In a weekend that saw Kelvin Kiptum shatter the men’s marathon record 7 JJ’s took the journey to Kielder for the marathon and half marathon races.

The marathon course takes a clockwise circuit around the fringes of Kielder Reservoir. Starting at the Lakeside  Park the route follows the lakeshore trail through the forest. Runners head first towards Kielder village then towards the dam and return to the start finish area. The trails are undulating with a stiff 650 metres of climbing.

After a damp start the skies cleared and runners enjoyed unseasonably warm conditions on the race. Kielder looked its best with the forest  taking on its autumn colours.

The marathon has a nasty sting in its tail with most of the climbing in the last 10k. After that it was a relief to finally arrive back at the start/finish for a well earned medal and rest. The marathon claims to be “Britain’s most Beautiful” and some runners were stopping to photograph and enjoy the scenery others were simply struggling to keep moving.

The first JJ to finish was Paul O’Connor in a great time of 4.20.07 followed by Cliff Veitch running his 10th and slowest Kielder marathon a week after having had covid in 4.27.39.  Next across the line was Sophie Reynolds continuing her good form in 4.45.28 boosted by cheers on the course from her mum.  Anthony Harland was close on her heels in 4.45.32  followed by Rachel Gee completing her first ever marathon in an amazing time of 4.55.50

The half marathon starts on the Kielder dam and after looping back on itself follows the marathon route along the lakeshore trails to the finish. It’s a tough hilly course and rather muddy. Not one for a half marathon PB although some runners were seen to be wearing Vaporflys. Jonny Greenwell burned off his Saturday night beers in an impressive 30th place with a time of 1.33.35. Anna Doherty ran strongly and finished in a great time 1.49.31.

Kielder marathon:
Paul O’Connor 4.20.07 position 188
Cliff Veitch 4.27.39 position 234
Sophie Reynolds 4.45.28 position 330
Anthony Harland 4.45.32 position 332
Rachel Gee 4.55.50 position 398
[621 finishers]

Kielder half marathon
Jonny Greenwell 1.33.35 position 30
Anna Doherty 1.49.31 position 143
[757 finishers]

Cliff Veitch

After months of training and getting themselves in shape, the day had finally come. The five JJs were ready for ‘The London’ marathon.

With various different starts and wave starts it meant that most of the JJs didn’t see each other before the race. With journeys to the start by train, it was a chance to chat to fellow runners and one who was running bare foot. With just flip flops and his running kit, he wasn’t envied by his fellow travellers.  Louis and Simon were on the same start and met to discuss targets and tactics in the start area.

With the rain threatening, the start was warmly welcomed and the JJs set off in the drizzle and a wall of noise.  The Londoners were out in force, even with the rain, cheering on the runners.  Only Simon had done the London Marathon before, 23 years previously, and he was stunned by the cacophony of noise, not just at the main watching points of the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge, the Embankment, Birdcage Walk and the Mall but all around the course. It was emotional and inspiring to be running through the crowd and the noise.  Sophie noted after the race that it was the best race crowds that she had ever experienced and those she passed running as fridges, radiators and golf bags, were surely people who had lost bets!

Louis stormed off at a good pace and stunned by the number of shouts of ‘Jesmond’ in a race.  David said that one of water stations someone shouted ‘I hope that’s Geordie Jesmond?’  With the sign of ‘Howay the lads’ in Canary Wharf, the JJs felt at home. Louis went off fast and admitted afterwards, maybe to fast, and hit that mythical wall but still was first JJ home in an inspiring 2:50:51. With his mantra of ‘smile every mile even if each one is harder than the last’, it got him round in a very respectable time.

Simon was the next JJ off, going slightly quicker than target pace, the emotion of the day getting the better of him but staying within a target time he had set. The wall was coming, and as he passed Andrew H and Jayne Oswald, he shouted grimly that this was going to be the hardest 7 miles. It was, and he gamely hung on with shooting pains in his foot from around 8/9 miles to record 3:34:57. It was great to see Joe Inns and his girlfriend around the course and at most unexpected points on the course where he needed to see a friendly face to cheer him on.

Sophie had a stormer, but at 22 miles got stomach cramps, and had nothing left as the dreaded wall caught up with her. Sophie is not one to give up and with not much left in the tank she still got round to record a PB of 3mins with a time of 4:09:04.

Gerry was next JJ home and with a smile and the shout of a man ringing in her ears of ‘these are miles on our health!’ Gerry took in the sights and sounds and the highlight being drag queens cheering her on and as she kept on telling herself to run the mile you are in; another respectable time was clocked up with Gerry coming home in 4:26:04.

David brought up the rear and was rather disappointed that they had moved the wall in his race to Tower Bridge, he enjoyed the day and experience to record a great time of 5:01:36.

