The Yorkshire Marathon

With a course flatter than its illustrious Chicago, Berlin, Paris and London counterparts, it’s little wonder that the region’s newest marathon is already such a magnet for runners. A year on from the inaugural Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon, which saw the 6,000 places snapped up in a few days, organisers are gearing up for more of the same on 12 October.

It’s part of the lasting legacy of sportswoman, fundraiser and campaigner Jane Tomlinson. