Prologue: earlier this summer…..
Having struggled with a knee injury since early spring I had made a tentative comeback to (some) running. After a few very long hikes which went well I put myself through the Couch to 5k programme in June/July, and managed to build up to 10k runs. Still, the desperate ultra runner in me was by now running out of patience, so I attempted to do my own ‘Couch to 100 miles’ variation by taking on the Centurion North Downs Way 100 from Farnham (Surrey) to Ashford (Kent) in early August. Having had to defer two Centurion 100 milers already I just couldn’t wait any longer and decided to give it a go. Friends thought I was mad, but whilst I admit it was rather optimistic I don’t think it was totally ridiculous. For me any 100 miler is very much a run/walk affair, so whilst at this point in my injury recovery I would never have attempted a road marathon, a 100 miler did not seem impossible, especially not one I had run before (2025). And to a certain extent I was right. Whilst I had to throw in the towel after 55 miles it wasn’t my knee that was the problem. It hurt, but no more or less than at the start and it would have carried me to the finish in Ashford I am sure. I simply had lost too much running fitness, and my total lack of long training runs came to exact its price. It was also very hot, which impacted my fuelling as well as my pace, to the point where I had started worrying about cut-offs. I reached the 50 mile point at Knockholt very depleted, and spent quite some time there in a rather sorry state lying shaking on the floor, having vomited and almost fainted. I managed to regroup after two big mugs of coke, which at least made it clear to me this had been a hypo. After discussion with the lovely paramedic and the checkpoint lead I decided to crack on. As the maxim goes, don’t DNF in a checkpoint, always (if possible) go out and give it a another go, if all else fails you can always turn back. I tried for another five miles, but I felt awful, very dizzy and near fainting. In Otford I decided to call it, at the point where I would have to leave the town and the road for the relative remoteness of the trails again. I just didn’t feel safe in this dizzy state. Otford was full of runners’ crews with their vehicles and I approached one Chinese family group who kindly looked after me. First they offered me some home-made Chinese food which under any other circumstances would have been delicious, but I had to turn it down as I felt far to queasy. One of them, the brother of a runner, then gave me a lift to the next checkpoint at Wrotham. From there yet another kind person who was crewing for a runner, and said he had lots of time to kill, took me all the way to the finish in Ashford. Here I was reunited with my drop bag, saw the winners come in, and waited out the night to catch the first train to London and onwards back home.
The Giant’s Causeway Coast Marathon
Just a few days later I went on holiday to France where I managed to shake off most of the frustration of the DNF, then returned briefly to Yorkshire, only to catch my next ferry, this time to Northern Ireland. The Giant’s Causeway Coast Marathon had been a year in the planning. I was one of a group of seven running friends who went across to run this race on the Causeway Coast at Portballintrae organised by 26.Extreme Several distances were on offer, from ultra to 10k, and there were also walking routes. I had chosen the marathon, three of our party (Alison, Jane and Hilda) were running the half marathon, one (Val) the 10k, and two (Mark and Andrew) came along for the fun option! Not racing, but providing much appreciated support. Andrew managed to get a round of golf in on the Portstewart course. We also had Val and Mark’s dog Lily 🐶 joining the party.
On the ferry from Cairnryan to Belfast, and later that day enjoying a pint of Guinness 0% (pre-race after all 😁) with Hilda at the Bayview Hotel in Portballintrae.
Basalt pillars on the Giant’s Causeway, the formation on the right is called the ‘Organ Pipes’.
Hilda had run this race a couple of times before, and also has excellent knowledge of the area. Not only did she put most of us up in her flat, she went out of her way to show us the start and finish of the various races, as well as various landmarks that were definitely useful to have a look at before race day. For instance two areas of large and often slippery (tide depending) boulders on either end of Whitepark Bay Beach. Great fun probably for fell runners like Jane, a nightmare for those lacking agility like me! But good to know and see in advance. Hilda also showed us round the Giant’s Causeway and could explain properly how basalt columns are formed. We were deeply grateful to have such a brilliant host, tour guide and chief organiser.
