After attempting to go near 2.20 at Lisbon, my only aim for Marrakech was to get a PB.
I had a tough day and it didn't start well. The start was madness, a total scrum. I had anticipated a front line start but the organisers were totally unco-operative so I had to get amongst the masses and push to the front - this meant being quite aggressive and wasn't really what I had planned for. Runners much slower than me were filed in 100 metres ahead at the proper start line. This was annoying. At times runners broke out of the pen I was being held in and made a sprint past security, being tackled to the ground and thrown back into the mass start.
After being held for 30 minutes in this situation, the gun popped and the result was complete madness, with runners tearing everywhere. The London Marathon this wasn't. I wore a chip but took a good few seconds to pass the start banner, but did so some 10 metres away from the chip timing mat because the road was far wider than the mat, so already I knew my chip time would just be taken from my gun time. The organisation was diabolical and the contrast with races in the UK could not be more stark.
I settled into a 2.22 pace as I just wanted to beat my 2003 PB of 2.23'22. The early stages were just about getting a feel for the race and settle into a rhythm. I hit the first 5km marker but the splits were unreliable. By 10km I seemed on pace for a 2.22 but again I didn't trust the splits. This felt like 2.22 pace but I wasn't threatening to go faster. The temperature was 15 degrees and cloudy - I'd have liked it cooler but it certainly wasn't too hot.
We peeled away from the half marathon runners after a few miles and I began to settle into things and believe I might have a good day. My mood was buoyant at the half way split, which featured a chip timing mat, so I was more confident this was accurate - 71.23. I felt positive and seemed to be moving well alongside some company.
I continued to run strongly enough and thought I could do myself some justice. I was clipping the miles off nicely and had moved away from a group I had been with for a while. The course at this stage was stunning with the Atlas Mountains, palm trees and camels as a back drop. I ran in complete silence, passing two African runners who had dropped out in the middle of nowhere. Things were going well.
Shortly after this, just before the 32km marker, I quickly started to slow and could feel my stride shortening. I started to go to pieces and my focus changed from finishing in a good time to just finishing. This demonstrates perfectly the sudden change one can experience in the marathon.
The last 10km was painful and I just focused on the finish. I was always worried about taking too much water in a marathon from experiences up to this race, as I had experienced stitch and stomach cramps (something I have since been able to manage) . In Dublin I ran the entire marathon without ingesting any water - the only mouthful I took that day came back as vomit so I felt uncomfortable taking any more. However, that day in Dublin was far cooler than this day and I do wonder if the dramatic slowing down was due to dehydration.
I still have no solid explanation for why I slowed like I did, other than dehydration. I feel my training was sufficient, the whole experience was a mystery. Result is here.
Upon finishing I was desperate for water, but so were hundreds of half marathon participants. Getting a bottle of water meant a virtual fight as it was so scarce. In my weak state I somehow managed to get some but it was the last thing I expected to have to do. I'd finished up with 2.27'25 - 2.27'16 were the numbers on my watch, allowing for the mass brawl at the start resulting in missing the chip timing mat.
As I sat on the grass after the race, surrounded by utter chaos, sipping water with aching limbs, a young Morrocan guy approached me as asked me what time I had run. He showed me his watch with 2.26 on the chrono. He wore a tatty vest, shorts and very old trainers showing extreme wear. His watch was at least 20 years old. This put my poor run in its place.
One thing I do regret, but which was beyond my control, was the almost complete lack of racing opportunities at key stages during the build up. After the worst winter since 1981, the race calendar for many weeks was stripped of races due to snow and ice. Ideally I'd have wanted a half marathon six weeks before the marathon, but this wasn't possible. The Telford 10k was moved on three occasions before actually going ahead one week before Marrakech. I felt after the session I completed in the days before Telford that I was on for a very good run there and a big boost before really tapering off, but perhaps at 35 the legs aren't quite up to running 10k PBs.
Also, on reflection racing Telford seven days before the marathon was a mistake. I've never raced this close to a marathon before, and it may have had something to do with my poor performance in Morocco.
I also struggled with a very tight and sometimes sore IT band from the new year onwards, and though it didn't effect my race, it was a factor for a couple of weeks of training.
Reviewing the chip timed splits, I made 10k in 34.27 and was on for just inside 2.24 at 32k (1.49'07) and have to consider these accurate. The last 10k was therefore total carnage.
1. Yared Daganw Sharew, ETH 2.10'20
2. Gebressellassie Tsegay Reda, ETH 2.10'32
3. Ahmed Baday, MAR 2.10'58
...
31. James Lawler, UK 2.27'25