5 course breakfasts, running with the elites and trying to outrun the sun. Limassol marathon.

In my (almost) 4 years of running I had yet to race abroad, no real reason, it just hadn't happened, plenty of races have caught my attention, Zegama, Laugavegur, or pretty much anything in Iceland, but I'd never got much further than the 'ooh that looks good' stage. But that was all to change when a few people I know on Twitter were planning on taking part in the Limassol marathon and asked if I fancied going along, there would be sun, cheese and a buffet breakfast. I signed up.

                                          

The race fitted into into my already heavy schedule for the first few months of 2017 and three weeks after another marathon, I'm not yet like some others whose bodies are used to knocking out marathons or a regular basis, so naturally I set myself a target of a sub 4 marathon, which would be a PB and my 2nd road marathon, the first was Brighton and didn't go exactly to plan (I bonked massively). Unluckily for me the marathon before Limassol went badly and my persistent foot problem was getting worse. The following week I ran just the once, giving the foot pain time to calm down, and just once the week before Limassol, tapering like a pro.....

Anyway, fast forward to a couple of days before the race and landing at Paphos airport, we made our way to the Mediterranean beach hotel, where me and Alison would be staying during our break. The forecast was looking good for our stay and decent weather to run in, without it being too hot.
The hotel looked good, had it's own beach, a decent size pool and a spa for a much needed post race massage, we unpacked and then waited in the bar for the others to arrive. Shaun and Andy met us for a quick drink while Susie took part in a Q&A session, then we headed off for some food, Shaun knew the area pretty well so took us to a decent place for some food, a few drinks and then some zzzzzzzzzz

The day before the race I made sure I took full advantage of the buffet breakfast and had 5 courses (Cereal, cooked, pastries, fruit, cake, incase you're wondering) after rolling out of the hotel we had a bit of an explore before meeting Elise, who would be running the half marathon, and also Becs & Carole from Breathe Unity, the PR company that would be looking after us during the race weekend, and then we all headed off to the pasta party. Now I've been to a few pasta parties (crazy times) and overall they have tended to be disappointing, but this one was pretty good, by pretty good I mean it was well organised and the pasta wasn't boiled to within an inch of its life and just covered in something tomato-y or creamy from a packet. It was really tasty and it took a strong will to not go up and get seconds or thirds. 
We also met a few more of the UK contingent, Kirsty from Run247, Lee, Paul, Jo and Gill chatted to them and some of the other runners taking part and their expectations before heading off to get kit ready and an early night.

Extreme concentration at the Pasta party

The marathon starts at 7am, to avoid the worst of the heat, with the half marathon starting slightly after, then the 10k. Overall the weekend of racing (there's a corporate 10k and a kids race on the Saturday) has 13,000 runners taking part, with the bulk either running the 10k or the Half marathon. There would be around 450 taking part in the marathon meaning that the field would get fairly spread out. The race organisers laid on free shuttle buses from most of the hotels, as they were based up to 6k from the start line, which I thought was a nice touch, having not experienced other races abroad I'm not sure if this is a regular occurrence. 
A quick last minute loo stop, as always you think races can have more loos, and we managed to avoid the worst of the loo queuing. We were in the queue to drop off our bags when noticed there were plenty of runners already in place for the start of the marathon and it looked like we might have to start towards the back, then luckily we managed to see Becs who offered to look after our bags and then ushered us past security into the press/elites start!

Me, Susie & Shaun, starting with the elites!

Now, I'm never likely to be start near the front of a marathon due to me being a middle of the pack marathoner at best, so it was all quite surreal being in the same area as these elites, they looked the part and would leave me for dust within seconds, then there were the other 'normal' runners who would be hammering past me, bustling around the tape holding them back until the start. My race position would go from around 30 to 100+ within seconds. I was a Honda Civic to their Lambourghini something or other.

A slight delay meant we started 15 minutes later than planned but the banging music and glorious weather, even at that time, meant that it didn't matter and spirits remained high. A few words from the organisers and then we were off!
Susie and Shaun were aiming for sub 3:30 so I had to slow myself to not run just behind them and let them head off. 
Since the start of the year I'd said to myself that I would try for a sub 4 this year, and had a really good race at Stamford 30(k), running a negative split and finishing in 2:30 I was hopeful of getting close to sub 4 at Cambridge Boundary marathon, 3 weeks before Limassol, that didn't go to plan and my foot problems didn't help, as well as going off too fast and paying for it later I ran 4:13, having to walk some of the last couple of miles. Confidence had gone from up here (points high) to down there (touches floor).

Back to Limassol and within 3k/2miles the field had spread out quite a bit, Kirsty caught me up having started further back and ran with me for a short while and we chatted about future challenges before she kicked on, the roads were completely shut so we had the freedom of the roads. The temperature was rising but not enough to be a problem, people continued to trickle past me but I stuck to my pace, happy for them to go ahead.

