Belfast marathon 2013 - anyone doing it?

oinkely

Hey folks,
Just signed up for the above marathon. It will be my first one so looking forward to it. Anyone else heading along to it?

expato

Belfast Marathon is cheap cos of the relay. Tough cos of the hills. Tough cos of industrial estate. But the biggest disgrace was the wait (1 hour ) for my bag. I would avoid at all costs.

QwertyIII

Did it last year, was a horrible day for it, but enjoyed it. Was living in Belfast year so didn't have to wait about for bags etc.

Becasue of the relay theres plenty of people running along and therefore plenty of people out cheering you on. You do get to see plently of the city, although this does include a bit of an industrail estate and a good bit of dual carriageway too. Antrim road/hill is a slog, from 8 miles untill halfway & a slight & long hill for the 2nd last mile, absoultely killed me at that stage. Probably worse because you can see and hear people finishing.

Anyway, plan to do it again this year.

Oisin11178

expato wrote: »

Belfast Marathon is cheap cos of the relay. Tough cos of the hills. Tough cos of industrial estate. But the biggest disgrace was the wait (1 hour ) for my bag. I would avoid at all costs.

yep boring course, water in cups and the sponsor is deep riverrock. Dirty smelly industrial estate to go through near the end. As was said a disgraceful 1 hour wait for bags in artic conditions.

JustAThought

Was up for it a few years back ;great atmosphere & because of the (then) relay & team part where you could enter & do half or a leg there were great crowds & great atmosphere. & what's nice about it you can do it as a half marathon - with a " team-mate" ( or a quarter with a team of 3 others) & can get the marathon " feel & experience" while still preparing & in training for the full 26!

Unlike the organisers to make a mistake like that - must have been some unusual backstage problem.

Beautiful weather & atmosphere the year I was up . I'd recommend it.

Lex Luther

I've done a fair few marathons but not Belfast...did a cuouple of legs in the relay last year just to check it out...cant see myself ever doing the full for reasons mentioned above ...but in particular running through the industrial estate, the canal, running past the waste dump were personal lows.
Wouldnt personally recommend it for a first marathon but good luck to anyone running. ( at least the weather cant be any worse than last year at any rate).
LL

ButchMG

I did it three years ago and given the course difficulty, it was best one I've ever done. The negatives are mentioned above, but there are a number of positives:
1. Not too congested at the start.
2. While there aren't too many doing the full thing, there are a lot of relay runners. There's a lot of excitement at the changeover points which provides a welcome spur on.
3. The water is in cups, but is distributed more frequently than at Dublin or other marathons with bottles.
4. The run along the towpath back into town is actually quite nice!
5. Showers at the finish.
6. Opportunity to see both 'halves' of West Belfast within a few minutes - you'll rarely get that opportunity. Some interesting murals on view too!
7. Well organised transport back into town from Ormeau Park (unlike the debacle at Edinburgh if you've ever tried it).

oinkely

Well folks,
Time is ticking along. About 10 weeks to go to this one. Hope anyone training for it is going well and looking forward to it. (despite the negatives above).
I certainly am.

opus

I'm doing this one as well following advice from the Irish Comrades mentor, will be taking it handy pace wise there. Haven't been in Belfast for ages so looking forward to the visit as much as the race.

oinkely

great stuff opus.

what sort of time are you goign for?

we are taking an extended visit, staying around most of the week after the race.

only a few more long runds to go.......

opus

oinkely wrote: »

great stuff opus.

what sort of time are you goign for?

we are taking an extended visit, staying around most of the week after the race.

only a few more long runds to go.......

Am hoping there will be pacers there as I'd be aiming to get in around the 3:15 mark if possible so switching off my brain and just following someone would be ideal

oinkely

3.15, great time when you get it. I've been training towards 3.30 so when I achieve that I'll be delighted. In fact finishing will leave me delighted as it will be my first marathon. Likewise, I'll be tagging onto some pacer hopefully to avoid starting too quickly.

ButchMG

Hoping to do it too. I have no goals in mind as I've been far off in my most recent estimates - unfortunately on the downside!!

oinkely

ButchMG - no bother to you. Pick a time and run for it.

