Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon

Grant Davies of Grantham Running Club headed to York on Sunday 14^th October 2018 to take part in the Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon. The sixth edition of the race reportedly attracted over 11,000 runners who braved the heavy rain that fell for the entirety of the race, enjoying a course that swiftly takes runners out from York itself to run on mostly gently rolling country roads before returning to York for the finish.

With April’s Manchester Marathon having been Grant’s primary target, Grant went into the Yorkshire Race with low expectations given that he had not trained specifically for it, maxing out at around 15 miles on his longest recent run. Keen to avoid hitting the infamous wall that he struck with vengeance in the latter stages at Manchester, Grant went off at a steady pace and heeded the classic adage that a marathon should be approached as a ‘20 mile jog, followed by a 10K race.’

Feeding off the uniquely pleasurable experience of picking off runner after runner in the closing stages as they tired and he remained strong, Grant finished in an excellent 3:06:43, bettering his previous marathon best just under four minutes.

Buoyed by the prospects of what he could achieve with proper marathon preparation, Grant joins an increasing number of GRC members who are knocking on the door of breaking the magical sub-3 hour barrier.