Dorset Coastal Marathon
The day of the first of the series of seven coastal marathons was, thankfully, sunny and dry after a deluge the night before.
The intrepid group of Drew Briggs, Glen Street, Kathy McKain, Caroline Street, Karen Dean and I had spent the night in a youth hostel (yes, you don't have to be an actual 'youth' to be allowed in).
With some anxiety and trepidation and full of porridge and bananas, we set off to the start in a field next to the beach at Charmouth. It was clear from the outset that this would be no ordinary marathon (or half marathon in Karen's case) with the start climbing straight up to the coast path.
The race 'undulated' dramtically along the Jurassic Coast, winding inland and back out again, with Golden Cap (the highest point on the coast path) in sight as a beacon of what was to come. Running (and walking) through the spectacular countryside, it was almost emough to take our minds off of the pain of the hills. But not quite! After many hours the final climb up to the top of Golden Cap came at 23 miles, followed by the steepest and most treacherous wooden steps down to the beach.
The quads were burning and it was a relief to see Charmouth in the distance. After a quick wade through a river (well, only Glen chose this route) the finish was in sight. I have never been so happy to see a finish line, and the sense of achievement for all of us was amazing.
One down, six to go. Gower is the next outing in two weeks time, and we are all looking forward to it with great excitement. Well done everyone. Jane Adlard.