I attended the North Devon Marathon at the weekend which was great fun but also very tough. I did the Coniston Marathon about this time last year but this was even tough than that. After all the forecasts for rain it ended up being a very nice day. Great for everyone on the lovely sandy beaches but not so good for us runners. The route was a figure of eight, with the first half also being the half marathon. The route went south along the coastal path, then along a long sandy beach before heading back up into the hills and coming back cross country. My knee started to hurt as we come into the finish/start area which is when the second half of marathon would begin. This time we went north along the coastal path and I was hoping it would be a lot easier. I was wrong, and the steps up and down the cliffs were getting really steep. My knee really started to hurt after 15 miles but I was determined to get to the finish. I had to walk and run most of the way from here on but I just enjoyed the fantastic scenery and had a good laugh with some fellow runners who were also finding it hard going. In the end I finished in 5:32, 2 hours slower than my Milton Keynes time but it was more about enjoying the race rather than setting a new PB.
Carl
