Preston Guild Marathon - Page 9 - Events

brian porter

16/04/2012 at 11:54

My thanks to Pete Lovick and Troy Watson for helping me out yesterday.

Some great cycling gents to keep me safe.

Here's the link to the map for the marathon

Shortly after 8 miles the marathon turns left on Sidgreaves Lane, while the half turns right for a short out and back stretch.

The full and half follow the same route back into the City Centre.

I still have the last 5 mile markers for the half to record and photograph, but that should be done this week

clingers

16/04/2012 at 14:40

Hi - I've recently entered this marathon and just joined this forum, got rather bogged down in the discussions so I've fast-forwarded to the last few comments !.. Anyone looking for a North-West autumn marathon please consider the Chester, now in it's 3rd year - last year one of the forumites referred to it as 'the Carlsberg of marathons'. I was giving out goody bags last year but plan to run both the Chester and the Preston Guild ( a new challenge for me, I've done 2 maras in 6 weeks before but 2 in 3 will something new).

http://www.activeleisureevents.co.uk/full-marathon.aspx

I don't know the Preston area so have no comments to make re the route, but I agree with a previous post on this forum in that London, Edinburgh, Paris and Dublin all have unsupported stretches and include city/out of city routes. The events I've enjoyed most have been down to organisation rather than route, London and Chester being outstanding, the others somewhat dubious.

Good luck to all, I'm looking forward to being part of the 'once-in-20-years' experience.

(I'd be grateful for any advice from locals re hotels near the start/finish)

16/04/2012 at 15:14

Are your ears bleeding Brian

Edited: 16/04/2012 at 15:15

simon62w

25/04/2012 at 22:53

Hi everyone- I'm not from Preston, but pretty close Southport, so still quite local. I was in my local gym and got talking to a young guy doing a sports science degree at Uclan, and he mentioned this mara, so I thought I'd check it out. I tend to run fairly local ones, Blackpool twice, Chester last Oct, and Manchester this Sunday. I was thinking of doing Chester again this autumn, but this one sounds great, wherever the route will be, so I'm going to enter.
Just a note, at Chester (a city mara), half the route was out in the countryside. As it was on closed roads also, all the households along the route couldn't go anywhere, so they all came out to cheer you on, some giving out bowls of jelly babies/beans, and the atmosphere was probably better than in the city it's self, so don't knock it.
Enjoy all your lsr's, and 'the wheel' sounds like a great place to train without getting bored.

SJPC14

26/04/2012 at 17:03

Interesting route brain, it will certainly take me to parts of Preston ive never run around and the elevation looks ok too.

Is there going to be any bands / entertainment at the start/finish area ?

Oh and i just entered your Freckleton HM, not done it for a bit so looking forward to it.

SJPC14

27/04/2012 at 11:29

I thought of some non-running advice for people traveling to this race. There are two £2 all car parks i know of in Preston. One is the Train Station and the other is in Avenham, but i dont know the name of. But these should save you a bit of money hey!

27/04/2012 at 12:31

Manchester rd in Avenham.
Or use park n ride. One at Capitol centre Walton-le-dale other on edge of docks

Preston Plodder

01/05/2012 at 08:40

I've entered and wondered whether there are going to be any pacing groups on the day?

The Egyptian Toe

01/05/2012 at 09:50

Still not entered. I wonder how it`s filling up.

Also hope notes were taken from the recent Manchester and Hull marathons. Both were `new` and had all manner of cock-ups which must have been soul destroying for the runners who`d trained for months for the event.

Maxpower North West

01/05/2012 at 11:33

Going to enter this now I have got Manchester Marathon out of the way.

Manchester was a great route and for me on the course it was faultless, lots of toilets, water, fuel and support. They made a major cock up with the baggage area. I took over one hour to get bag, which given how wet it was on Sunday was a bit of a killer. I would definitely recommend it if you wnat a fast course and I managed to break 4 hours for teh first time (3:52) despite the conditions.

Next up is Preston 5k on Monday, as determined to get Guild tee-shirt. Could be a slow given legs today!!

(Pete - you will be glad to know I kept my fists unclenched and arms down low!!!!!)

Edited: 01/05/2012 at 11:34

01/05/2012 at 11:56

is there a link to enter this race? I can't find one and I wouldn't mind giving it a go.

simon62w

01/05/2012 at 12:09

Maxpower - Yes baggage reclaim was a disgrace at Manchester. Tough race in the conditions, esp the mudfest at about mile 15. We must of been pretty close, as I Pb'd in 3:52:14. I was lucky as I only froze for 1/2hr before finding my bag. But on the walk back to my car, I got talking to a guy who had run sub 3:00, and it took him 1.5hrs to find his bag, a joke.

The Egyptian Toe

01/05/2012 at 12:10

Well done Max! Great effort imo.

We`re heading over to Preston on Saturday for the 5 k on Monday. I done about 60 odd races over the past 4 years but never a 5k!

Pete Lovick

01/05/2012 at 13:00

Ha ha. Well Done Max! Nice one. Chuffed you got sub 4. Couldn't have been easy at all with such unbelievably crap weather. London must have been a walk in the park compared to what you guys got. I wonder how much extra time that cost you?

I doubt we'll even have any baggage issues at the Preston Marathon, as it's starting and finishing in the exact same location, so there'll be no need to transport anyone's gear to anywhere.

I discovered last night that the entries for the Guild 5K have been closed, so it's going to be a last minute pray we can enter on the day job, as we need this one so we get the whole series medal.

alan taylor 6

01/05/2012 at 13:30

Well done max you must be like me as I get all my pbs in the crap weather. As for the 5k you can still enter but will have to join the junior race because the open one is full and it still counts for the series.

Maxpower North West

01/05/2012 at 13:35

Thanks everyone.

Simon my chip time was 3:52:14, guess we must have been pretty close at the end.

Alan, can you enter on the day for the junior race?

Graham Bamber

01/05/2012 at 14:11

Hi Pete, according to John Schofield Races Website it says No Senior 5k entries available on the day, hope everyone has got in.

Maxpower North West

01/05/2012 at 14:34

Alan, when you say enter and join the junior race you don't expect that I am a youngster

01/05/2012 at 15:13

London was hot. So not an easy walk in the park. Still better weather than manchester.
Last I heard Preston had around 1500 ents. I can only see around 2500 doing it. Most people planing marathons would have sorted which they plan on doing by now.

simon62w

01/05/2012 at 18:37

Peter - At Manchester the baggage drop off/reclaim was in the same area. They just dumped all the bags in no particular order in one big tent, with no one handing them out. So us the runners, had to try and find your bag from the thousands of bags (all the exactly the same bags as supplied by event, except for small number tag). Hundreds of frozen runners queueing outside in the cold trying to get into this tent, that was full of other runners trying to find their bags, a nightmare.

Max - I've noticed on the GMM website they have published an official appology re the baggage. It looks like lots of people never got their bags.
Well done on getting a sub 4:00 btw