Rotary Shakespeare MARATHON

It's that time of the year again when I feel optimistic about my running and toy with the idea of entering my local marathon. Last year I gave into temptation and took the plunge. I really enjoyed the race but said at the finish that, having made it round and performed reasonably well, there was no reason for me to ever do another one. Hmmm....

 Anyone going to enter this?!

 (sorry about the obligatory Shakespeare quote)

I'm doing VLM but as there is more of a gap next year between the two then I might give this a go. 

I ran the half back in 2005 and it is still my PB (hopefully rectify that in just over a week).  Lovely course apart from one hill about half way around and great support.

Last year's RSM was my first. The hills were a bit of a test but not too bad. The Greenway was awful. Not so much soul-searching as soul-destroying. It's just a long straight track which I reckoned I would take in my stride. The first circuit was OK - I was feeling fresh and confident and it didn't seem too long. The second time around you join it further out and it seems to stretch out ahead of you as if it's going on forever. Add the heat to that and you begin to see why it was such a beast. Not only did a lot of people not finish but even those that did nearly all said their times were much slower than expected. Given that this year's race is two weeks later I confess to being very nervous about entering again. I'll make my mind up by the end of the year but I suspect the prospect of the Greenway in the heat of early May will make me enter something earlier in the year instead.

As for the Greenway surface, it was absolutely fine in dry conditions. If it rains a lot before the event or on the day I guess it might be a bit stickier, but it should be fairly well drained given that it's on an old railway line.

Does anybody know the lengh of each of the laps in RSM? The map on the website suggests one lap is longer than the other but I could not find details of how many miles each one is.  Thanks.

I did the half last year and I didn't think it was a particularly tough course physically, the hill was hard but if you keep on thinking 'the pain will stop at the top' you'll be ok.

 The Greenway is an old railway line and was white crushed stone. Ok in the dry, might be a bit sticky in the wet.  It is soul destroying though, largely straight and flat, you don't feel like you are moving.  It's awful. The colour reflects the sun back at you too.

Katy I beleive the spilt point is at about 12 miles, and on the 2nd lap you join the Greenway a couple of miles further back. 

 I'm tempted next year, but reckon the Greenway may be enough to make want to end it all if it's hot

I've ran this twice, this year and last year.

The Greenway is basically an old, disused railway line - the surface is white, pebbly and dusty. When the sun is blazing on it (and it did this year and last year), it felt like a desert land. I'm not exaggerating - blinding!

I echo the above comment about the 'soul destroying' aspect of it. Obviously you've got to be mentally tough to even run a Mara, but to get through 2 laps of that Greenway... something else in my book. 

Excellent Mara though - can't fault it, will be back again next year once Abo is put to rest. 

Thanks for your advice.

 I have ran London 3 times yet I still felt I was not real marathon runner. I thought it was time to do one without the hype to see if I have what it takes. From what you all say about the greenway this could be just the challenge I need. .