We all love going the extra mile, right? But what about two of them? And what when it is about a fairly hilly marathon through slippery mud? Well, I am going ahead of myself. The Steyning Stinger is a trail marathon in the area of Brighton, where I had heard rather bewildering stories about bad weather, gales, and challenging terrain. A friend of mine was running it and I was desperate getting back into the marathon game, so I gave it a go.
Despite grim forecasts on the days before the race, the weather turned out to be rather sunny and almost rain-free. And despite my recent lack of trail running experience (well, and consistent distance running in general), it all started much better than expected. My legs felt tired but not depleted and I managed to maintain quite a focus on the task ahead. Which meant a focus on the actual running and less on the, ehm, “staying on route” bit. There is a German saying that means literally translated: “What one doesn’t have in their head, one has in their legs.” I guess you get the drift.
It happened at the drink station after mile 17 (kilometre 28), when I turned left with suddenly no runners around me. I asked a pair of marathon walkers and they confirmed and reassured me, that this is the right route. I remember myself mentioning, that I was just surrounded by runners, and now everyone is gone. Other hikers joined the conversation confirming, that this is definitely the route. So I carried on. Reluctantly. Stupid. I should have double-checked at the drink station. Eventually, I reached mile marker 14 and it dawned on me. This is a bit of the course that I had already done! 😱
The thoughts and emotions that went through my head are hard to describe. I had obviously been so focused, that I did not even notice I had already run that part. I remember now that there was a particular tree with interesting roots, where I felt I already passed that tree (I am not lying). But I ran a whole mile, without recognising anything else. Blaming it on getting older, would be an insult to the older generation. My focus shifted from doing “a better as I hoped for race” to not letting this silliness spoil the whole event for me. Yes, there where muddy bits like there is no tomorrow (the rain of the previous days had clearly left its marks). Yes, there was a cold wind constantly around me. Yes, it makes a mental difference to have 10 miles left when there should only be 8. But it was still a gorgeous day and my legs were much stronger than I could have hoped for.
So I carried on, caught up with my friends who had fallen a bit behind because of pain and niggles. I walked/ran a few miles with them and then did a strong “fast” finish on the last three miles. With a bit of a “sprint” through the mud towards the finish line, only trying to avoid slipping and falling into it. So I succeeded in a way, not to let my spirit get dampened by what could have happened to anyone (ehm – not!). And they are handing out a great breakfast after the run and give a super stylish medal with burgundy ribbon and fierce scorpion and all. A big compliment to the organnisers, spot on event!
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