TFBubendorfer

opus wrote: »

Am hoping there will be pacers there as I'd be aiming to get in around the 3:15 mark if possible so switching off my brain and just following someone would be ideal

Last year's 3:15 pacers ran at 3:10 pace .... :rolleyes:

oinkely

well, if the 3.30 pacers run at 3.25 pace i'll be a tired happy chappy, (when i manage to keep up with them!)

misterwoods

Hey lads... Have signed up for this (my first) marathon. Started training around mid October, but have had 3 weddings to attend since then and a few other events that meant I missed long runs a few times here and there as well as totally slacking off a couple of weeks. Initially I had said I would be happy to go under 4 hours, but I went past 20 miles yesterday in under 2hrs 40m which was a big confidence boost as I've been feeling very tired over the last 10 days, so the target now is to go under 3.30.

Any tips for tapering??

ButchMG

misterwoods wrote: »

Hey lads... Have signed up for this (my first) marathon. Started training around mid October, but have had 3 weddings to attend since then and a few other events that meant I missed long runs a few times here and there as well as totally slacking off a couple of weeks. Initially I had said I would be happy to go under 4 hours, but I went past 20 miles yesterday in under 2hrs 40m which was a big confidence boost as I've been feeling very tired over the last 10 days, so the target now is to go under 3.30.

Any tips for tapering??

A 2.40 20 mile run would suggest a marathon of anywhere between 3.20 and 3.40. A lot will depend on what you have left in the tank at that stage, which will differ from run to run. Mile 8 to 14 is a slow and steady climb, so take it easy on that stretch. It's followed by a nice bit of downhill and it's flat thereafter save for a bit of hilliness around mile 22.

For tapering, it's really about doing fewer miles between now and the marathon. Do it gradually until you're doing runs of only a couple of miles in the last week.

misterwoods

Cheers butch...

I tried to set myself up as best I could yesterday as if it was the marathon itself... So carb loading for a couple of days, wore what I plan on wearing in the race itself etc. Only problem was that I had to work all day yesterday before I went out running, and with the gusts that were blowing I didn't expect to run so strongly. I felt like I had plenty left in the tank as I was finishing, possibly should have gone another couple of miles before finishing, and only used 3 gels. I was going to go with the 3.45 pacers, but definitely going with the 3.30 and see how I am feeling on the day.

Also, I have been running lots of hills - 0 - 600 ft climbs on runs of about 14 miles, so feeling pretty confident now - I know Belfast pretty well and the course will all be familiar surroundings for me - one of the reasons I decided to do it. Just hope it all goes to plan!

breffni blue

I decided 2 follow the 3.30 pacers last year, they ran the first 5 mile @ 7.30 pace, i stayed with them til mile 11 and i eased back a bit and i got to the halfway point in 1.40xx and there was no sign of the pacers, i caught up with one of them at mile 23(cos he was walking), and finished in 3.28.49, they finished about 20 secs ahead of me, so i was happy enough in the end.......so to anyone following a pacer don't expect to be running even splits..

misterwoods

Cheers for the heads up, I'll take that on board... The last thing I want is to run out of steam by running a slightly faster pace than I'm used to.

oinkely

Less than tow weeks to go now folks. Hope the tapering is going well and everyone is starting to feel rested and eager.
Can't wait now, just have to shake off a cold and a sore throat. At least i got it this week and not next week! Should be well recovered in time for a nice trot around belfast at 4.59 per kilometre!

misterwoods

Had a little sniffle myself yesterday, and a hangover today! But I will be ready to go.. See you there

opus

Hope everyone is feeling well rested for next Monday. Weather is looking ok at the moment according to the Norwegians but early days yet I guess.

I haven't been in Belfast in ages so really looking forward to it now

opus

How did the run on Monday go for everyone? Weather turned out almost perfect apart from a bit of wind in places. Course was grand apart from the hill that went on for ~4k!

Spotted a few other Irish reg cars in the hostel carpark when I was leaving so maybe some others running were staying there?

Really enjoyed the long w/end in Belfast, took in a black-cab tour on Sun after collecting my number at City, a visit to the Titanic expo after the marathon yesterday & a hike up to Black mountain & Divis overlooking the city this morning before heading back to Cork so felt like a much longer stay.

opus

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Last year's 3:15 pacers ran at 3:10 pace .... :rolleyes:

I was just checking the results today & spotted the 3:15 pacers finished in and around about 3:13:30 so somewhat of an improvement!

Interestingly at the recent Leipzig marathon the pacers were aiming to finish under just under 3:14 rather than 3:15 & it said so on the back of their t-shirts.

vitani

Would love to know how people got on. I'm considering it for the year after next (it falls on my 30th birthday) but have heard mixed reports from other years.

