A whole month has passed since the Nevers Marathon and I’ve finally found the time and headspace to write a quick race report.
In short, it was both a triumph and a disaster.
A triumph because we completed the 26.2 miles in good shape and without mishap and we had a truly wonderful time.
A disaster because our time goal went out the window as early as kilometre 15 and we eventually crawled home in 3 hours 44 minutes after a lot of walking.
So what happened?
The first third of the race went to plan and we were sailing along at roughly 4:27/km pace. Then we hit a series of brutal inclines (including a long section at 5%) where I was grinding up the hills at a slow walk, with my entire body weight braced under the buggy. After that came a short section in dense wood (completely unsuitable for any kind of pushchair!) followed by the majority of the second half on a narrow, bumpy canal path littered with tree roots and smothered in mounds of acorns. It was by far the most challenging “road” race I have ever run in terms of terrain and gradient, without even taking into account the extra challenge of pushing the stroller!
That said, once I accepted that my time goals were utterly impossible and began to walk where it was unavoidable, I started to really enjoy myself. Little DD was on good form (tucked up under gloves, hat, fleece, blanket and even a hot water bottle for the cold) and enjoyed the little gifts I had prepared for her. Unusually she didn’t fall asleep, so I had wonderful company while she sang, chatted to me and completed her new sticker book.
Am I disappointed with the result? Honestly, only a tiny bit. I wanted a podium and only managed 8th overall female. I would have loved to beat the 3 hours 23 minutes we managed earlier in the year.
However, I strongly believe that you should be proud of ANY marathon you make it to the end of. It was abundantly obvious very early on that we would need to unlock survival mode just to finish. I caught a horrible cold (chest infection?) at the beginning of November and was still very much suffering from a cough and general under-the-weather feeling on race day. I truly had to dig deep into my reserves of strength and determination to make it to the end.
To finish a second marathon in the space of six months pushing 30+kg is not something many people in the world have accomplished and I will always be proud of completing this little adventure.
