Race Date: Sunday 17th April 2016

The inaugural Boston Marathon and Half Marathon (Lincolnshire, not Massachusetts!) was a fantastic event, and a race that has the potential to really grow.

There was a relatively small turnout on the day, with 145 doing the full, and 129 the half. But with probably more marshals than runners, lots of support, brilliant organisation (started by the mayor in the picturesque town centre, and finishing next to the free car park), loads of water and a good, well marked route, they have the capacity for a lot more.

Oh, and the course is completely flat. And I mean flat. Strava gave my run an elevation of 0 feet, and even when I try and do ‘flat’ short tempos in Sheffield it’s in the hundreds. It’s all roads, mostly farm roads between the fields, bit of mud and a few puddles, but pretty straight. Given the right conditions (it has the potential to be pretty breezy, very exposed and next to the sea) it’s a very fast course.

Admittedly I was only there after a last minute stomach bug forced me to miss Manchester, but the organisers kindly allowed me to enter even though the deadline had passed. And there weren’t any baggage queues. Admittedly, it wouldn’t suit everyone, given that you’re running on your own for most of the time, but I loved racing my watch and gradually reeling in the next speck on the other side of the massive cabbage field. It was a beautiful day, lovely countryside, huge skies, very peaceful, and not too breezy. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. And you don’t have to qualify!

Very generous prizes too £250, £150 £100, which I went and missed by one place and that did not impress my wife as they received their literally huge cheques on an actual podium. And all less than two hours away, which is the same as Scunthorpe and there’s talk of a coach for there.   So I hope next year I’ll be back with a car full (or three) of Striders.

Anyway, the race. The half was won in 1:12 or something silly, but the full was won (by 40 secs in a great race) by Benjamin Harris of Retford AC in a pretty sharpish 2:40:06. First lady (by miles) was Fiona Davies of Rotherham Harriers & AC in 2:54:39. I was the only Strider, finishing 5^th in a new PB of 2:56:18. And I got to finally bury my multiple marathon curse.