Milton Keynes Marathon - 6 May
Warm sunshine greeted the 3000 entrants of the Milton Keynes Marathon. This was in spite of it being Bank Holiday Monday, and in stark contrast to the inaugural event last year, when atrocious conditions led to flooding both on the course and at the Stadium where the race starts and finishes. The course is traffic-free on closed roads and cycle paths and is described by organisers as ‘gently undulating’. These undulations are in fact lots of short hills (particularly over the final 6 miles when you least want them) involving seemingly endless underpasses and bridges.
Steve Edwards was aiming for another sub 3:15 marathon and Lynn Hudson was determined to complete the distance, having been unable to participate in her target marathon at Lochaber, 3 weeks earlier.
The sudden heat-wave brought out lots of supporters (although this meant that, in places, runners had to dodge BMXers and toddlers on bikes); but also made for extremely tough running conditions, especially given that most participants had done the bulk of their training in the freezing cold. Steve Edwards was pleased to finish his 587th marathon in 3:13:49 despite niggles.
Lynn Hudson bravely battled the heat and showed incredible fortitude and determination to complete the course in 5:02:00. They were rewarded with a stadium finish, impressive medal and a large size T-shirt, which presumably fitted Steve and absolutely dwarfed little Lynn. Congratulations to both!
Highlights
Steve Edwards and Lynn Hudson joined 3000 other runners at the Milton Keynes Marathon.
Steve Edwards completed his 587th marathon, in 3:13:49
Lynn Hudson gave her usual 100% in difficult conditions, completing in 5:02:00.
Other reports may be found on our recent race reports page.