I had pondered whether to drop down to the half marathon, but in the end I decided to stick with my original choice of the marathon. At the time of entering (I was uninjured then) that already felt like a compromise, a bit short for me 😂. Even after my recent DNF I was fairly confident I should be able to manage a trail marathon, I had run 55 miles after all. The downside was that I could not join some of the others who were going to Portrush parkrun in the morning, as my race started at 9 am. The half marathon and the 10k were starting in the afternoon. It would have been nice to join them.
On Whitepark Bay Beach where Hilda was about to show us the boulders (very useful!) and Hilda, Alison,Jane and Andrew at Portrush parkrun.
All races shared the same course: the marathon (with 4000 ft of elevation) was an out-and-back course, running from Portballintrae to the Larrybane Quarry (one of the Games of Thrones locations, though I must admit never to have watched the series 🤦♀️) and back again, with an eight hour cut-off. Marathon runners therefore needed to reach the halfway point in four hours, by 1pm. This was also the start time and location for the half marathon. The 10k started at 2pm near Dunseverick Castle. The 64k ultra had started at 7am at Portstewart and runners ran a half marathon before reaching Portballintrae where they joined the marathon course. There were also marathon challenge walkers on the same course. All this did lead to a significant number of people on the course, which partly consists of single track cliff top paths. As a result there was a bit of congestion, particularly in the afternoon, and as is often the case, a variable lack of awareness of faster participants coming from behind. I did not let it bother me too much, but it was a distinct drawback of having so many distances and paces together on one course.
Not long after the start and I am in high spirits waving at the photographer. And later battling the headwind high up on the cliffs, on the return leg. Photo credit @eventpix.pro
I gathered at the start with around 100 runners. There seemed to be very few women compared to men. It had rained overnight and it was marginally chilly with a significant westerly breeze. This meant we would have a tailwind on the way out and a headwind on the return leg. I kept my jacket on for warmth until just before the start and then put it away. I would come close to putting it on during the race as we had a few showers, but as it was I ran the entire thing in shorts, t-shirt and arm sleeves. La Sportiva Prodigio Pro’s on my feet. I had taped my leg up in a home designed pattern (based on an amalgam of YouTube videos) which had seemed to help the last few months. Evidence-based or not, even if it is only a placebo effect I am happy to take it.
We were off, through the dunes of Dunkerry Beach at first and alongside the tracks of the heritage railway towards the headland and the Causeway Hotel which imposes its impressive white facade on the landscape. I was taking it easy compared to most runners and dropped towards the back of the field. Not fast at the best of times, I am particularly steady at the start of any race. Then into the Giant’s Causeway, already quite full of visitors at 9:30 am. I was glad that Hilda had taken me there very early on the Thursday when we had the place to ourselves. The going was easy here, a bit of tarmac and then good hard paths, but after a while we were on muddy trails. Thankfully the steepest parts all have steps, which helped a lot. Wet muddy grassy paths can be so treacherous, especially going downhill. There was a water station somewhere where I filled up, I was carrying my own nutrition, Precision Fuel and Hydration gels and chews.
Is this woman (not in our party) smiling or grimacing? We will never know. Whereas I am hating every second of this stretch but trying to put a brave face on it. Photo credit @eventpix.pro
At mile 10 we reached Whitepark Bay Beach and the first set of boulders. There was a marshal positioned at the point where you leave the path and head for the rocks. She said I was lucky, as they had only just opened the route with the tide now going out, the runners ahead of me had had to take the diversion on the road. But she warned me to stay near the cliffs where it was ‘driest’. I told her through gritted teeth that the road would have been ‘just fine’. I would have thanked the Lord on my knees for a diversion! But it was not to be, and I had to get on with it. A group of walkers wanted to let me go ahead, as I was ‘running’. I told them not to bother, as I would be slower than an aged tortoise, and I wasn’t wrong. Wet rocks, dry rocks, slimy green rocks, seaweed in abundance which is also slippery as anything….I made it, slowly. Then about a mile to run along the beach, which was easy enough with a tailwind, before being confronted with the next set of boulders. To be fair these were slightly less terrible. And the race organiser had been very good placing marshals at both ends to offer encouragement and some sense of safety.
