BOURNEMOUTH AC ROAD AND DISTANCE RUNNING INFORMATION

Here is a a report from the Annecy Marathon. Click here to go back to our main index page.

Annecy Marathon
John Boyes, elite runner turned marathon coach, helped train Adrienne Child to her first marathon.

This is her account of a 26.2 mile emotional and physical roller-coaster.

I'd completed six months of intensive training and the time had come to run the race. I stood with David six metres back from the start line. We were surrounded by tall men and, being, short I couldn't escape the heavy scent of anticipation!

Our friends John and Kath and two of our children were there to see us off. I glanced at John. He looked concerned and later on in the race I was to understand why. He had been my coach and motivator and had run thirty-nine marathons. He knew what lay ahead of me.

At eight thirty am the gun went off. David and I quickly parted company; this race was to be run alone. The course wound for a kilometre around the town. There was a carnival atmosphere and the spectators cheered us on our way. As we headed away from Annecy the magnificent Alps came in to view across the clear blue water of the lake.

By the time I'd passed the five kilometre marker I'd begun to relax. My pace was even and steady. Now the kilometre markers were arriving at five minute intervals, I was on target to do a better time than I'd anticipated. The sun was shining but it was an ideal eight degrees. The run was going well.

Twenty-five minutes into the race I started to pass men relieving themselves in to the bushes. How easy it is for men when nature calls!
Several groups of them sailed past me but I wasn't disheartened by this as I was competing against the women.

I'd been running for forty-five minutes when two Kenyans ran by me in the opposite direction. They had completed the first half of the loop in record time and were on their way to the finish line.

At the seventeen kilometre mark Helen passed me.

' Hello chicken, ' she muttered.

She was running her tenth marathon and I could see that she was focused and her pace was stronger than mine. How well was I going to run the rest of this race? I tried to shadow her but after five minutes I realised I couldn't keep up. She soon disappeared from view.

After an hour and forty-five minutes I at last reached the halfway point. John he gave me a big smile.

He called out, 'You're doing really well Adrienne,'

I hoped the second half of the race would be as straightforward.

By the time the twenty-fifth kilometre marker arrived my pace had slowed to six minutes a kilometre. The energy and enthusiasm was beginning to ebb out of me. At twenty-nine kilometres I started to dread the remaining thirteen; my legs were really hurting. I took a slice of orange at the next station. Within minutes I had a terrible tummy-ache and had to stop and bend over to relieve the pain. Quickly resuming the struggle I jogged on further. My body was hurting and I desperately wanted to stop. Two men in front of me began to walk. If they could walk, why couldn't I? So I did. But the pain in my legs was still there.

At this point I fought a major mental battle with myself. I wanted to stop and walk down to the main road ( we were on a cycle track ) where I hoped I'd meet John in his car and he could drive me back to the town.
Fortunately someone spotted my name printed above number and called out ' Allez Adrienne '. This spurred me on to jog again. It was very important to keep going and not let John down. At the thirty-nine kilometre marker the end was in sight and somehow I managed to get a rhythm going that would carry me to the finish line.

There was one and a half kilometres left to run. I was convinced that I wouldn't finish in the time of three hours and forty-five minutes that I had set myself. Now I needed a miracle.

John called out from the crowd ' Come on Adrienne. If you go now you'll finish in your target time.'

' Really? ' I gasped.

' Yes. Go for it! ' he said.

So I did. As I ran over the zebra crossing Freddie and Phoebe called out ' Come on Mum. '

Running the last kilometre was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I crossed the finish line in three hours forty-four minutes and forty-six seconds. But the pain still didn't disappear.

A marshal steadied me as I swayed towards a barrier.

' Ca va?' he asked with a concerned yet congratulatory smile.

' Oui ', I whispered.

But I meant no. I felt as though someone had beaten me around the legs with a baseball bat.

Another marshal took me by surprise when he handed me my medal.
It was heavy and round. I ran my thumb over it's smooth surface and briefly admired it. The runners were ushered towards a tent and each handed a plastic bag containing an apple, a bottle of water and a high energy bar. I took a few sips of water and walked out into the field. I was in a daze and I started to cry. At that moment I knew I would never run a marathon again.

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