Clarendon Marathon (Salisbury to Winchester) 2012 - Events

Roger 333

11/07/2012 at 11:40

Hmmm,

looking to have a bash at this one as a RELAY - what in France they call an EKIDEN race. Four runners each doing a 10K leg in effect..

Other than that it starts in Laverstock and finishes in Winchester and is primarily (90%) an off-roader, I know not much more.

Any forumites done it and have tips to share ?

Richie H

12/07/2012 at 19:56

Not done this one. But have entered for it this year. It has a good reputation and I love point to point runs, especially when transport is reasonably provided. I assume it is mainly chalk downland tracks, so fine when dry, but very slippey when wet?

Chemist

20/07/2012 at 16:55

I've been wondering about the terrain for this one. I've only got road running shoes but given how wet it has been this year and how much mud I keep encountering even on normally good grassy tracks near home, I'm wondering if new footwear is called for. Does anyone know the tarmac to potentially muddy track ratio for the full and/or half (I've not put my entry in yet, still undecided on which to do as it has been a while since I've trained regularly and nothing seems as easy as I remember)?

Millsy1977

20/07/2012 at 17:10

I run the Salisbury to Pitton (first 7 miles ish) as part of my regular training which is about 25% road 75% off road. if it`s been dy for a week or so then road shoes will be fine but in the wet quite a lot of it can get muddy. For Oct id suggest trail shoes. But you never know we might have that indian summer.

I haven`t yet decided if i`m going to enter yet.

ultraBobban

22/08/2012 at 08:52

If it's dry, fine for road shoes. I've done it a couple of times in normal road shoes. I can see that if it rains in the days leading up to it then a switch to trail shoes instead. Most of the trail is hard packed regularly used paths and there is a bit of road.....

what is this though? £25 in.....want a medal.....£7.50, want a t-shirt....even more....not that I ever run marathons for more than the sheer love of running, but in these austere times, is it me or are these events becoming more and more expensive? I know its for charity but doing 10-12 events a year, plus travel expenses does hit the pocket! Having said that, this is a worthy event and great scenery.

Possum hopper

12/09/2012 at 15:09

I entered this one as a first go at it. Marathon running is getting more expensive but I opted for medal only and kept it to £25.00 plus £5 for the bus transfer.

Richie H

13/09/2012 at 18:52

This race is cheaper than many of those organised by private companies. They all seem to be more than £30.

A pound a mile is not bad value.

roxy_on_the_trails

17/09/2012 at 13:47

I'm thinking of signing up for this - does anyone want to share lifts from London? I'm in Balham and have a car so can drive (up to 3 passengers) or will happily grab a lift with someone else and contribute petrol money? Let me know!

Mike Pini

18/09/2012 at 18:21

Anyone know about the profile, please? I can't see this info on the website.

Millsy1977

18/09/2012 at 18:49

I know the first few miles are very hilly. I'd imagine the rest is pretty similar.

Southdownsman

21/09/2012 at 13:26

It's fairly similar to the Salisbury 5-4-3-2-1 and the Farnham marathon, although not sandy like Farnham.

I've done it a few times and always parked at the finish, although the organisers seem to be trying to get people to use the Park-and-Ride outside Winchester this year.

k g 10

26/09/2012 at 18:32

hi ya peeps, im down for doing the full marathon - its my first one! in at the deepend! but hey you only live once!
two things
1, i live on the route and have been training on the route, its very hilly in parts you can find an elevation map on the facebook link of the website, also when its wet it is very muddy and the chalky bits (especially the down hills) can be very very slippy even in trail shoes!
2, any advice for a first time marathon runner would be very apprecited!
have fun see you in a couple of weeks!

Millsy1977

26/09/2012 at 19:42

Has anyone received much info about what we need to do on the day? Most events seem to provide more info especially as its just over a week away.
What sort of advice are you after? I
Have plenty but need to know where to start.

helly d

26/09/2012 at 22:05

Did this two years ago and back again this year. Tremendous feat of organisation involving marathon, half and relays on one course so usually a lot of runners and some good support. Course is mainly offroad and more undulating than really hilly but the second half of the mara is harder than the first. It was wet and muddy then and I'm glad I wore at least slightly grippy shoes.

