In the six weeks between my February marathon in Pateley Bridge and my March marathon at the John Muir Way ultra, the world tipped upside down, COVID-19 arrived and we all went into lockdown! One by one my next marathons were cancelled….

I was still keen to complete the challenge so I started doing virtual races instead – i.e. make up a route, run the distance and get a medal. Some would say this makes it easier, no race pressure etc, some would say it makes it much harder with no crowds to cheer you on. I would agree with both and certainly there were times that the virtual races seemed easier, and sometimes they felt never-ending!

With lockdown looming, my excellent friend, Tracey, who is always up for a challenge and an adventure, organised the virtual Mischief Managed March Mayhem marathon for me. Not forgetting what the challenge was about, I ran this one for Xena-Grace and Patrick:

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We met at Tracey’s and she had made race numbers which made it feel a bit more authentic. We joked about how far 2m was as that was how far we were supposed to stay apart, so we measured it out…

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The route was an out and back over Cookney, along to Durris and turn round at 13.1miles. Around ten miles we realised that we could make it to the Mains of Drum for some halfway refreshment. The café was only open for takeaway and there was sanitizer everywhere, it felt so weird, a bit like the end of the world was coming. Still we grabbed a delicious scone and headed back towards Newtonhill feeling refreshed and refuelled, maintaining our social distancing of course!

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When we were nearing Newtonhill, Tracey went a bit quiet and seemed to be messing with her phone. She was also adamant I needed to run all the way back to her house even though we had already passed the 26.2m mark … turns out she had organised a finish line which her boys were holding!

So the virtual Mischief Managed March Mayhem marathon was complete. I naively thought this might be the only virtual race I might have to do, how wrong I was! Here are the race results plus an awesome limerick from the equally awesome Rhona and her hubby! And the medal!

I ran this marathon for Holly:

After the dramas of Doha marathon, I was looking forward to this marathon which was to be a low key, trail affair from It’s Grim Up North Running (IGUN), who say they are ‘the friendliest, most inclusive race company around’, certainly all the pre-race chat on their Facebook group suggested this to be true. We did think it was a bit ironic that we were going to schlep a really long way south (319 miles to be exact) to find out just how ‘grim up north’ it might be!

In the interests of family harmony we decided just to be away for one night and after some dramas with booking accommodation we opted for an airbnb right in Pateley Bridge. We headed down there after work on Friday evening, Vikki and Iain were driving, Gina and I sat in the back eating vast quantities of mini eggs (food of athletes of course) and we nattered the journey away.

We eventually arrived in Pateley Bridge about quarter past midnight (it’s a REALLY long way south!) and were looking forward to getting to bed. I had made a daft comment in the car about this race being free from dramas …. which felt really stupid when it soon became apparent that the key to the airbnb hadn’t been left in the key safe for us and it looked like we might have to sleep in the car. Thankfully we managed to contact the host and by 12.30am we were in and heading to bed. Of course we were now wide awake so it took some more chatting to feel sleepy again.

The next morning was quite leisurely as we didn’t need to register until 9am and it was only a 2 minute walk away, so close that after we had registered we went back to the house and stayed warm for a bit. I took the customary ‘registered and ready’ picture and then we headed back to the race.

The race takes place on a 5-mile loop which we had to do 5 times plus a short out and back to make up the distance. There were several other races also taking place – an ultra-marathon (6 loops), and then 20, 15, 10 and 5 mile races. After a short briefing, about 25 marathoners (including a man dressed as a rhino!) set off on the out and back. I wasn’t sure whether I was going to run with the others or do my own thing but my overly competitive nature took the better of me within the first mile when I noticed there were only about 8 ladies in the race and there were trophies for the top 3 – could I come home with a trophy? “That would be good for the blog!”, I thought! I had no idea of the ability of the other ladies so I settled into a steady pace and enjoyed the race day atmosphere.

After the out and back we joined the main route just as the 5 mile race had started. This was a bit frustrating as the path is so narrow and there are lots of kissing gates and stiles so it was very stop, start and lots of queuing waiting to get through, I have to admit to a bit of pushing in, sorry 5-milers!

