Preston Guild Marathon

Hi Pete

Yep, I mean joining at Broadgate and usually get to near the Tickle Trout . I have to take kids to swimming at 10 so will be an early start on Saturday. I will be at Broadgate at 7am if you fancy. No worries if you don't and happy to met up when training for Guild Marathon. I am in the Greater Manchester Marathon on 29th April, hence the long run!

Reason for the Saturday run rather than my usual Sunday is the family are all doing Sport Relief mile on Sunday. 11 year old daughteris going to run on her own, Mum will plod behind her and I am running along with my 5 year old daughter (she did 1.5 mile run at Run Preston in 16 minutes so not too shabby)

Hiya Max,

My brain hardly works at that time of morning so I haven't got a clue what my legs will be like!! lol. ...however I've gotta get 'em used to morning runs at some point so yeah, will meet you at the Broadgate start of the wheel on Sat and we'll get off to the Tickle Trout and back.

They've done a real good job of finishing off the Broadgate section this week and it's just aaace to run on, so if you've not been on that part for a while you'll notice a huge difference. 

See you at 7am anyway. Weather forecast is supposed to keep good until Monday. If my legs won't keep up I'll just let you crack on at your own pace.

Hiya Ron,

It's great to hear that your finding this "Guild Marathon is heading for the biggest marathon in the North" but what exactly are you saying "well done to Phil Walsh and his team" for?

You know as well as everyone else on this forum that the social media and viral nature of the collective words of "One off special event", "Preston Guild" and "Marathon" is what's really doing the work to completely sell this event for him don't you, so why the praise? ...He's not needing to organise having any printed entry forms taken to lots of local races for months beforehand is he? He's also not going to need any mass print advertising, media buying or radio plugs either is he? In fact, I'm not sure if his promoting machine for this marathon has actually got started yet outside of the entry forms up on the central Guild website, but I'm sure he'll pretty much soon realise he's not going to need one. It's truly a most enviable position for any event organiser I'm sure you'll agree.

What I'd love you to be reporting here as a very experienced race organiser yourself is well done for what he's organising, as I'm sure like many of us you've spent good money on tickets to a "special one off" rare charity event, or new years eve party or fireworks display yourself, and then felt afterwards that it could have been much better organised, or found that this or that major part was completely ignored or missing, and we all know what sour taste that leaves after the event is over.

What you could maybe help me out with here is why would any experienced race organiser worth his salt, with the absolute perfect array of excellent expertise just readily available at his fingertips, allow his name and team to be directly associated and remembered as those that organised a one off guild marathon event that took high paying entry fees then went and sent his customers/runners off out into the countryside for a good 15-16 miles of a marathon?

Or help me with why would any event organiser permit a highly memorable legacy event to occur such as this that completely misses out on the golden opportunity of intermingling a course amongst Preston's wards and communities in order to take to the streets the brilliant Guild atmosphere and spirit that will be highly evident during the many other Guild events held throughout summer and Guild Week?  

Or how are the many entrants of this special event going to feel when the course is finally measured and published? Or does that not matter in this case because we will have all already paid up and he's not an event organiser that needs to worry about getting paid up entries for the year after?

It's ok, I'm not expecting you to try and answer any of these questions Ron given your 2 decades of successful race organising, but please, could we just at least keep any praise lavishing for "Phil Walsh and his team" purely to what is fully deserved and totally commendable? I'm sure both he and his team at least deserve that and I'd certainly be the first to say so if that was the occasion. 

Let's let the real truth of how entries are really happening and what he's organising here speak for itself eh.

Hi Pete

See you at 7am tomorrow. I would ask how I will recognise you but if there is another mad runner stood on Broadgate at that time I will be surprised.

I am aiming for 8:15 pace for marathon so usually do LSR at 9:15-9:45 pace. Happy to run slower though!

Hi Max, lol, I think there's a strong chance that I'll be the only nutter stood nutter there at 7am in the morning ready to rock n roll in running shorts so we certainly won't miss each other.

And yeah, your 9.15 pace at that time of morning will be completely fine for me too, so no worries. See you tomoz.

Hi Pete

Hope your training/running is going well, thanks for your coments re Phil Walsh. Phil has been a good frioend for many years, I will give praise werever it is due at all times, you know a pat on the back now and then is always good and most accepted by many, it helps to negate those cinicals out there. I'm sure this event will be a great ONE OFF success with thousands ofpounds being raised for many charities and at the end of the day that will make me very happy for all concerned.

Hi Pete

Nice to meet up with you on Saturday. On the 3.5 miles back to Longton I caught my arms drifting back into boxer position but managed to get them down most of the time! Thanks for the tip and hopefully it will provide a boast for Manchester.

Did the Sports Relieft mile yesterday and kids loved it. Eldest (11) ran off into the distance and was sat waiting at the end when I finished with the 5 year old in just over 10 minutes. She had the joy of outsprinting Helen Clitheroe at the end as well. Amazingly little un was still full of energy and spent next 20 minutes doing loops round Miller Park!

Cheers

Haha, Hi Max,

You're going to have to watch that one! lol. That's a new PB for her already. She's going to be wanting to do Manchester with you next!

Saturday worked out at 13 miles for me so yeah that was my longest run so far! I've been looking at the proposed Wheel through the Red Scar Woods part that we got to and I'm now thinking that following that dirt track alongside the woods isn't going to be part of the Wheel at all. I think we need to turn left somewhere, probably just after we hit that muddy entrance to the woods part after that long stretch through the field at the top of the hill.

