Manchester Marathon – 14th April 2024
by Phil Healy
From 5 stops over a 400m distance (One Lap) to 42.4km Non-stop
The event was organised & marshalled as you’d expect for such a big race, athletes from around the country & across the globe had congregated to participate. The great atmosphere amongst the runners was evident from warm up to the start line & continued all along the 26.2 mile (My Garmin logged 26.46 mile). The course is generally flat & down hill section, the naughty incline everyone talks about at mile 17 really starts at mile 16.6, and continues through to mile 18.
That’s the box standard party lines out of the way, here is how my journey started and finished on Talbot Road in Manchester.
It all started on the 1st of January 2024, day one of my marathon training plan (TP). Fortunately, the first four weeks was similar to the type of training I had got into a groove with, with a bit more. Although, I struggled having to fit runs into work and family life, good job I am an early riser. By the time I had reached week 8, I realised that the TP was much more than exercise & increasing distance & stamina,,, this thing (TP) was slowly taking over my life, I cannot lie, trying to fit the regime in & getting MY SLEEP was hard. The TP really got serious by week 10, 24km long runs had somehow turned into a trio of 28km on a Sunday with 14km recovery runs on a Monday. The local milk man must have thought “what is this maniac doing every day running around Crook?” I quickly learned that recovery run really meant discovery run, you certainly discover you are crazy for taking this on.
At the week 10 stage point I did have the urge to tell myself where to stick the training plan, I was putting my mind & body through pain that it had not even imagined.
Week 12 brought a new dawn, THE TAPER, you could be confused thinking that this was the start of the ease down, your joking, first 2 weeks of the taper is still 42 & 32 mile total distances a week, for a mere mortal this is still some distance to run. Week 14 came and went in a breeze, just an easy total distance of 20 mile for the week. Week 15 was most probably the longest week of the TP, a measly 9 mile in a week, I was chomping at the bit to get out and run somewhere,,,, then I remembered I had a significant jog to do at the end of the week.
THE BIG DAY 14/04/2024
The day started with a good healthy breakfast, look at me talking like some kind of athlete LOL.
Right now, I will be openly honest, I was shaking like a leaf waiting at the start line, the big reality came home like a head-on collision with a brick wall. There it was 3-minute count down by the announcer, SH**, I looked up and just ahead of me was a young lady with hair in pleated pig tails, crop top, short-shorts & a holster belt equipped with her hydration for the trip, straight away I thought to myself she looks like Laura Croft off-a Tomb Raider. On the back of her black crop top was the words “Just do It” with a big tick alongside. The announcer started to count down from 10, God this is it, TWO-ONE followed by a big bag & flames at the side of the start line arch. Every one of the athletes in the crowd started to move forward slowly, then quicker. As I went over the trip mat I looked up, right in front of me running the same pace was the young lady I’d seen in the starting crowd, I thought to myself “Come on then Lara “let’s do it”.
The first 5 miles went like a blur, running through the streets of Manchester City centre, the crowd kept everyone moving at a good healthy pace, that deep down I most probably did not feel comfortable with, but went with it. Out of the centre on the way up to Chester road & the long straight stretch to Sale, at the 8 mile point I heard voices that I recognised, my wife Sandra & Lisa & my three grand kids Ryan, Lucy & Jack were at the top of a steady incline, encouraged by Sandra, Lisa & three of my grandchildren gave me a much-needed boost. The 5 mile stretch to stretch to Sale was quite quick & easy going, mostly down or flat. The up-hill section that was advertised to be at mile 17, came at mile 16.5, the gradient is quite steep & felt even steeper at this point in the race. At the top of the steep section, when you get to the peak, you think that’s that out of the way, but NO it’s then the start of the 17-mile incline that lasted for a mile. My strategy for this mile was head down & count 1-2-1-2-1-2, in between the counts looking up just to see if the gradient had gone HO NO it’s still there 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2.
Mile 20 and everyone told me this “Things start getting strange” I can only explain by saying your mind & body are doing things that you have never known before, I said PHIL you have done 22 mile before “You got this” I responded saying back “that was a Saturn run”, I stopped after each of the 5 laps to have a drink & a Pee before setting of on the next lap, “this is different PHIL!”
Mile 24 to 25 was even more strange than the previous 2 mile, I was running along & I hear a voice running with me on my right, I looked & it was my grandson Ryan asking me if I was ok. I looked away refusing to answer him, to be honest I thought I had died & I was having an out of body experience imagining that Ryan was with me, I could not look to my right & chose to ignore the voice, so I purposely looked left & to my relief I seen my daughter Lisa running along the path waving her camera about taking pictures of me (What a relief I am alive), I quickly turned to Ryan & told him I think I am doing ok, thanks for asking. The boost from them two guys put a tear in my eye, but best of all they gave me the kick to knock this last mile and a bit out of the park.
There I was, across the line at the end of a Marathon 26.45 miles, for God sake I shouted, and I let out 3 screams of joy, the guy next to me said “I second that”. Lisa once told me running a marathon is like having a baby, the 26.2 mile is the labour & the birth is when you have crossed the line, all I can say to that after this experience is “Thank God I am a Man”.
Big Ups & Shout Outs
I would just like to take the opportunity to thank all the Crook AC members & fellow athletes for their kind words, encouragement & support through not just the last 16 week, but for the last 2 & a bit years. I’d also like to thank my two gorgeous daughters Claire & Lisa, without them pulling me along to join Crook AC, I would have never found this sport. The biggest thanks are for my wife Sandra, without her I could not have done any of this, THANKS.
Final Word
Guys & Gals, if I can do it, anyone can do it. Love Crook, Love Running.
Phil