Marathon Eryri 2023

A Welsh mini-break with a bit of a run attached

This was my fifth time running this wonderful race which has been staged since 1982. Having always had the double name ‘Snowdonia Marathon/Marathon Eryri’ the organisers have now dropped the English name and we are asked to refer to it as Marathon Eryri. I am supportive of that move, but do think it will be quite a few years before all non-Welsh speakers have stopped saying ‘Snowdonia Marathon’. It is a road marathon which starts and finishes in the town of Llanberis and circumnavigates Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) via a clockwise circuit, taking in Pen-y-Pass, Beddgelert, Rhyd Ddu and Waunfawr. The 2674 ft of ascent are divided over three substantial climbs, from mile 2 to 4.5 up to Pen-y-Pass, mile 13 to 15 out of Beddgelert, and mile 22 to 24 out of Waunfawr. There are just 2 short off-road sections: a rough but very runnable track for about a mile at mile 7, and a mile consisting of somewhat more interesting terrain at mile 25. More about that later.

This year was the second time that I had managed to book a room at the Royal Victoria Hotel in Llanberis which is located just a few hundred metres from the start line. During my first three times here (2016, 2017 and 2019) I had stayed further out, for instance in the Travelodge in Bangor, and I had often looked with considerable envy at runners emerging from the Royal Victoria Hotel doors wondering how to get a room there. The trick is to book very early of course, and I now rebook for the next year as soon as I arrive. It was a real treat being able to stay there in 2022 and again this year. No faffing around with parking on race morning, an excellent breakfast served from 7, in good time for a 10:30 race start, the company of other runners, and most importantly being able to stay in my room (and making umpteen nerve-induced visits to my own bathroom) until 10:15 before walking down to the start.

This year I went with my friend and fellow Ilkley Harrier Hilda, who had also managed to get accommodation at the hotel at the last minute. It was a true bonus to have company for the first time at this event, where many clubs come with large groups of runners, and many also bring their families. In the past it has been a bit of a challenge not to feel just a little lonely at times. Though I am pretty comfortable with my own company, it’s definitely much more fun with two!

My marathon training had not been ideal. My overall fitness was good, having run the CCC in the Alps on September 1st. By the time I had recovered from that sufficiently I had about 5 weeks left to train more specifically for the road. I had started to focus on longer road runs in my training by late September and got up to 13 miles twice, but then unfortunately contracted Covid (for the first time ever) in early October. It wasn’t terrible, but it certainly wasn’t great either. I spent four days more or less in bed, and once I was up and about again had some days walking, before starting back with some easy runs and building up again. I never managed to do a proper long road run, but I did do a 22 mile run/jog/walk on the trails as the sweeper on a Punk Panther race in Nidderdale on the last Sunday, before having a (rather steep) taper of a week. It just had to do.

Hilda and I arrived in Llanberis late Friday afternoon for the race on Saturday. The drive had taken ‘forever’ due to the volume of traffic on the roads. After checking in to hotel we went to race registration, situated in the marquee virtually next door to the hotel, to collect our race numbers and t-shirts, and had a little stroll around the town before having an evening meal in the hotel followed by an early night. The next morning brought a clear day and we saw some amazing orange skies on our short walk after an early breakfast. We had a look at the finish line and gantry which were being constructed. The weather forecast was quite good compared to what it can be, North Wales in late October is often very wet. Intermittent showers were predicted from about midday, as well as a southerly breeze, with otherwise excellent running temperatures of around 12 degrees.

My first three finishing times in this race had varied from 4:50 to 4:54, and then in 2022 I shaved a chunk off and finished in 4:37:20 and 5th F60. I was keen to try to at least equal that time or preferably take a few more minutes off. Hilda, marathon and F70 masters runner extraordinaire but new to this course, was aiming for a sub 5 hour finish, so we would not be running together. I had studied, printed and laminated my key splits from 2022 and carried these with me in my shorts pocket so I could occasionally check where I was, hoping to stay a bit ahead of them, but also not too much and run the risk of overcooking it.

We walked from the hotel to the start and tried to get as far forward as possible but with more than 2000 runners that was not so easy. I guess that is the downside of staying so near the start, no need to arrive in the starting pen early and get cold (and want the toilet yet again!), but you are further back. We were still well behind the 5:30 pacer! So that did mean quite a lot of overtaking of other runners needed to be done in the early miles. It brought me the usual minor irritations: people running 2 or 3 abreast who then suddenly slow down to a walk right in front of me, only to overtake me again, then walk again, rinse and repeat, even on the first climb. Sometimes it is difficult to tell if people are jeffing (deliberately run/walking as a strategy) or are struggling with pacing. Either way, walking without tucking in to the side of the road is not really that helpful to runners behind you in my book. Thankfully after Pen-y-Pass this isn’t really a problem anymore as by then more or less everybody has found their place and space. The race attracts a substantial number of very good club runners at the pointy end, but also many steadier runners, making it very inclusive which is great. A small group of runners are allowed to start early, including 83 year old Patricia Seabrook on her 23rd running of the race, who would win the special prize for the oldest competitor.