The route was shaped like a lollipop with the ‘stick’ being an out and back. It was all on trails and through fields and there was a lot of mud:

The lollipop part of the course was one, very long, steep, muddy hill (a thousand times worse than the Stoney parkrun hill!) which got harder and harder to climb as the race went on as there were so many runners repeatedly climbing it:

But at least the views from the top were nice:

The weather forecast for the race had been horrendous – rain and high winds, so I had set off in my jacket. I had also decided to run with my camelbak on. It was definitely windy but the course was reasonably sheltered so after the first lap I ditched the jacket and also the camelbak as it was annoying me, and it felt good to run a bit lighter.

The race passed in a blur of seeing lots of people on the out and back section (which gradually got less as people finished the shorter races). Every time I saw the rhino I made sure to give him a shout – how he got that thing through the kissing gates, I’ll never know! Not long after the rhino I usually saw Vikki, Gina and Iain (yes, they were beaten by the rhino but it happens to the best of us, I have been thrashed by many a womble at the London Marathon!). I always got a boost seeing them so I was disappointed when I somehow missed them on my 4th lap but it turned out I wasn’t far behind them starting their 4th lap when I started my 5th.

Soon I was heading back for the final time and looking forward to getting finished. I had a feeling I was at least one of the top 3 ladies as I had seen several ladies behind me, but I couldn’t really tell. I crossed the line in 4.40 and got my medal but no trophy so I assumed I wasn’t in the top 3 after all which was a bit disappointing but I was pleased with my time on a very tough and muddy course.

I decided to wait to see the others come through from their fourth into their final lap and whilst standing at the finish I idly asked the marshal how many marathoners had finished. “Wait a minute”, she says, “I think you were the first lady!”. She goes off to check and sure enough I was soon the proud owner of this beauty:

I was SUPER CHUFFED! Looking at the results later, I had come 6th overall out of 25 finishers (on the marathon) and 1st lady out of 7. Trails and mud obviously suit me! I picked up my pie ‘n’ pint and happily shuffled back to the airbnb (the owner had very kindly allowed us a late checkout so we could shower after the race which was hugely appreciated).

The others finished in 6:08 and arrived back at the house cold but happy. We didn’t hang around long though, it was a long drive back north after the grim up north race! The best part about only being away one night? Waking up in my own bed on Sunday and doing nothing but lying on the sofa for most of the day, bliss!

I have discovered I very much enjoy a lapped race, it’s easier mentally as you can break it down, and you get a boost from seeing all the same faces multiple times throughout. The IGUN races are low key but well organised and have a lovely, friendly atmosphere. I now have a long break before my next marathon which is not until March 28th. 3 down, 9 to go and we have nearly raised £2k!! Thanks everyone!

I ran this marathon for Caleb:

My biggest concern about running Doha marathon was the heat, turns out that was the least of my worries!

A few months ago Tracey (not just my great marathon/adventuring buddy but also my boss), asked me to work from the University of Aberdeen’s campus in Doha for the start of term to support our new colleague in the Careers Team who is based there. Then we realised that Doha marathon was happening the same weekend – it was meant to be!

Whilst packing I considered the possibility of my luggage not arriving and thought about putting my running gear in my hand luggage, but Tracey assured me it would be OK and I really didn’t have the room in my handbag nor did I want the hassle of an extra bag so I put my trust in BA – big mistake!

Yep, you guessed it – our bags didn’t make it to Doha with us. We arrived at 5am, bleary eyed and looking forward to some sleep before heading into the office. We made it through immigration relatively quickly and it soon became apparent there were very few bags coming off our flight. We then spent the next hour and a half with the baggage services, along with another runner in the same predicament. We were told our bags would be put on the next BA flight arriving at 5am the next morning – but the marathon started at 6.30am so it would be too late. The day was spent trying to get BA to put our bags on a Qatar Airways flight, of which there were several that would have arrived on time, but nobody would help. We spent the afternoon in the office in our travelling clothes, then went to register for the marathon before hitting the shops!

OK, so never run a marathon in new gear right?! Looks like we weren’t going to have a choice. We headed to the enormous Villagio shopping mall and Decathlon sorted us out in matching socks, shorts and vests. The hardest part was sourcing a suitable running bra and Tracey needed trainers (I was travelling in running shoes that I used to run in so decided I would be better to wear them than a brand new pair). We also needed some toiletries, underwear and some kind of marathon fuel since my gels and shotblox were also in my bag. I had to settle for some sweets as I couldn’t find any gels and I this was the part that worried me most – trying out an untested fuelling strategy on race day!

