| Marathon of Britain facts: | - Dates 4-9 September 2005
- Distance: 175 miles (minimum)
- Duration: 6 stages over 6 days
- Race start - Malvern
- 2005 Competitors: 40
- Course Record: 32 hours 58 minutes - Jeremy Bragg - 2004
- Slowest Time: 85 hours 24 minutes - Lloyd Scott - 2003
- Water Consumed: 10,000 litres
- Event Crew: 30+
|
They say if you ask ‘why’ you will never understand….what would motivate someone to enter the toughest multi day foot race in the world? For those that never heard of the Britvic Marathon of Britain - it is a six day foot race beginning on 4th September, taking competitors from the foot of the Malvern Hills to Nottingham Castle. Competitors are required to carry their own equipment (except tent) over the six stages which vary in length from a gentle 16 miles on day one to a 54 mile stage on day five which will take most competitors over 15 hours to complete. Having spoken to a number of people who have competed in the Marathon of Britain, Marathon des Sable and other arduous foot races, the general consensus is that the Marathon of Britain is the toughest of the lot, both mentally and physically. It is a marathon longer, a day shorter, with harder terrain to negotiate than other Ultra marathons! Within 400 meters of the start on day one, competitors climb 300m to the top of the Malvern Hills, whilst on day two there are four long steep hills to negotiate! My motives for entering the Marathon of Britain are simple, I just wanted to achieve something extraordinary, something harder than a marathon, something that would push myself to my physical and mental limits – something that in 20 years time I can still look back at with a sense of achievement. Six months of training | "I am convinced that completing the Marathon of Britain is 25% physical ability and 75% sheer determination." | | Mark Carlyle |
The culmination of over six months of training is now less than two weeks away and it can not come quickly enough. The long painful (and sometimes lonely) 25 mile Saturday and Sunday morning training runs are now finished, the focus is now on lots of shorter 10 mile runs, just to keep the legs used to the mileage but without stressing the body too much…..my biggest fear now is not whether I will complete the race but picking up an injury before it starts!! The fabulous British weather has also played its part in my training plan, you name it I have run through it. Rain, wind, hail and worst of all strength sapping, hot sunny days. On some occasions, all four elements in the one run! Mental test  | | The Marathon of Britain |
But no amount of physical training can prepare you for the mental test that lays ahead. I am convinced that completing the Marathon of Britain is 25% physical ability and 75% sheer determination. Whilst this is not an event you can enter without some serious physical preparation and a reasonable level of fitness, you need to be mentally ready and prepared to cope with the pain, frustration, disappointment and exhilaration. It is about knowing how to cope with these emotions when they occur (and they will), overcoming them and how to remain focused on achieving that ultimate goal….. Reaching Nottingham Castle on the 9th of September. | 