I intend coming down from London by train which I hope will get me to the start on time via taxi. Anyone else public transporting?

k g 10

26/09/2012 at 22:46

Millsy, I got an email from the organiser the other day - are you on the mailing list? Having said that it didn't really tell me much. I think i got most of my info from the website and their facebook page.

Not having ever done an organised run I'm not really sure what to expect. It's just silly things like I read that there are 500+ runners registered for the day....do they stagger the start? I live local and will be able to get to the start fairly early but as I'm looking to finish in 4&1/2 to 5 hours should I que up near the back? I don't want to be getting in the way of the fast guys & girls, but then I don't want to be crossing the start line half an hour after the gun has gone off either!

What is running etiquette about things like narrow single file stretches of the route do I need to pick up my pace if I've got people breathing down my neck? Conversely is it frowned upon to gently brush past slower runners? I'd prefer to run my own race at my own pace etc etc.

Also I read a lot about gels, do they really give you Delhi belly? Is it too late to work them into my run? Then there's the running tips and tricks I read that some people recommend walking up the big hills others recommend running up but focusing on the meters right in front of you and not looking at how far to the top of the hill etc etc etc etc etc etc etc............

Sorry to go on, BASICALLY IF YOU COULD GIVE ME ONE OR TWO TOP TIPS FOR A NOVICE RUNNER - what do you know now that you wish you'd known when you did your first marathon?

I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IM AS WELL INFORMED AS POSSIBLE!

;-)

Millsy1977

27/09/2012 at 08:57

Hi. If its 500 or so runners it shouldn't take more than 10-20 seconds to cross the line do dont worry about that.
Try and have a look at previous results for the race to get a gauge of where you might finish. Then place yourself about that far back at the start.
The first 4 or so miles the route is pretty wide so just stick to your pacing, don't go off too fast, and the pack will thin itself out by the time the route gets a bit thinner.
With regards to gels. If you havent used them in your long runs then I wouldn't start in the race. What have you been using in your long runs?
A couple of other tips-
Don't try anything new on race day eg trainers, food etc
Get there early nothing worse than rushing around at the start.

If there is anything else you need to know just shout!

k g 10

27/09/2012 at 10:11

Hi ya thanks, it reassuring to know that I haven't missed anything major! It's always that thing of I don't know what I don't know......if you know what I mean.
I've not been using anything (re gels etc.) in my long runs. I've clocked up a couple of half marathons distances and 17-18 mile runs as part of my training and I'm planning a 20-22 miler this weekend (weather permitting) as my last big run before race day! With work and family commitments the training hasn't quite gone to plan! Then next week I'll try and get in a couple of 5-6 mile runs and rest from Thursday onwards. Is that reasonable?

The reason I asked about gels is that in the long runs I really do start to struggle towards the end, my pace comes right down and I really have to work to get one foot in front of the other.

I also have this dilemma that I only run in the mornings before work, subsequently I tend to run without breakfast. But on race day it's a 10.30 start and I'll be up at 7ish so will get some fuel down my neck early with the hope that I'll have time to shift it from the stomach by start time. Which is obviously not the same routine as my training.....is this a bad idea?

Oh and thanks again for the help and advice it's much appreciated!

Millsy1977

27/09/2012 at 14:55

A decent breakfast will help. Maybe worth trying some gels on your training run on Sunday although I think 20 miles is far too much for the weekend before. You will not be recovered enough for the race. 15 miles max.

helly d

27/09/2012 at 22:25

k g 10 Re etiquette on narrow tracks - trying to alter your pace to fit in with other runners isn't good for you. If you want to pass someone just alert them nicely that you are coming through on the left or right so they don't need to look round to get out of your way. Similarly if someone seems to be breathing down your neck just say 'tell me any time you want to pass'. As someone who falls over quite often I like to be able to see where my feet are going to go about 10 feet in front of me so I don't like being too close to other runners.

Don't worry too much about the dos and don'ts, off-road running in particular is usually fairly relaxed and if you don't know, ask someone. I tend to walk up any hills I can't run and make up for it on the downhills. If you are struggling towards the end and don't want to start experimenting with gels bring along some sweets or dried fruit and possibly consider snacking a bit more or earlier before you start to feel it so much.

k g 10

27/09/2012 at 22:47

Helly thanks great advice!