Held on Sunday 12th April, the Lincolnshire course is flat and potentially fast. However its fearsome reputation for being extremely windy is well earned. Although there is great support at the frequent water stations, runners become spread out and it is a much quieter than many of the bigger marathon events.
Belinda Baker was making her debut at the event and got more than she bargained for. Having signed up to the half marathon, an admin error meant she was entered into the full marathon, a mistake most runners would have quickly had corrected! However, this being Belinda, she fully embraced the challenge and completed the full distance in 5:05:31.
Despite her strong preference for hills over wind Belinda would be happy to return to the event describing it as a well organised and friendly local marathon. Belinda has a busy spring ahead with two more marathons upcoming.
The day started badly for Jo Grace when her car broke down on the way to the marathon. Hoping that her body was going to be more resilient than her car, she was grateful to be rescued by the valiant Holly Durham!
Bracing herself for a hammering by the forecast 30mph winds later on, she started off at an optimistic pace and thoroughly enjoyed the first 10 miles. The next 16 miles were spent fighting the cross and head winds that had picked up.
A lower back issue then flared up and the following miles were a battle. Realising that she was very close to her sub-4 hour target Jo managed a final push to the line, finishing in 3:58:37.
Holly Durham sensibly opted for the half marathon distance and put in a strong performance. Whilst slightly slower than her target pace, taking into consideration the challenging weather conditions,
Holly was satisfied with her time of 1:39:53 marking a well-managed return from injury hope for some strong performances to come!
Photos c/o Zoe Wragg