All kitted out we tried to get some sleep but had to be up at 4.30am for a 5am taxi to the start. We got organised, took some pics, told many people the woes of our kit and lined up at the start.

The route takes you around the corniche (5.25km) to the business district and then back again – four times! There is also a half marathon, 10k and 5k and kids races so lots of turn around points for all the different distances.

The half marathon and marathon started together so there were a lot of people. I ran the first out and back with Tracey, during which the heavens opened, the thunder and lightning started and the road very quickly flooded. We were wading through giant puddles and I would not have been wetter if I had climbed in the bath in all my clothes! But I was absolutely buzzing and grinning from ear to ear – I couldn’t believe I was actually there, running the Doha marathon, despite all the dramas on the way!

At the end of lap 1, Tracey wanted a walk so I went on, I felt so good! The next few hours/laps passed surprisingly easily. I loved the out and back as you got to know the route, saw lots of the same faces coming the other way (Tracey and I had a high-five each time we passed) and it never felt that you were running very far before you turned again. At some point the 10k and 5k races joined the route and it got a bit congested but the rain had stopped, the roads were drying up and the views were spectacular.

Soon, the last lap was upon me and it was very quiet now – most of the half marathoners, 10k and 5k runners had finished and there were just the marathoners left (you could tell by the colour of the bibs which race people were doing). We all recognised each other now having passed each other many times and there was lots of camaraderie and encouragement, especially among the ladies as it seemed there weren’t that many. Towards the end of the last out I met a man called Mohamed from Egypt, I had passed him then stopped to take a picture of the final turn around so he caught me back up. We then ran the last 5.25k together, barely speaking but silently encouraging each other to keep running.

I crossed the line just behind Mohamed in 4:07:20 – 7 minutes quicker than Malaga! No marathon is easy but I was so surprised this one went so well, in old shoes, new kit and a completely new fuelling strategy – the sweets worked well and I had Gatorade on the course too, I only really had one low point towards the end of the last out but this passed once I had my buddy to drag me along and I knew the last section so well!

I had barely crossed the line and stopped my watch when I was surrounded by several ladies and asked to follow them. I noticed they had ‘doping control’ vests on and thought it was ridiculous they wanted to test me but then decided it must be random checks throughout the field. A lady then proceeded to follow me around the field, collecting my medal and some food and taking me to the doping tent. She wouldn’t let me out of her sight! I found Mohamed though and grabbed a picture then settled down to drinking lots of fluids so I could provide my sample.

I have now learned that after a marathon I cannot pee! Or perhaps I cannot pee when there is a lady standing watching me. I thought I needed to go so went through the whole interrogation part, during which I was asked who my coach and physio were and whether I was a professional athlete, I actually laughed out loud – turns out it wasn’t a random test, they test the top 10 and I had come 10^th lady – in a big city marathon!! OK, so there were only 29 ladies but I was still chuffed, however it was ridiculous that they wanted to test me, I was 1 hour and 27 minutes behind the winner, hardly professional! Without going into too much detail, I produced all of 10ml and they needed 90ml. Back to the tent to wait and drink more by which time Tracey had finished. I was getting quite cold as I was still quite wet so my minder and I went to get my bag with my jacket in (I didn’t have anything else to put on of course) but thanks to the biblical rain, my bag was soaking and you could have rung my coat out. I think I almost cried at this point, I just wanted to go back to the hotel for a bath but had to wait to produce a sample when really did it matter if I was taking drugs when I was so far behind the leader?!

Tracey joined me in the doping tent and I drank some more. By now I was really desperate so my minder and I went to the loo but I literally couldn’t produce a thing – stage fright or something but I couldn’t encourage the right muscles to relax. I was starting to consider just disqualifying myself but I really didn’t want to do that. Back to the tent to wait, then another try and finally I could go – hurrah! BUT (and honestly you couldn’t make this stuff up), they now decided my sample might be too dilute!! Oh FFS! They performed several tests, phoned the lab, spoke a lot of Arabic and then decided it was OK – thank goodness for that!! By now we were almost the last people at the race and my sense of humour had taken a leave of absence but at least they gave me a mug and t-shirt for my efforts!