After the beach we only had a couple of miles to cover to the turnaround point, we passed through Ballintoy Harbour (another Game of Thrones location), then climbed up on a road with a few hairpin bends before reaching the checkpoint just above the quarry. I checked my watch and it was 12:01. Having no reason to stop here I turned around and started the return leg. I was now facing a stiff 20mph breeze and a bit of rain. I sent a quick message to the others on our WhatsApp group, there was no live tracking on these races so this at least would give some rough indication to ‘chief bag-carrier’ Andrew of when I might be finishing. Downhill on the road which was a lovely bit of easy running. I nipped into the public toilets at Ballintoy, saying hello to another woman I had been yo-yoing with all along and who I would see a few times on the way back too.
It wasn’t quite as wet as this for me as it was for this poor guy. I am doing battle with the terrain at the western end of Whitepark Bay Beach here, so it’s my fourth and last boulder section 😬 Photo credit @eventpix.pro
I had of course seen the runners at the front end of the race on their return leg whilst I was still outward bound, now the situation was reversed and I saw steadier runners coming towards me. Everyone was encouraging everyone else of course. I negotiated the boulders at the eastern end of the beach again. Now the run along the beach was an awful lot harder, with the wind coming straight at me and my legs already quite tired. I even had to resort to a bit of run/walking here, as well as chivvy myself along. It was now already well past 12:30 and still runners were coming towards me. It was impossible for them to reach the turnaround by 1pm so I wondered if they would all be timed out? Would they be taken back to the finish on the bus that had brought the half marathon runners to their start in the quarry?I felt a bit sad as I saw a couple of women I had been talking to at the start. I have not been able to find out what happened as official results have still not been published yet (it has already been six weeks) and the provisional results only lists finishers…..
The woman I met in the toilets had skipped away from me over the boulders and had disappeared into the distance. I reached the next set at the western end, my fourth and final boulder section. The same marshal was still there, together with a photographer, and they were both so encouraging and supportive, it really lifted my spirits. I thanked them for being there and they said they just loved doing it. I was hugely relieved to get this section out of the way.
This is Portstewart Beach on the ultra race route. Photo credit @eventpix.pro. We did similar running on Whitepark Bay Beach (right), the only photo I took myself during the race.
It was getting wetter now and a bit colder and I pondered putting my waterproof jacket on, but I was moving just about fast enough to keep warm. As it was the showers passed and the final miles were dry. As I mentioned earlier it was busier now on the trail, I was overtaking walkers and some ultra runners, even a few marathon runners. At the same time I was keeping a keen ear out for faster steps behind me as I expected the leaders of the half marathon and of the 10k to pass me before the finish.
My legs were decidedly tired but I kept running, only hiking some of the steeper uphills which tended to be steps anyway. About 4 miles from the end I overtook the nice woman from the toilets, which gave me a big psychological boost. I might have been hopeless on the boulders, and lack speed, but I can often keep motoring forwards where others start to fade.There was a final water station about 3 miles from the finish, just above the Causeway Hotel. I was not in need of water, but I slowed down a bit to send another WhatsApp saying I was 3 miles away so to get my coat ready!
Several fast men had flown past me by now, they were obviously half marathon runners. I expected Jane to beat me to the finish too, even though I would have had an hour’s head start on her. She is fast! When I had said this before the race she had told me not to be daft. But lo and behold, there she was, about a mile and a bit from the finish I could see her behind me, flying along the trail. She was winning the half marathon, and came tenth overall. I felt quite emotional as I let her go past me. Some spectators were cheering us all on, and I felt like saying ‘look, that is my friend, and she is winning’. I felt so proud somehow.
