This weekend, Sunday March 19, sees the annual Hastings half marathon – just over 13 miles of one of the more difficult running courses – at least that was my experience.
The start is down the Western end of the promenade, in Grosvenor Gardens. The challenges start straight away: before the body has had a chance to warm up, you are on to the first hill, up past the railway station and then back down to the main (A259) road – quads already aching. A short recovery on the flat and then Harley Shute Road. If the first hill was steep, this is worse, muscles aching, gasping for breath and there are still 12 miles to go. Once at the top of the incline, though, the reward is a flattish stretch with, after a bit, a gentle downhill to a roundabout, bear left into Crowhurst Road and learn the truth about running – which is that whatever goes down must also go back up.
But its only a short rise with a chance to get one’s breath back on the subsequent downhill section. And then it starts. You are into Queensway and the long, long uphill drag to the Ridge. It never seems to end and there is almost no respite from the endless incline.
Finally the top is reached and with a sigh of relief you turn onto the Ridge……and the road is still going up……surely it can’t be……but it is and the rise continues almost as far as the Conquest Hospital. Heart is pounding…. legs are burning…. why am I doing this…. how much further…. I’ll never finish….but then suddenly you are going down hill, gravity is on your side once more. Breathing becomes easier, legs become less heavy and painful. The worst, for the time being, is over.
With just the odd uphill diversion towards the end of the Ridge, to remind you that this is not supposed to be easy, you finally turn right towards the sea knowing that you are now heading for home, and it’s downhill all the way – except it’s not. Weaving into bits of the Old Town is fine and down Old London Road and on to the sea front.
Then the most surprising thing happens: the promenade is dead flat, but after a lengthy down hill section running with the aid of gravity, running on the level feels just like running uphill because you are having to propel yourself rather than let gravity do the work for you.
After half a mile or so the feeling goes. You have passed the amusement area, then comes the pier and then various buildings that act as landmarks get picked off one by one. The finish line, back in Grosvenor Gardens is not far away. Adrenalin now takes over, tiredness starts to fade, someone from the spectating crowd shouts, “Keep going, you’re looking good”. They always say that – why? At that stage in the race, drenched in sweat, red faced, eyes fixed, trance-like, on the finishing arch, the one thing you are not looking is good!
And then it’s all over. Your time is taken automatically, a nice lady comes up and gives you a medal (and never one more deserved) just for finishing, a loved one comes and gives you a hug, before jumping back with “Uggh you’re all wet and sweaty!” Well what did she expect? You’ve just run 13 miles, for goodness sake!
Then home to a long bath and a cold drink. But be warned, its addictive. With drink in hand and the aches just starting to subside for the moment, (you’ll be as stiff as anything in the morning), you find that your free hand, without any input from your brain, is reaching out for ‘Runners World‘. Now what date is the Brighton Marathon?. . . .
Photo: library image