On Saturday, wearing my new lightweight Brooks racing pumps I toed the line for my first attempt at the Langdale half marathon. The day was mild and very wet, and I was surprised that the route, starting from the New Dungeon Gill, set off up the valley. Now as everyone knows, there is only one road route out of the top of the Langdale Valley and that is the one that turns south and heads over the pass by Blea Tarn. So only one mile into the race and I was walking. Once over the brow I was able to run again and was able to enjoy the views, made quite spectacular as all the high stuff disappeared into the clouds.
The route descends to Little Langdale, heads towards the Drunken Duck, hits the main road again at Skelwith Bridge, then takes the high road towards Grasmere (walked again) and then descends towards Elterwater Village before returning to the start via Chapel Stile.
Lost quite a few places just before the ten mile point due to an enforced pit stop, but was so cross at this, that the resultant adrenalin helped me to retake them all, and more, before the finish.
A PW of 2:11:27 for this distance, but was nevertheless the first OAP home (out of 3 V65s and 2 V70s).
However this was small consolation when I checked back in my archives to find that I had run 3:43 for the full marathon placing 11th out of 53 in 1993 and was 24th out of 97 in 3:24 in 1994; two laps of the same course in the other direction. Father Time, you are a cruel man.
Charlie Pass of Wesham won in 1:19:15, Paul Muller was 3rd and firstV50 in 1:23:53 and first lady was Mairi Crawford of Heaton in 1:37:39.
Steven Prentice of N.E. Marathon club won the full distance race in 3:04:47.
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