The ‘three quarter bridge’ between Dunkerry Beach and Portballintrae (own photo); and me crossing it knowing the finish was very near! Photo credit @eventpix.pro
I had not looked at my watch for a long time, and had not been aiming for any time in particular. When I looked with about half a mile to go I saw I was well inside six hours which surprised me, considering I had taken three hours (and one minute!) to get to half way, and that had been with a tail wind. On the way back I had dealt with a head wind, and also stopped for the toilet. I made sure I kept up the pace on that last stretch and reached the finish in 5 hours and 57 minutes. My first ever marathon negative split, totally unexpected. There were 83 finishers in the marathon, only 12 of these were women. I was 6th woman and 59th overall. No age categories were given. I am very pleased with the result, especially in the context of more than 6 months of injury and very limited running.
A lovely medal for all. The winners’ ceremony for Jane was about as low-key as it could get, especially as the 3rd placed female could not be found.
Andrew was at the finish with all of our big coats, I was very pleased to have mine on whilst waiting for the others. I told him I never wanted to see those f***ing, f***ing, f***ing boulders again! He said he had never heard me swear like that 🤣 And of course I have crossed equally or more challenging terrain on other races. Yes SwissPeaks100, I am talking about you! The Falcon Clint boulders by the Tees on the Pennine Way will be awaiting me in January, I could swear in anticipation just thinking about those too. But somehow these ones just really got to me, hideous obstacles on otherwise such runnable terrain. Jane was already at the finish of course, and we went to sit on a bench a little way down the course where we would be able to see Alison, Val and Hilda come in, and cheer them on. Mark joined us too with Lily 🐶 I was still glowing with the delight of having managed a negative split. It did make up for the DNF a month earlier.
All in all it was a good race experience. The course was beautiful, the weather was good in the sense that it could have been a lot worse, early autumn on the coast in Northern Ireland might have thrown anything at us. The organisers seemed a really friendly bunch, all the marshals were smiling, and I met some lovely runners along the way. A nice medal and we also received a buff at registration and a can of beer at the finish. Would I do this one again? Not sure I need to see those boulders again, especially not four times. But that’s just me with my two left feet, and they should not put anyone else off. A few things the organisers could improve upon: the entry process was not straightforward with quite a difficult to navigate website, and things were made worse by an irritating 10% booking fee we had to pay on top of race entry. Whilst the race was chip timed the final results have still not been published more than six weeks later (let alone uploaded to ITRA as promised), neither have errors been corrected in the provisional results. Val, who had officially changed down from the half marathon to the 10k, is still listed in the half marathon results, as 4th woman. As this is incorrect all the placings below her are therefore also incorrect. No timing mats at the start of the shorter races, so accurate times relied on those races starting on time. None of this is hugely important, but considering these were not exactly cheap and cheerful races I think it is not unreasonable to expect just a little more. Finally, a few too many runners and walkers on the course for my liking. But hey, without the race we would not have organised this trip and we had a fantastic time, so my grumbles are small fry in the end.
Hilda had organised a table for dinner at the lovely Bayview Hotel in Portballintrae for all seven of us and the food was delicious. As a vegetarian I chose a kind of ‘cauliflower steak’ which turned out to be one of the best veggie restaurant meals I have had. I had been looking forward to my Guinness, this time with the alcohol in, but of course as if often the case post-race, after half a pint of the real stuff I felt decidedly sleepy 💤 I think it was the case for most of us actually.
Sunday at Portstewart. Sadly not all of us made it into the photo.
On the Sunday we had lovely dry weather and we spent some time in Portstewart where we walked along the amazing beach and we all had lunch together at Harry’s Shack.
Despite my criticism of some aspects of the race organisation I am totally positive about our group trip to do this race. Somehow I had never been to Northern Ireland and it was wonderful to see this beautiful coastline whilst spending real quality time with friends. Moreover, I made it into the start of a longer Irish holiday, whilst the others returned home to Yorkshire I stayed on for an Irish road trip, centred around a stay with a very old friend of mine who lives in Millstreet, between Cork and Killarney. I managed to do an almost full anti-clockwise circuit of Eire before eventually taking the ferry back from Dublin to Holyhead and heading home.
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