Beachy Head Marathon

William if you have already done a 1/2 marathon I would say if you run conservatively you could run the first 18-20 miles and walk/stagger/climb the last 6-8 which is the real sting in the tail 

If you can walk a hlaf marathon then I think the same applies, you will be able to walk this ok and there are many many people who do walk it
If you are walking then I would say that the shoes that are best are the ones that are most comfortable for 7 hours on your feet  

You'll have to be careful walking this as with all those feed stations with soup, tea, cake and sausage rolls, I could picture myself putting 6 st back on! Fortunately I've only ever run this and so never fancied much from the stops if at all

I liked the toughest, worst, best bits from earlier. Agree with most of responses. Worst is start, always a struggle with so much further to go and you're already struggling with steep inclines - but then you hit a patch where it is 360 beautiful views and you remember that you're here to enjoy it (unless it's tipping down like four yrs ago, in which case there's no views and you just watch your footing in the mud!). Best is as you climb over the wall and see 7 bitches country park below - beautiful and you know you're a long way there even though it's a tough section ahead. Hardest as FB called it is when you are passed 7 bitches and you've got to get running again on a stretch that seems to go on and on, even though you should enjoy the proximity of the finish and the grub

rondo: what did they say about the final e-mail then? I got my place from a friend (properly agreed by the organisers) and I've heard nothing since then. We sorted it all over e-mail so I know they have my e-mail address...

WR - if you plan to walk it I could suggest that you set off earlier than the planned 9am start - that's what a lot of walkers do so they can comfortably get around before the afternoon is heading into evening.  the organisers are usually happy with this but if in doubt ask them.

and if you are walking, some walking poles would be useful imho

I hadn't received any details either so I emailed the organisers yesterday (beachyheadmarathon@eastbourne.gov.uk) and got an immediate response.  Apparently the emails went out in July but some may have gone into peoples junk folders.

WilliamR2, well done you for losing all that weight.  As Meldy says, if you have already walked a half then you should be OK as long as you don't push too hard - some of the hills are quite steep!  There are always lots of walkers so you won't be alone.  I agree with FB about the walking poles.  Good luck 

I hadn't received the e-mail either and got a reply the very next morning after e-mailing them.

Got my final long run tomorrow - does any one have any advice or know where I can get some tips on tapering and what to eat over the next weeks leading up to BH?

Any help gratefully received.

I emailed them as well and got the final details next day (after an 'out of office' replay that said Anita was tied up with the Beer festival!). Odd that quite a few of us didn't get them. Wonder if it's somehow related to entering via RW site, rather than the Eastbourne one.

Only one way to do Beachy IMHO - start slow, get slower, stop where it says Finish. And eat lots on the way round. Talk to everybody. Have a cream tea at Exceat.....

it sounds like they didn't email anyone tbh.

i'm looking forward to eating my way round. no stupid gels or powerade to rot my guts. just cakes and buns. i'm going to take one SIS caffeine gel as they are realitvely easy too consume and don't hit my stomach like a rock and use it for the last 10k.

qb- that sounds like exactly why i am doing this. enjoyable running with scenic views to numb the pain

Well, I've sent an e-mail and can now only wait.

Intending to treat this like a trail ultra rather than a road marathon - start slow, walk the steep uphills, try to run the rest, eat real food...

I did get the email - actually so long ago (7 Aug) that I'd forgotten all about it until reading about everyone not receiving it! Form a quick scan, nothing too exciting - collect # on day, get there early, by the way it's hilly, enjoy...

a quick report on some of the BHM tracks that we did on the mountain bikes yesterday

after all the rain we've had over the last week or so, you'd expect them to be pretty muddy - well, in the woods they are very muddy, and sticky.  the open grassy tracks are fine although a little soft.  the only chalk track we did was what we call the "big C" (it looks like one from below) which is the track that will drop you down from the Long Man towards Alfriston.   that was OK but the surface was soft (fine for riding on) although the chalk was pretty slippery as it often is when wet - my missus had a fall due to her rear tyre sliding on it.  try and avoid the bits with algal growth - they are like teflon!

the cobbled section as you drop down into Jevington is also pretty slippery but it was damp so that was to be expected.  the rain has also washed a lot of the trail surfaces off in parts so you need to be careful with foot placement

bar the woods, the trails have soaked the rain up well but with the forecast for more rain to come, I don't think they will dry out completely so are likely to remain soft.

I would suggest grip will be a major issue due to the muddy sections, soft grass and slippery chalk - at this stage I would definitely go with trail shoes for extra grip. in road shoes you will be sliding and slipping a lot.

Thank you Mr FB   trail shoes it is

raining again today so even less chance of any improvement now.....

Well, Saturday's 30+ miles out & back along the Vanguard Way followed by 15+ miles of local trails yesterday with some good uphill & downhill has trashed my quads quite nicely, so I guess my training is going well... Still need to decide whether to run the Jog Shop 20 next Sunday.

FB: thanks for the update on the state of the BHM trails.

lovely hilly run in the rain today. i know it's weird but i love running in the rain. but please don't take it as a suggestion i want rain on marathon day.

I was on the section from CP 3 (?)  the one with the sausage rolls etc. The terrain including the downhill sections was relatively firm and overall the only problem was a fallen tree over the second set of steps which, with a bit of luck, will be gone by the day