It is a downhill start but the road soon starts to climb, with the ascent to Pen-y-Pass taking about 3 miles (mile 2 to 5). We did have to battle a bit of a headwind, still, I was a minute or two ahead of my 2022 splits at Pen-y-Pass, and at Beddgelert (half way) I was 7 minutes ahead. I did feel good going into the climb at mile 13 which was promising. Just like in 2022 I ran all the way up the 2 mile long ascent, this may sound as it should be but many of my fellow runners were walking or run-walking already. Overtaking them did not always mean I definitively left them behind, as plenty managed to maintain a similar overall pace, but it did give me a big psychological boost. I knew the hardest section lay just ahead though. Most runners dread the final climb, but I feel relief when I get there. For me the hardest section of this race is always mile 16 to 22, which is slightly undulating but the most level part of the course. It is tedious and the first three times I lost time there by walking sections, overcome by fatigue. But these days I manage to deploy some of the mental tactics learnt in ultra-running. Basically, I tell myself I am not allowed to walk (apart from slowing down at drinks stations) until mile 22 unless ‘one of my legs falls off’, and fatigue is definitely no excuse to stop running. I did need a toilet stop at Rhyd Ddu (mile 16), I was annoyed at losing time but reckoned that my running form would be more relaxed after that, so perhaps I would regain the lost minute or so anyway. We had some showers during this section and some amazing rainbows to watch, which were one of the highlights of the race for me. I didn’t stop to take a photo, well, I don’t carry my phone in a road race, but I kindly got permission from a fellow runner to use one of her pictures for this blog.

At Waunfawr, the longed-for mile 22, we turned right and started the last climb. This is power-hiking territory, interspersed with running some more level sections, for 2 miles. I whizzed past lots of struggling people here, very much on a mission. At the top of the climb, mile 24, there is a drinks station which always outdoes itself to be the best of the course, with lots of volunteers in fancy dress, however I am afraid I glanced neither left nor right but pressed on at full speed (whatever that was at this point) for the descent into Llanberis. I was 4 minutes ahead of my 2022 split.

The next section is a challenge in a road race, as it is very much off-road! A track which combines slate, mud, grass and goes steeply downhill until you reach tarmac again. Thankfully this year it was definitely not as muddy as I have seen it. Practically every runner wears pure road shoes and this is where they then potentially pay the price, either in comedy moments and a very muddy backside, or possibly in an unfortunate injury. Last year someone broke their ankle. Some just lose a lot of precious time. I always wear hybrid road-to-trail shoes (currently Hoka Challenger ATR 6) for this race and this is where the dividend is paid out. I am a poor descender if anything is remotely technical, but this terrain is not difficult in shoes with a bit of grip so I flew down overtaking lots of people and feeling quite the fell runner 🤣🤣 (I really am not!). I kept going as fast as I could down the final mile, when I reach the tarmac path, still very steep, it was wet and a bit slippery with moss on the bends, and some runners kept stopping suddenly mid-track with cramp or quads that have given up the ghost. I hurtled the last 0.2 miles to the finish at sub 8 min/mile pace despite cramp starting appear in my left thigh. I overtook a man on the bend before the finishing straight and as it happened there was no other runner ahead of me. It was amazing having the whole finishing straight to myself, walls of sound on both sides with so many spectators all shouting my name (it was on my race number of course), it felt quite surreal. That’s how the winners must feel! I finished in 4:33:01, having taken over 4 minutes off my previous best time. It was definitely a tough gig and I gave it all I had, I could not have gone any faster to go sub 4:30, and I wasn’t really aiming for that on this occasion. I was 4^th out of 40 women in the F60 category and delighted with that.

I received my finisher slate and a water bottle and dragged my weary legs back to the hotel. I felt happy but pretty broken. At least I wasn’t near fainting which has happened on other occasions. I called in to the marquee to check the age category winners on a list and noted that neither Hilda nor I had won our categories, not surprising as this race attracts some very fast runners. So I went back to my room and saw on the tracker that Hilda was about to come over the finish line, she brilliantly achieved her sub-5, coming over the line in 4:58:07. A while later, after a cup of tea and a shower, we met in the bar and just as Hilda got the beers in we noted on the results that she was now listed as 1st F70! A quick trip back to the marquee for Hilda (I guarded our beers) where she was confirmed as the category winner. There had been quite a situation: a male runner had run with the race number of an F70 woman!! This had been spotted by marshals (male and female have different colour race numbers, as well as your name being there in a massive font). He had run an improbably fast time for an F70. Not smart! Well the honour was great but the prize was a little meagre, a small tote bag made out of recycled race banners with the old Snowdonia logo on it. We had a good laugh about it in the bar. It was lovely to chat to other runners there, including the winner of the M65 category, clutching an identical bag of course. A good conversation opener at least.

We stayed in the hotel for a second night (with a bonus hour as the clocks went back) and greatly enjoyed the Sunday morning breakfast, for me it was definitely a bit of an ‘all you can eat’ feast, before setting off at 8 am on the journey back to Ilkley. For once no delays on the road and we were back home at 11 😀

I can recommend this race to all runners. It truly is iconic, with stunning mountain scenery in autumn colours, and with plentiful local support shouting encouragement in Welsh and English (running in the Ilkley Harriers green and red you get a lot of Welsh, especially as Les Croupiers, the Cardiff running club, have the same vest, so I always get mistaken for a ‘Croups’ runner). Entry is by ballot which opens on December 1st, and I will definitely be trying to get a place again for 2024. With more specific road marathon training might I be able to go sub 4:30? Both Hilda and I have booked the Royal Victoria Hotel already in any case!