Carole managed to grab these photos before the smiles disappeared

We continued to head out of Limassol, along the long main road, the course was pretty flat with just a slight incline for a few kilometres, nothing you could call a hill, we soon started seeing some of the half marathon runners (we did an extra loop to them before we were on main road) heading other way, Elise saw me and looked in great form and spirits about 5k from the end of the HM (she got a PB), it was a nice little boost to see someone I knew and we continued to move out of the town. 

My pace had started out and continued to be at slightly better than a 3:44:59 finish, something I had set as my 'A' target, at half way I felt comfortable, the foot wasn't causing any problems and thanks to the frequent water stations (every 2.5km) I was able to make sure I was staying hydrated as it started to warm up and we were more exposed to the sun out of the town. Just past halfway we turned around and headed back into town on the other side of the road a gradual descent and I was starting to pick people off.

There weren't many supporters during the race, especially heading out of town, so it was good to see people I knew, mainly heading the other way, and cheer them on. At various points I saw Paul, Lee, Susie, Shaun and Kirsty and they were all looking in good shape, I managed to see Alison standing near our hotel and she was carrying a water bottle and some jelly babies for me but I was feeling ok and didn't pick anything up, but seeing them all gave me a bit of boost and allowed me to keep on with my pace.

With about 15k to go I was starting to feel myself slow slightly and rather than try and push it I settled into this slightly slower pace and tried to calculate my finish time, which was starting to look around 3:47-8, also my stomach had gone a bit gurgly so I stuck to sipping water every other aid station. I didn't let my spirits dip too much and it helped that I was continuing to pass other runners as we made our way back into town, and shelter from the sun.

Running in heat can cause problems for some people and this was something the race organisers had obviously thought about as throughout the race there were Smart Car ambulances very regularly driving up and down the other side of the road, monitoring people who may have looked like they were having problems or had stopped at the side of the road. I thought this showed good organisation and thankfully they weren't required that much.

About 2k to go, hanging on.

With 10k/6 miles I had a 'spaced out' feeling and was a bit concerned I hadn't taken on enough water, as it was really starting to warm up, so at the next station I rectified that while also taking on some electrolytes, my stomach was still like a washing machine, my foot was starting to play up and my pace was suffering, with each km I was slowing. It looked like we were heading towards the finish but then you have to turn around and do a mini loop on the main road, this was probably my lowest point of the race, barring a disaster I was still on for a PB but I could feel my head dipping, slouching and the legs were being stubborn, this 5k 'loop of doom' seemed to take forever, my foot was causing me some pain and I was checking my watch far too much, some were walking at this point so the only positive was that I was still overtaking people. With about 2k to go I saw Alison, who had done her own 10k by walking from the hotel to the race, and she cheered me on, it gave me the lift I needed and although the pace didn't increase the heavy legs felt a bit lighter and the foot pain dulled. As I turned into the finishing straight, about 1k long, there were more people there to cheer you on and I could see an inflatable bridge in the distance, but it didn't say 'FINISH', then I realised the actual finish was a bit further on, I saw the clock and knew I was on for a PB, Elise cheered me on from the side and I managed a tiny burst of speed with about 200m to go, the clock ticked on and I could hear Susie and the others cheering.

I crossed the line in 3:50:26, a 15 minute PB.

I'm done.

As I crossed the line a medic immediately asked if I was ok, I was a bit light headed but nothing more, I told her I was ok and took a bottle of water. After some back slapping from the others on all running a good race, Susie told me I looked very pale and I should sit down, I sat in some shade and it was then that I didn't feel too good. After a bit of sit down, a banana and quite a bit of water I felt alright and we all headed off for some well earned food and drink.

All winners!

Obligatory medal shot

Post race refuelling and hydration

I really enjoyed Limassol marathon weekend, partly because of the great company throughout, partly because of the food and I really enjoyed the marathon. I can't fault the organisation of the race, a flat tarmac course, plenty of aid stations, lots of paramedics and a good atmosphere generated before, during and after the race. There's a strong international presence during the races and everyone is made to feel welcome.

I'd recommend Limassol for anyone looking for a flat marathon, or half marathon, who is looking for some sun, without too much heat, in the early part of the year. The event is in it's 6th year and continues to grow.
The Mediterranean Beach hotel was a good place to stay even in off season, a little bit away from the centre but a No.3 bus can get you there, or a taxi can be booked from the hotel. The staff at the spa and during breakfast were excellent and the cocktails are also recommended.

Many thanks to Becs and Carole from Breathe Unity for looking after us during the weekend, we had a great time.