The 53rd Isle of Wight Marathon

Well done Nathan for finishing

The results are up on the Ryde Harriers website if you haven't already seen them - now that's efficiency by the Ryde guys!

Thanks to everyone who organised the race today - absolutely first class. The race marshalls, the guys on the drinks stations , the registration desks and everyone who cheered us around the course were brilliant. Yes the course was challenging - just how many hills can you fit into miles 19, 20 and 21!?! - but I'd definitely do it again. And I was 20 minutes quicker than my London run this year and my fourth fastest marathon.

agree with Simon,

thank-you to the fantastic marshalls and helpers (and peoples friends that also clapped me around!)

Great they had your 'special' drinks ready to hand you as you ran towards the drink station.

Happy with 28mins faster than last year.

thank-you Ryde 

Yeah, the race marshalls and the helpers were fantastic really encouraging especially the one who had gone to the trouble of handing out some Candbury's Caramel at 21 miles chocolate has never tasted so good. The people cheering you on were also brilliant. Big thank you to everyone...Except for one driver who shouted "get out of the *beep* road" but there's always one idiot.

 It was the hardest thing I've ever done, I thought i'd never get to the end. I thought I was flying when I saw the 7 mile sign only to have it followed by the 4 mile sign because we had to run a loop. I feel I've been beaten up but I'm so glad I did my first marathon and managed to get round.

If you're having them, don't let the 'never again' thoughts get to you either Nathan!! Your time for a first marathon is cracking and something to build upon, and from my limited marathon experience - London, Nottingham and the Isle of Wight - I reckon you've started off at the more difficult end of the scale.

You're right though - that loop at the start threw me for a minute, but I've trained doing loops and they seem to eat up some of the miles early on.

And I missed out on the chocolate!  Still, its an incentive to go back next year!

The pictures are up

http://www.rydeharriers.co.uk/PhotoGallery/index.cgi?mode=image&album=/2009%20IOW%20Marathon&image=P1010202_DCE.JPG

I didn't know Robert Deniro ran the race