Boston Marathon and Half Marathon

Sunday 14^th April saw the third running of the Boston (UK) Marathon with three members taking part in the full 26.2 mile race and seven opting to take part in the supporting half marathon. What the UK Boston Marathon lacks in terms of history, prestige, crowd support, and volume of competitors compared to its stateside cousin (which took place a day later on Patriots’ Day) the race holds an ace card in its status as the flattest marathon in the UK and, with just 21 feet (6.4 meters) of elevation, probably one of the least vertically challenging anywhere in the world. 

A PB for Matt

With temperatures on the chilly side for April conditions for racing made difficult by the wind – a perennial hazard of a fenland race - blowing steadily in off the North Sea, making the going tough in places on a course that, for the most part, is open and exposed to the elements. 

In the marathon Matthew Williamson was the first runner home for GRC in a very fine 3:07:29. Finishing 45^th overall, Matthew smashed over seven minutes off his old PB which he had set at his very first attempt two years ago and had failed to better in his five subsequent attempts. He found the going tough in the wind and had to push hard in the final miles but was delighted to have finally broken his marathon debut time and by a sizeable margin.

Matthew was followed by two marathon experts Adam Wasiolka and Nick Payne. Adam (3:22:49) who has recently transferred his first claim allegiance from 100 Marathon Club to Grantham Running Club, was just under ten minutes down on his 2018 time, but his time was particularly impressive considering it came just a week after he had run back-to-back marathons on the same day at the Phoenix Day and Knight Excalibur event, where he finished first and third respectively and both in under four hours. Nick, who has also been packing in marathons and ultra events at an impressive rate in recent months, ran well to finish in 3:47:02.

sub 80 minutes for Ian in the half

In the supporting half marathon race the ever improving Ian Williams was the first home for the club in seventh with an impressive PB of 1:19:49, bettering his previous best set a month earlier by nearly a minute and just four seconds off becoming the second fastest ever GRC runner over 13.1 miles. Matthew Atter was next to finish, his 1:30:10 annoyingly close to breaking 90 minutes but a fine run nonetheless and his second quickest ever half marathon.

Louise finished in 2:33:50

Nick Rossington followed in 1:38:34 ahead of Clive George (1:47:38) who was the first of three GRC runners to make their half marathon debut. Claire Williams (1:58:08) was the second, who finished ahead of Wayne Baxter

(2:02:57). Louise Kennedy was the third debutante and was thrilled to have completed the race in 2:33:50 thanks in part to the support of her husband Steve who was taking part as well.

The winner of the marathon was Phil Martin of Peterborough AC in 2:34:10 with Hannah Peel of Sheefield Triathlon Club the winning woman.  Sean Fitzpatrick of Kent AC won the half marathon in 1:13:04 with Emma Hodson of Cambridge University Hair & Hounds the winning woman in 1:21:36. There were 560 finishers in the half marathon and 614 finishers in the marathon.