Finally, back to the hotel for a bath and a sleep and our cases had arrived – hallelujah! Thankfully we had survived the drama fairly unscathed and the new kit worked surprisingly well!

I am writing this on the plane home after a week of working and exploring Doha. We went to the desert for a jeep safari, we did a lot of shopping in the souk and on the last evening we went for one final run along the Corniche to say goodbye. I finally got a picture with my medal and my neonatal t-shirt.

I absolutely loved this race and would highly recommend it, just don’t finish in the top ten (unless you are actually professional!). Doha has become one of my very favourite places to visit – it is so vibrant and clean and the people are so kind, we could all do with being a bit more Qatari! I can’t wait to go back!

I ran this marathon for Emily:

Tracey and I arrived in Malaga on the Saturday morning after a very early flight from Edinburgh and heading straight for the expo. After some confusion with public transport, we found the stadium and headed in along with a lot of other people. It was chaos inside and no real queuing system – it took me about an hour to register but Tracey had no queue as she was in a different wave!

We then spent the day sight-seeing and eating before hitting the sack fairly early. It was still dark when we headed down to the start the next morning and a little bit chilly but there was already a great atmosphere.

We found the bag drop and took some more pics before heading to the loos for a final trip but the queue was so big we missed the start! I was grateful for chip timing at this point!

When we finally started we were pretty much last but it was fun overtaking people. There were loads of British runners and we got lots of shout outs as I was wearing my Stonehaven top. It was very busy as there is a half marathon as well and we were all mixed together for the first half. I ran with Tracey and the miles ticked by comfortably as we chatted to those around us. Most impressive was a man kicking a football for the entire race!

At the halfway mark we ran past the finish of the half marathon and then it got a lot quieter! It was also getting quite warm and sunny so I tried to stick to the shade where I could. Tracey wanted to slow down a bit and I was feeling good so we parted ways and on I went.

At around 18 miles the route heads out of the city to the stadium where we had registered. It was really exposed and windy here and I was surprised when we were directed in to do a lap of the running track. I was feeling a bit low here and a few out and backs did nothing to improve my mood. I was delighted when I reached the 37KM mark as then it’s ‘just a parkrun to go’!

A few more twists and turns and we were back in the city which is mostly pedestrianised. There were big crowds here and I began to really enjoy the race again. The absolute high point was running down an amazing street with loads of Christmas lights and then there was the finish! The finish straight was a bit like the Tour de France when so many spectators crowd the route that it is hard to find a path through, it was great fun though! I crossed the line in 4.14.09 which I was pleased with since I had taken it fairly easy.

I joined a queue for a massage as my quads were quite sore but then I realised I was actually in a queue for a TENS machine session. Still, it was quite nice lying in the sun strapped to this machine and I think it helped my aching muscles! Tracey finished in around 4.36 and came to find me and we then went off to rehydrate at a roof top terrace bar (tough life!).

Later we went back to the street with all the Christmas lights and enjoyed the lights and music!

I would definitely recommend Malaga marathon – it’s lovely to get some December sun and Malaga puts on a great show for Christmas! It’s a big marathon so lots of British runners and lots of on course support and spectators. Malaga is a lovely city to visit too!

This weekend (15th December) sees the starts of the 12 marathons in 12 months with Malaga marathon. I am excited by the journey I am about to begin!

I am now gathering neonatal stories via this link so I can dedicate each marathon to one or more children who spent time in the unit: https://bit.ly/2LZ77Yz

This weekend we hopped down to England to help my brother and sister-in-law with their first event of their Run for the Sky event company, the Buckingham 10k.

The weather was very wet but that didn’t deter 229 people running the undulating part-trail course that takes in the beautiful Stowe Landscape gardens:

After manning the registration, I ran and earned myself a fab bespoke medal:

Ali marshalled and the kids handed out the medals so it was really a family affair!

As a thank you for our support, Run for the Sky have very kindly made a donation from the event profits for our funds. Thank you!!

Run for the Sky: http://runforthesky.co.uk/