The weekend just gone was my second running of the Snowdonia Marathon, held in Llanberis for the past 29 years with the reputation of 'Britain's toughest marathon'.
Two years ago, by chance, I'd seen the highlights programme on s4c and decided there are then I'd enter the next year, despite atrocious looking weather. I don't know what made me want to do it, I just knew it was the race for me.
I'd booked myself into this race again as a post-ironman event to look forward to. I'd done a similar amount of training to last year but my limbs were a lot wearier. In the last two weeks, I'd had niggles in my glute and hip flexor areas and was a little worried about how they'd fare on the mountain roads.
So I found myself, for the second year running, cowering in the wind and rain in Llanberis, anxiously looking out of windows at the yet again unpleasant weather draping the spectacular landscape outside. It was raining that drizzle that gets you wet through and sheets of it were being blown about by ghoulish sounding gusts.
There's a ten minute walk from the village to the start, so we all sheepishly left the deep-heat stinking village hall where we were all sheltering (and queueing for toilets and making coats and skirts out of bin liners) and made our way through the elements to the start line. I joined the toilet queue again but had to abandon it through fear of being sat on the John as the hooter sounded, so said my goodbyes to Dan (who went off on his own 2 hour run) and soon enough I'd placed myself three-quarters of the way back and was excited to get started. I was certainly more pleased to be at this start line than at the Cardiff half.
My aim for this race was to enjoy it as much as I'd enjoyed last year, to (maybe) beat my time and (perhaps) get under 5 hours (last year I did 5 hours 10) but I didn't want to put too much pressure on.
The hooter sounded and we were off. The first mile is downhill then flat, so it was easy to get into a nice gentle rhythm. From around 2.5 miles we start to ascend the Llanberis Pass - a 3 and a bit mile, winding road up through the U shaped valley to Pen-y-Pass. It was pretty hard going and I was occasionally comically swept across the road by whooshing gusts. Strangely though, at the top of the Pass, the air was still. It was a strange sensation.
Once over the Pass, a little drink, then it was time to do some descending. The next 3 miles or so were downhill and some of it offroad, so it was great fun. Last year, I'd run like an old woman down this offroad section and got overtaken so many times but this year I hurtled down like a mountain goat, picking people off and flailing my arms around like a windmill for balance. Last winter's forray into off road running had obviously helped.
At mile 8 we were back on the slighlty undulating road so it was time to get back into rhythm and maybe even push a bit. It was around this point I started to feel real discomfort in my right hip. It was the same niggle I'd been feeling for the past few weeks but this hurt. My form started to go a bit squiffy and I couldn't push like I wanted to. Other than this, I felt ok and was able to keep going. It was the most uncomfortable I've ever been in a race though.
I shuffled my way to Beddgelert, the half way point. I was impressed to find that I got to the 13 mile point in 2 hours 15. Here we encountered the next hill, a 2 mile slog up towards Llyn Gadar. This is an annoying hill as it has many false summits and for some reason, runners kept switching from the left hand side of the road to the right...and back again for no particular reason. Despite most people around me doing the 'walk-then-run-past-me-then-walk-again-whilst-I-overtake-them-again' routine I kept running. I'm not a fan of the walk-run concept unless it's absolutely necessary i.e. when a hill gets too steep and it's quicker to walk up.
Next up was my favourite bit of the course, running alongside Llyn Cwellyn (it's difficult to choose a favourite bit but this takes it by a whisker). This section was pretty flat and despite feeling some stiffness the pain in my hip was gone. I tried to keep a good pace going and to take my mind of things I started to hassle other runners for chats. I chatted to a girl from Prestatyn who was doing her first marathon (!!) after only having done one half marathon. Respect to her, what a marathon baptism of fire. Next I spoke to an American lady, who asked me if I was familiar with the course so I told her what was coming up and she gave a look of 'what have I let myself in for here?'. I tried to stick with her, but she eventually peeled away.
I knew what was to come and had promised myself that I'd walk from the bottom of the gigantic hill from mile 22. The village of Waunfawr took an age to come into view. Last year, I remember catching up with an old guy who was running with his dog. I couldn't believe my eyes when at almost exactly the same spot as last year, I caught up with him again. The guy must be in his 70s and the dog must be the equivalent in dog years!
The hill started to pitch up as we got into Waunfawr. Just before I stopped running to start the march, some kindly spectators had laid out little bits of the most delicious flapjacks for us. I tagged onto a Scottish lady this time and we kept up with eachother as we stomped and swayed our arms up the hill. We discussed whether we'd get in under 5 hours - "hmm, it might be tight" said the lady. This spurred me on and she evetually fell back. As it got flatter towards the top, I started to do bursts of running, aiming for a rock or a post in a field ahead of me. I was tired by now though.
The final descent into Llanberis had haunted my dreams for the last 12 months. Last year, I'd gingerly made my way down the grassy trail, trying to avoid the raging torrent which had started to flow down the path after one of the many cloudbursts of rain we'd expierenced last year. I remember so many people overtaking me and being angry at not being able to let myself go. This year, I was determined not to be a baby and make it look like I knew what I was doing when it came to downhill trail running!
Luckily, there were no torrents this year but the constant drizzle had made the path a little muddy and slidey. This didn't stop me though, and I charged my way down (arms flailing again). I overtook people. The path eventually turns to tarmac and about 2 metres from 'safety' I almost managed to go head over heels, but managed to save myself, albeit with an accompanied curse word.
Around this point was a man helpfully informing us we had 1000 metres to go. I looked at my watch, 4 hours 54 - hmmm, can I do a kilometre in 6 minutes downhill? So I tried to run even harder, ignoring the pounding pain in my '25 miles into a marathon' legs.
One final ridiculously steep section then I was on Llanberis High St with about 250 metres to go. I looked at my watch - 5 hours 14 seconds.......damn. I stopped trying so hard and got back into a jog towards the finish line. Final time, 5 hours 1 minute 16 seconds.
I was soaked to the bone. I got handed a foil cover (which almost immediately blew away) and my second Marathon Eryri slate coaster. They're my favourite race momentos.
I was a tiny bit gutted but elated at how the race had gone. I'd smashed last year's time by over 9 minutes and I'd run how I wanted to, although I wasn't pleased with how my hip had felt. I think if I'd been feeling a little fresher I'd have been able to push a bit harder on those flat bits. My legs felt ruined at the end though and they're still pretty sore 5 days later.
Marathon Eryri is such a great event, quite possibly my favourite, despite how tough it is. I'll more than likely enter nexr year, despite it being only 8 weeks after Ironman Wales. Will I be fit and fresh enough to break 5 hours?
