RUTLAND MARATHON & HALF MARATHON

Matt on the podium

Three athletes from Grantham Running Club made the short trip to Rutland Water on Sunday to take part in the 2017 Rutland Marathon & Half Marathon. Both races took place close to the water over undulating & mixed terrain courses including trails, paths & grass. The longer marathon course took in the scenic Hambleton Peninsula. The weather was mild, calm & dry with very little wind - ideal running conditions.

The duo of Matthew Williamson & Gav Meadows opted for the full 26.2 mile marathon distance with their main aim being to complete their final long run before they enter the final stages of their preparation for the Amsterdam Marathon in mid October. Gav said 'We didn't go into this race looking to run particularly fast times. It was more about training than it was about racing. Even with a racing mentality, the tough course meant we had no chance of running personal bests.'

Post race with medals

The pair set off together at a relaxed, steady pace of around 7:45 per mile before Matthew decided to adopt a slightly more aggressive approach & began to pull away around the 5 mile mark. He crossed the finish line in 3:19:01 placing 3rd overall to secure a surprising but well deserved podium finish. He received an unusual horseshoe trophy - a traditional Rutland emblem. An incredible result & Matthew commented afterwards that this was his best performance in any race to date.

Gav's pacing was a bit more up & down as he struggled on the tougher, hillier sections of the course. He said 'I could've felt fresher going into this race but I purposely didn't taper beforehand as the objective at this stage is still training, volume & mileage. My result in the upcoming Amsterdam Marathon is far more important than this one!' He averaged just under 8:15 per mile for the race & finished in 3:35:01 placing 8th in a field of 137. He also commented 'Despite it being one of the tougher sections of the course, I particularly enjoyed running around the Hambleton Peninsula. A very pleasant, scenic area that I haven't really explored before.'

New recruit Matthew Atter opted for the 13.1 mile half marathon course, taking on the distance for the first time in a race. Coming off the back of his impressive sub 40 minute performance in the East Coast Classic 10K the weekend before, he performed admirably. After a slightly quick first few miles, Matthew settled into a pace of around 7 minutes per mile. He maintained this until the finish line posting a time of 1:30:23 & finishing 14th in a field of 549. There is no doubt that he is well capable of breaking the 90 minute barrier on a flatter & more forgiving course.

Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading	Ranking
3	3:19:01	Matt Williamson		M SEN		62.77%	N/A
8	3:35:01	Gav Meadows		MV35		58.15%	N/A
Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading	Ranking
14	1:30:23	Matthew Atter		MV35		66.33%	N/A

Report: Gav Meadows