The London Marathon is a race that is unique. A race where all humanity gathers to test their endurance and pain threshold. The ballot is open for the 2024 race and I think we wall and the JJs competing this weekend would highly recommend it. The ballot closes on the 28th April this year.

An amazing and emotional race and fantastic performances by all the JJs.

1546th Louis Gardner 960th M18-39 02:50:51

9913th Simon Wells 801st M50-54 03:34:57

21126th Sophie Reynolds 3135th F18-39 04:09:53

25934th Gerry Rowland 4122nd F18-39 04:26:04 PB

35832nd David Newman 779th M60-64 05:01:36

(* I reserve the right to change my mind!)

Stirling you were “my first” road marathon, and Si’s first marathon for 19 years, and you certainly took pretty much “everything” that I had in me!  A relatively flat course I was told – that the last time I believe you Si!

It’s a couple of weeks on now and the memories are both fading but “You’re my reality, yet I’m lost in a dream”.  My legs have recovered but still ‘protesting’ they tell me when I push them.  They assure me that they no longer feel “like a first morning dew on a brand new day” so I’m keeping those ‘well, maybe … possibly … probably’ ideas to my head at the moment!

After a quick whip round parkrun on Saturday morning (don’t tell Si!) it was off to Stirling to run our London Marathon in the North.  We were joined by Storm who was keeping us company by doing the half marathon … ‘with a bit more planning I could have kept Storm company’ I kept thinking as we drove up!

After carb loading in Stirling city centre on Saturday evening, and a reccy on where to park on Sunday morning, it was back to our Premier Inn “camp” at Robert the Bruce’s victorious Bannockburn.  While Si and I retired to our comfortable rooms Storm decided he needed the full Bannockburn experience and so his ‘camp’ was literally.  No idea how he ran the Half after a night bivvying in the Premier Inn carpark.

While we didn’t, thanks goodness, have to survive the ravages of Bruce’s army, we did have to survive an early alarm.  I did feel a little bit guilty as I boiled the kettle for my porridge at 0550 while Storm cooked up his gruel on the primastove outside!

A 0700 depart from Bannockburn saw us wandering in a relatively warm sunshine to Kings Field for the 0830 race start (and to no queues at the toilets!!)

After the amusement of being referred to as the ‘Elite’ runners (well that certainly wasn’t how I was feeling!) while waiting in the starting funnels, “the hammered horns resounded, and the standards of war were spread out in the golden dawn” (Chronicler Walter Bower’s description of Bannockburn).  We were off.

I can’t say the race had quite the drama of Robert the Bruce’s defeat of the English, but it certainly had a better ending.  That said it may have been dramatic if I had blown up as Si feared that I may after I stormed the first steady downhill to Blair Drummond.  He was though off into the distance, after an initial wobble, as we approached Doune and the first of the hills (well maybe they were ‘undulations’!), that had become mountains by the time we reached Dunblane at 12 miles and by Stirling campus at 20 miles, had grown to become “Munroes”!

Much of the race now seems a little bit hazy, unreal, something that I can’t quite grasp, that I remember in odd flashbacks (some good, some less so!).  There are of course though moments that will stick in my mind forever:

• How emotional (scared) I felt at the start (thanks Si, for tolerating my incessant nervous chatter)

• The peace of being almost alone for much of the route (well quiet except for the beat of Meatloaf and Abba on continuous shuffle as they were all I had on my mp3 player!)
• The realisation that despite the Stirling campus hill I might actually finish
• Stirling campus hill … My legs wouldn’t work at all. They just wouldn’t listen to me telling them to make the uphill effort!
• As I reached Stirling High Street and the last km, finally shaking off the overriding fear of failure that had been with me since I had signed up … and smiling to myself (although the race photos indicate to the contrary!) as I weaved around the raised lights that Si had warned me about the evening before (as if I’m someone to trip and fall?!) that I should finish well under the 4h target I had ‘ambitiously’ set myself

I had finished: 3h 35m, although it was over 15mins after Si who had finished in an amazing 3h 19m, it was still a time beyond my dreams.  We both made the good for age entry to Boston 2020 and I had also made it for London 2020.

I didn’t have the energy to raise my arms as I crossed the line (uphill again!), but instead tears ran down my face.  Thank goodness no-one I knew was there and there wasn’t a finish line photo!

After locating the luggage bus, it was then to find Si and Storm.  They had missed me, and we were waiting by the line for me to finish … starting to worry that I had indeed blown up!