It's probably going to be wiser now to perhaps do a run that comes from the other way and try to somehow connect Longridge Road up to that dirt track or the woods, and then remember that connection point when we go along the Wheel from our direction, if that made sense, 'cause there's no signpost available yet connecting the dirt track with Longridge road.

Keith/Judith  ...Little update.

That long drag of steps going up through Red Scar Woods on the Guild Wheel are no longer steps. We discovered on Saturday that it's now one long arduous 80-100 metre ramp all the way up to the field at the top. It's not in tarmac, but more like small stones and shale, with two wooden fences across it in two separate parts to most likely slow down or stop bikers from flying down it. 

It might be a ramp instead of steps now, but hey that part of the Wheel is always going to be pretty tough to run up. Gulp!  

Hi Pete

We went the other way on Saturday from Fulwood Row, across then up to D'Urton lane. From there it is footpath all the way to Broughton Police Station and then back on tracks down to Lightfoot Lane. It looks like road and footpath down to Guild Merchant roundabout on Tom Benson way and then looks to be signposted back to Wheel proper down to Merrytrees Ave / Ancient Oak Pub where you got to.

Hiya Keith,

That's great news! Took me a while to actually follow where you meant cos I don't know that part of town but managed to piece it together from a mixture of gmap-pedometer and the maps on the guild website.  So that means the whole northern top part is clear to run on then right from where I got to at Merry Trees Ave continued back to yours at Fulwood Row, yes? Cool huh. 

Does this mean that the only final connecting part of the Wheel we're waiting for is the part between Red Scar Woods and Fulwood Row, yes? Or just the bit between Red Scar Woods and Longridge Road?

Hi Pete

Its clear from Longridge Rd after Red Scar woods but is on pavements up Bluebell Way before back on off road at M6 Jct 31a S (just  like D'Urton Lane, Garstang Rd, Lightfoot Lane and Sandyforth Lane as I mentioned before). It looks like signs are the last job round here with some tricky bits such as Fulwood Row where you leave the track go under the M6 and rejoin a little up the hill(same both directions). Look out for deer on the bit between Bluebell Way and Fulwood Row and a short sharp incline.

Hello all,

 Good to see the forum is taking off. Ive not been on for a bit as i picked up an injury and decided that running websites were to depressing to look at whilst i recover. But i ran 2 miles last night, without feeling any pain so fingers crossed im all healed

 So whats this talk about the Marathon becoming the North West's biggest this year ?! If so maybe it will come back year on year, which a be nice. 

Hi Coasters,

It came from Ron but we didn't get any facts or anything. Sounds like entries could be starting to come in thus him giving 'Phil Walsh and his team' a slap on the back for it - when really any entries at this super early stage of the game are purely down to the fact that this is a 'One-off', 'Preston Marathon' during a 'Guild' year, and nothing to do with any organised PR machine just yet.

I think he's just predicting that when Phil does start his PR in a few weeks time, or over summer, that it'll really boost entries, which let's face it is highly probable given the sheer 20 year rarity of this event, or he's just trying to encourage runners everywhere to run it for charities. Can't tell.

What injury did you pick up? You up for doing that part of your fantasy route from Mile 9 to 24 sometime as I'm still keen on trying that, or you lost quite a bit of mileage? Noo rush or anything.

The courses for the marathon and half marathon have now been measured and will be certified as accurate in the next week.

I was going to post the link to the route on here.

However I am concerned that all I will achieve is another rant from Pete Lovick, which is somwehat unfortunate. As you are a member of the same club as Phil Walsh perhaps you would be so kind as to offer your services to him. 

In my experience of dealing with him I have found him to be an excellent race organiser. He is also an organiser who is very open to ideas and input from others.

CURSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just started to put the measurement report together and I've made an error!

It's SHORT so I need to go out again 

No, you are not getting away with 42 metres short, before you even ask

So, I know it's very short notice but would abyone like a slow bike ride tomorrow morning at 6.30 from the Flag Market in Preston.

I could do with 1 or two people to ride behind me to alert me to traffic. It should be quiet at that time of morning.

It will take 4 hours if you want to ride it all with me, and I stop every mile.

Please call or text me on 07759 829513 if you can help. It will be much appreciated

Thanks

Hiya Brian,

No no, you most definitely won't get any peep out of me about it now. His course has been decided, finalised done and dusted long ago remember.

And you know it wasn't a rant at all don't you.   ...It was my sheer shock that with all the excellent expertise dripping from his fingertips, that between us, it seems we are completely missing a golden opportunity to run both the north and south of Preston throughout our own suburbs, and our favourite main roads of London Road, New Hall Lane, Blackpool Road, Deepdale Road, etc etc, which should have most definitely been included to be totally befitting a Guild.

..and then my surprise, (or probably hurt would be more accurate), to discover from you that the absolute best his team could manage for a Guild is to shove us all off out to run around a quiet, lonely countryside area for a good half of a 26.2 mile distance. ...which let's face it, is a complete joke for any marathon course let alone a rare, one off, special, 20 year event like this. ...Not cool. Totally not cool.

Yes, feel free to post a link up here to Phil's course, noo problem. Show everyone what he's managed. All we can do now is crack on with it. Job done. 

No more to be said from me about the course for this event. I'll live with it. You go for it.

Oh, Phil Walsh would be most welcome to any assistance I could possibly offer him for this event, but you know that my primary concern would be in getting this course right before we run out of time, so there's not really much point now is there. If as it seems the course is going to stay as it is then I'm sure you'll agree I'm better off totally keeping out of it, but thanks for asking.