50 miles done. My biggest challenge so far and it went reasonably well.
I seriously underestimated this – the area around Paris turned out to be unbelievably hilly, and my naive guesses on timing were wildly out. I went through the marathon distance in about 5.5 hours and finished in just under 10.55. The last few minutes involved climbing up the steps of the Eiffel Tower – you cross the line on the first floor and they immediately give you a can of Kronenbourg 1664. And a T shirt – but no medal. But the beer feels pretty good after 50 miles...
A noon start way outside Paris meant I left the hotel room at a very civilised 9.45 for a train and then a bus to Trappes, which is some way past Versailles. I was surrounded by about 2,000 very fit French men in coordinated lycra, a few fit French women in even better coordinated Lycra (much more appealing) and about 4 other Brits who dress, like me, in whatever was on top of the draw at the time. There were only 3 water stops in the 50 miles, so we had to carry enough water and snacks to see us in between – which for the longer middle section was a bit of a stretch with the temperature at about 22C. The route was nearly all through forests, no leaves on the trees yet but still very scenic and lots of river and lake views – incredible how that is possible so close to Paris. Some of the hills were brutal though – a real challenge to even walk up, and impossible for anyone around my pace to run.
I soon realised that the French uniform of slimline hydration packs was indeed the way to go as my waist belt bounced and rubbed skin off my hips, whilst also needing to be so tight it hurt to stay in place at all. Better planning next time. But my decision to take advantage of the dry weather and use road shoes rather than trail shoes worked out very well – I finished 50 miles in my favourite socks, my trusty Asics Gel 1150s and a touch of anti-blister potion without any foot problems whatsoever. Remarkable. I survived on my own gels and energy bars, plus a few handfuls of raisins – there was cake, cheese, oranges, etc available but I can’t face much when I’m running. Running in dark forests got more difficult once my headlight batteries died, but by then I was going so slow it didn’t really matter. I picked up a little speed once we hit streetlights for the last 3 or 4 miles in Paris, particularly once I realised I could get under 11 hours if I stopped dawdling. Not that it mattered, as the cut off was at 13 hours and my aim was just to finish and use the experience for training value.
Finished in 10.54.58. 1,103rd place out of nearly 1,700 finishers, most of whom probably realised what they had entered, so I’m happy with that. Two people were stretchered away as I finished and another one fainted as we came down in the staff lift at the Eiffel Tower. I was capably supported by Ayten back to the hotel room, via two food stops and a few beers – for a few hours she could move more quickly than me, despite being over 7 months pregnant. What a sight we must have been....