Was it “the answer to all my dreams”?  Maybe.  I shall though remember, Stirling, that

“There’s only, only one like you
There’s no way they could have made two

My first, the last, my everything
And the answer to all my dreams
You’re my sun, my moon, my guiding star
My kind of wonderful, that’s what you are”

Footnotes:

The night before we discussed times, in which Kate said that she wouldn’t get near 3:53.  That time would bring her a good for age time.  In fact, she was right; she was nowhere near it (much faster).  Her performance would bring her the Jesmond Joggers performance of the month for May in a very crowded field.  Kate set off in determined mood and it wasn’t until 6 miles in that I finally passed her.  The weather was kind to us and the course, not as hilly as described by Kate, well not until the last 6 miles but that might be my memory playing tricks on me.  Those last six miles were tough, trying to keep focused, I finally finished in a time that looking back I would be pleased with.

Storm gave me a big bear hug and that was the end of my fifth marathon. Where next? I have the marathon bug back.

A big thank you to Kate and Storm for providing great company. Sadly, the Stirling marathon will not take place again.  The Great Run Company having decided that’s the end of the race.  A real shame as it was far from the madding crowd.

Kate and Simon

April 2019

Looking through marathon training plans, I once again wondered what I was doing. 50+ hours a week – how was I going to fit that in?! I used to find 30 miles tough! Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the training. There were definitely days where I felt completely exhausted and had to force myself to get out, but on the whole I loved the excuse to run almost every day. I had a few niggles to deal with, one of which resulted in spending most of my money on physiotherapy, but somehow my body pushed through and I didn’t break from the increased mileage. When the weekend finally came I knew I’d done everything I could, and was praying all my hard work would pay off on the day!

Emma and I went to the EXPO to collect our numbers on the Friday night. Excitement and nerves built as we saw all the kit and energy bars/gels for sale (tasting as many as we could, so much nut buttery goodness!) and took photos with our numbers under the big ’26.2’ sign. We couldn’t believe the weekend was finally here! Saturday was spent attempting not to ruin our legs (a difficult task in the city centre of London!) and trying to carb load whilst avoiding eating so much we’d have to work harder lugging it round the next day. Piece of advice – never try to get an Italian meal in London the night before the marathon. Sleep was a far away dream on both the Friday and Saturday nights….

Before we knew it the day was here. Fuelled with porridge, banana and coffee we set off for the journey to Blackheath. Naively we thought we just needed to hop on and off a tube then a train, however it took 2 completely packed trains and lots of elbowing on the platform to finally fight our way on – 3^rd time lucky! The championship start wasn’t the easiest to find, but finally we were there amongst people we both thought were far too speedy for us to compete with! The championship start was so special – right at the front, just behind the elite men, with the 3-hour pacer comically behind us in the general start area! Nerves were dampened down by excitement as Andy Murray started the race off. We’d decided to run together as our training paces had been so similar and we were both aiming for the same time (sub 3:15). Before long we were right at the back of the championship runners. It was difficult not to race the post box and 3-person sausage dog overtaking us a few miles in, but we worked hard to stick to our pacing plan and not get carried away.

The first few miles were mentally really tough, and I worried I wasn’t cut out for this distance. Around 5 miles in I started to feel much better, we’d settled into a rhythm and the atmosphere was building alongside the miles. Company and incredible crowd support made the time fly, and it wasn’t long until we crossed the Tower Bridge and headed out to the Isle of the Dogs, which we’d been told was a tough section of the course. Luckily we had some amazing cheers from friends and family to keep us going. Around 20 miles in, just after seeing our parents, we unintentionally picked up the pace. I remember saying multiple times ‘we’re going faster than target pace, can we keep this up??’ to which Em just replied ‘no idea!’. Em started to struggle at about 24 miles and despite my best efforts to pull her through the rough patch, she finally convinced me to go off alone. I was sad we wouldn’t get our dream hand in hand finish, but we’d agreed before hand that we’d separate if one of us started to flag. I was feeling stronger than ever thanks to the crowds and knew I could pick the pace up.

The final mile and a half was surreal – I was so focussed on getting to Buckingham Palace and the iconic finishing straight that I somehow missed seeing the London Eye, and only just clocked Big Ben! Turning into the Palace grounds I gave it everything I had left to push to the finish. I ran 3:11:56, beyond anything I thought I could achieve. I waited as close to the finish as I could to find Em, who’d managed to keep pushing at an incredible pace despite hitting the wall and finished in 3:12:58.

Our legs rapidly started to seize up and we almost forgot to get a photo of us at the end in our haste to stretch out and get into some less sweaty kit. I checked my phone to see the JJs whatsapp group had been going crazy all morning, I had no idea so many people would be tracking us on the app! In my emotional state it brought a tear to my eye to read all the comments on our progress throughout the race with everyone routing for us to do well. This club really is so special! From these messages I saw Kleo, who’d run with our sole club number, had managed an absolutely storming run finishing in 3:06:30.

London, you were INCREDIBLE. I smiled the entire way, even through the pain of the last 10k. I can’t imagine a better way to spend my first marathon than running most of it alongside my sister, who provided the best company/moral support/pacing. I can honestly say I loved every minute, even the tough bits!

Laura Cheetham

April, 2019