Marathon 3: Persistence, Painkillers, Pub To Finish

Marathon 3 took us to Rutland, hosted by Adam 'Adz' Ras on Saturday 10th January and joined by Will Ellison, our Norfolk runner.

My lead-up could have been smoother... Earlier in the week I’d had some knee niggles that needed sorting, but thanks to Rob the physio, things were feeling good again by midweek. Three solid days of travelling during the week, combined with an early start on the day itself, left me feeling pretty tired before we’d even laced up. Still, the body felt in decent shape, morale was good, and despite Storm Goretti, I managed to get out of Shrewsbury without any drama.

I was particularly looking forward to where this one started. We kicked off from Fircroft House at Uppingham School, a location of strong family connection. I’d spoken to Tom Hollyer, the housemaster, beforehand, and the welcome we received was incredibly warm. Both my great uncle Peter, and my great grandfather had been housemasters there for many years, and my granny grew up in Uppingham, so standing on the start line felt like linking a few generations together. The tour beforehand was a lovely touch and set the tone for the day.

Much like the previous week, the weather didn’t quite match the calendar. Another cold one, with plenty of ice around first thing, but once again we were treated to clear blue skies and bright winter sunshine – the kind of day that makes you forget about the numb fingers. 

This week’s running team was a mighty trio. Adz and I were joined by Will Ellison, who’d travelled over with his wife and baby, Edie, from Norfolk to take on the first of four marathons he’s joining me for this year. Adz has been battling a knee injury since before he even signed up, so we always knew this would be a steady one. No heroics, just getting round together. Given the conditions and the setting, that felt absolutely fine.

The first four or five miles out of Uppingham towards Rutland Water were fairly unfamiliar. Quiet country lanes, patches of ice, and a couple of honest hills meant we took it sensibly and enjoyed the scenery. Once we reached the water, things opened up. Underfoot conditions improved, there were no major climbs to worry about, and it became a case of settling in and ticking the miles off.

Support on the route was brilliant. A huge thank you to Adz’s friend Sue, who had set up four checkpoints – and, most importantly, snack points – around the course, as well as the strong turnout of friends and family who came out to cheer us on all the way round. The recce from a couple of months earlier definitely helped too. The first 15 or 16 miles flew by and we were making really good time.

From there, Adz’s knee started to cause him some issues, and we backed the pace off. His determination was something else. At one point, our unofficial fourth team member joined us: every legal painkiller known to man. Despite everything, we stuck together, kept chipping away, and made it to the pub before dark.

The pub was meant to be the finish line, but my watch had other ideas. A few hundred metres short of the marathon distance meant I had to carry on through the village and finish at the church instead. That probably would have met with more approval from Uncle Peter than stopping at the pub anyway.

A radio interview en route courtesy of Rutland and Stamford Sound was an unexpected bonus, and to top it all off, Adz surprised me at the end with an 'autographed', framed map of our run – a genuinely special memento.

This marathon was more about resilience than rhythm. But it was another set of very meaningful miles. Huge thanks to Adz for the grit he showed to get round (and for sharing such a personal story in his podcast earlier in the week), to Will for being part of the team, and to everyone who helped make the day what it was, again.

Check out @marathonsformiracles on Instagram for pictures from the day.

On we go to Cheshire on Sunday 18th January!