Oisin11178

Yeah the pacers were atrocious last year. I finished in 3.53, alongside one if the 4 hour pacers. Glad to see they improved, although 3.13.30 is still a little 2 fast for 3.15. I wonder how many they burned to gain that 90 secs.

opus wrote: »

I was just checking the results today & spotted the 3:15 pacers finished in and around about 3:13:30 so somewhat of an improvement!

Interestingly at the recent Leipzig marathon the pacers were aiming to finish under just under 3:14 rather than 3:15 & it said so on the back of their t-shirts.

Big Logger

vitani wrote: »

Would love to know how people got on. I'm considering it for the year after next (it falls on my 30th birthday) but have heard mixed reports from other years.

Yeah my friend ran this and thought the bag pickup at the end was a nightmare, he waited an hour before he could pick it up.
He also said parts of the course were grey, going through Industrial like land and not much life around.
It can also be tricky if its windy, then again what race isn't tricky with the wind :rolleyes:

TFBubendorfer

Big Logger wrote: »

Yeah my friend ran this and thought the bag pickup at the end was a nightmare, he waited an hour before he could pick it up.

Again? :eek: Crikey, they had the same problem last year and promised this year would be different!

Big Logger wrote:

He also said parts of the course were grey, going through Industrial like land and not much life around.

That's one of the main reasons why I haven't been back since running the race in 2005 (the course did change, but the same issues remain). I spoke to one of the organisers and he insists that it's a great course because it's mostly flat. Each to their own, I suppose.

I've said it before, Belfast deserves a good marathon, but that one isn't it.

opus

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Again? :eek: Crikey, they had the same problem last year and promised this year would be different!

Thankfully didn't have that problem but the signs were very strange in that I was sent on a full circle of the hall to get back to the changing rooms after getting my bag.

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

That's one of the main reasons why I haven't been back since running the race in 2005 (the course did change, but the same issues remain). I spoke to one of the organisers and he insists that it's a great course because it's mostly flat. Each to their own, I suppose.

This is considered mostly flat :eek: (assuming I can believe the Garmin that is!)



I quite enjoyed the event as got to run through some "interesting" neighbourhoods let's say Some parts were fairly quite for sure but only bits I wasn't too keen on were when it was along by the motorway. Heard the weather was a huge improvement over last year.

TFBubendorfer

That would be an interesting definiton of flat, alright.

neilc

Have to say I really enjoyed it and thought it was a good course overall. Loved seeing parts of Belfast you normally wouldn't see. I didn't think the hill around the Antrim road was near as bad as it looks on the elevation profile either. Saying all that I wasn't racing on the day, it might have been different if I was. Took me all of 2 minutes to get my bag at the end (and bro in laws, he was suffering at the time after putting in a very gutsy last 10k ). I'd definitely recommend it and will do it again sometime.

oinkely

Hey Folks,

What an experience - first marathon and all that. Was aiming for 3.30, and having hit times close to that right up to 38km in training I thought I was good to go. Turns out the day wasn't for me to achieve that time - came in at 3.59 in the end. Felt Ok up to 13km, ticked through to half way at pretty much exactly 1.45, and then the fun began! By 26km I was feeling wrecked, by 32km I was cramping like crazy and the last 5km were a study in pure torture!

As for the course - well, everything you have read is true, you do run along a motorway, beside the river on a footpath, and through a stinkly industrial estate. There are uphills, and one steep enough downhill, and there are lots of stretches with minimal to no crowd support. In spite of all that I would do it again, as there are also very nice and interesting sections through the neighbourhoods that you would not walk and there is plenty of support for the last few kms.

The start was completely uncongested, and starting with the 3.30 pacers i crossed the start line about 10 seconds after the gun went. No pushing or shoving or jostling. No issues with crowding or anything at any of the relay change over points either.

Water in paper cups - pain in the arse, but not so much a problem as the race progressed as I had to walk regularly to deal with the cramps anyway!

Finish line - here's your medal and a bottle of water. Someone else was givng out crisps, and I saw nothing else! Seems I missed a hall or something. My wife was waiting at the finsih with the kids though so didn't really go looking for anything else. I didn't leave a bag either so can't comment on the collection.

I'll definitely be back to try again.

Positive experience for me - despite the torture!