 

The empty finish funnel 

It probably takes us an hour to get back from the finish line to the car, as we are both so stiff and sore, but we make it and head home. The temptation is to head to a pub for a pint to celebrate but instead we grab a take out coffee and get on the road, ready for a bath and to reflect on another amazing day. The fund has gone up beyond £3,500 and we can look ahead to more funds coming through in the coming weeks and months. 

Men in black - proud of our achievements 

So over a beer and a foot massage from my daughter - both are becoming a tradition!- I reflect on a really positive day, and again the importance of encouragement - but this time from a different perspective - using my experience to help someone else - and once again think about the amazing peer supporters in the Sands groups up and down the country and on the helpline and online forums.  

I’m 2/3 of the way into the challenge, 10 of 15 completed, and looking forward to the Virtual London Marathon in a couple of weeks time. Sadly it won’t have the atmosphere of a ‘proper’ race like today, but we will be able to run with family and friends and have some support, which was much missed today. 

I will be running the virtual London in Poole with someone else running his first ever marathon, my friend Keith, and I’m looking forward to learning the lessons of today in how to support someone on their first venture into an endurance run such as this. I don't think it can be this hard given the terrain and the heat, but we'll have to see. We will take whatever is thrown at us I'm sure...