Marathon Eryri

Well, I finally did it. I finally ran a marathon. And, not just any old marathon, Marathon Eryri; dubbed as one of the hardest road marathons in the UK, as it circumnavigates around the base of Snowdon for the full 26.2 miles. Ironically, I wasn’t supposed to do this marathon after failing to get a place in both the first and second ballots, something I was very ok with. However, tables turned and I eventually agreed to take my mum’s place when she made the decision not to compete a few months prior. I knew I couldn’t miss out on this opportunity, after failing to make the start line due to illness at the Manchester Marathon in April. Plus, running a marathon is one of the goals I want to achieve before turning the big 3-0 in March 2025. As anxious as I felt about running this, I knew that this was my time.

Now in it’s 40th year, some 15 Croft runners, as well as extra entourage, made the trip up to Snowdonia National Park ready for the race which took place on Saturday 26th October, starting and ending in the old mining town of Llanberis, which sits at the foot of Snowdon. And, with over 2,300 runners lining up on the start line come race day, as well as the bright blue skies sitting over the horizon, it was sure to be a fantastic event. An experience I doubt I will never forget.

After the race start at 10:30am, I, alongside Thea (my sister and fellow Croftie), quickly settled into a nice “chatty” pace as we headed up the A4086 towards Pen y Pass climbing to 1,100ft. There was no denying this climb was a challenge, almost foreshadowing what was to come in the latter stages of the race. Regardless, once at the top it was a relief to see that the next few miles were purely downhill, dropping down to the Pen Y Cwyryd junction where a couple of Crofties had made the journey up to North Wales to offer their support, something that I felt was really thoughtful, touching and, not to mention, extremely motivating! Thank you so much Alison and Tom!

The next section of the race was ran on trail before returning to the road, leading us runners to the small towns of Beddgelert and then onto Waunfawr. This part of the route can be best described as undulating, and where Thea and I made up a lot of time as we weaved in and out of our fellow runners at a consistent and comfortable pace, as well as making sure we stopped at every drink/food station for that all important runners fuel. In this case it was water, energy drink, bananas, oranges, sweets, anything and everything really. Regardless, it was very much appreciated in a time of need!

20-22 miles in and I still was yet to hit the dreaded wall I hear people talk about regularly when it comes to marathon running. And, despite strapping my feet up, I could feel they were starting to blister, making the final 1,200ft climb that little bit more painful that it already was. And, that was with walking the majority of it! However, come 24 miles and the remainder of the race was downhill trail; very slippy while running in road shoes, may I add. But we were soon back to the road and the final few meters were quickly creeping up on us. The finish was located in the centre of Llanberis, where the atmosphere was buzzing with crowds of people, including Michelle and her blow up unicorn, lining the streets at the finish.

Crossing the line I expected myself to be an emotional mess. I have zero belief in myself when it comes to running and had convinced myself that everyone would expect me not to start, let alone finish. But I did start and I did finish, but I didn’t cry with pride like you see some runners do. That’s not to say that I wasn’t proud of myself because I most definitely was. Not only did I run a marathon, but I ran Marathon Eryri and I loved every second of it.

As for my fellow Croft runners, they all ran amicably, with some outstanding finishing times being posted. Sky Blue even appeared in the Top 10! I’m just so proud of each and every one of them for going out there and giving it their all! We’re extremely lucky to have such incredible runners in our little North Herefordshire club!

Full CARC Results:

Sam Juson – 02:44:12 – 6th overall
Gareth Leek – 02:56:59
Eric Apperley – 03:07:46
Steve Partridge – 04:02:00
Jo Marriott – 04:07:10- 5th in Age Category
Paul Parker – 04:21:53
Jim Bowers – 04:26:15
Stuart Austin – 04:39:54
Liza Austin – 05:00:33
Bronwyn Preece – 05: 08:14
Thea Preece – 05:08:14
Alison Benwell – 05:12:52
Anna Bromley – 05:32:59
Oliver Cameron-Swan – 06:03:07
Theresa Jones – 06:19:19