Glentress Marathon Review

Yesterday I ran the inaugural Glentress 42k trail marathon, organised by High Terrain Events.

While I've been to Peebles many, many times as it's where I completed my massage/sports massage qualifications, Glentress is a place I have never been....and what a treat I've been missing!

The toughest decision about entering this race was the fact it clashed with one of the fabulous Hoka Highland Fling training weekends, which are always full of good running, good people and good food.  The lure of something new, somewhere new, and the promise of 5,000ft of climb on pretty trails helped me make a decision.


Photo by Ian Garnett -
absolutely breathtaking scenery

The website promises 'several long and continuous steep slopes' along with a 'variety of forest single track, open moorland and a few short muddy sections'......what's not to love? 

There was the other risk factor of potential 'weather'....

As it turned out, the forecast was as good as anyone could hope for at this time of year.  The promise of a dry, mostly clear day, if a tad chilly (minus 6 when I arrived!), was a far better prospect than the windy, rain and snow of late!

I drove down on the morning of the race, it didn't take much longer than 1hr 15m and I was in plenty good time to register before the big queues started, and have the compulsory several bathroom visits, faff about what to wear, and which shoes, and get my post-race kit into a locker in the shower building (lovely clean and warm showers!)

Photo by Ian Garnett -
the smell of pine here was amazing

A choice of t-shirt sizes and colours (purple the winner, obviously), and a selection of 9Bars to keep hunger at bay. 

Caught up with Alan, Stan, Carol, Dawn, Audrey and many other familiar faces.  And great to see Jeni, Gayle and Karen go on to take 3 of the top 4 positions!

The 0930 start was fairly civilised, although ended up being delayed....not sure if it was a registration delay, or the toilet queues... And after a strange 'walked lap' of the bike shop to count us all, we were off....up, up, up...and up some more!  I'm pretty convinced there was far more up than there was down!

Photo by Ian Garnett -
A few snowy and icy stretches at the 'top'

The 2 lap course took in some of the black mountain bike trails, and a brilliant mix of fire roads, soft pine trails through huge forests, hairpin switchback climbs, heather tracks across the moorland, unexpected vertical yomps and a good muddy descent about 2 miles from the finish made for a varied and interesting day.  I'd estimated a 6 hour finish, for no other reason other than they had stated lap 1 cut off was 4 hours and 8 hours for the finish...  Lap 1 took me about 2hrs 47 or so, and I just had to hold on to hope I didn't slow too much on lap 2.  Mentally, doing laps is an interesting one, especially when you're learning the course and new to the hilarious climbs.  I had no doubts about going back out again, fuelled by a cup of cola and some jelly babies....even if I was just power hiking lap 2, I was getting it done!!



Photo by Ian Garnett -
hill of many bad swear words -
steeper than it looks!!

As it turned out, I actually enjoyed lap 2 more....I think not having the half-marathoners made a difference (they started 10 mins after us on our first lap, and some (not all) were very rude in grumbling about getting past on the narrower trails, and some not offering thanks even when I stopped and stepped off the trail to let them by....I was 'racing' too, don't they know??)....I guess knowing what was to come helped too.  I also think I fuelled a little better on lap 2 (including a Gu Espresso Love caffeine gel to supplement my Tailwind and jelly babies) and actually felt I was making good progress and enjoying it, with a mix of hiking, running, and sliding down the muddy descent to the finish.  Gotta love a downhill finish....that felt amazing!

A handful of supporters cheered me at the finish (no idea who they were waiting for but I was grateful of their clapping) and then I was straight into the café...bizarrely REALLY hungry, which is unusual so close to race finish.  Had a quick chat with Alan and Ian, ordered up some soup and coffee and caught up on the gossip with Dawn, Carol and Stan before a quick shower and heading home.  What a quick day it had seemed!

 

I'd highly recommend this event to everyone for next year, especially if your plan for the year involves long hilly races!  Not an easy one for early in the season, but in the conditions we had, and with a beautiful, challenging course like that, it could be a firm favourite!

 

So, a slightly lower mileage week than last week, with more climb:

35 miles, 6.2k ft

1k ft versaclimb

2 x weights sessions

 

Feb:

140 miles run, 5k metres of ascent, and over 15k calories burned off!  2 races.

7 gym sessions

5 versaclimber sessions (6k ft)

3 pilates

Fewer runs than last Feb, but way more gym time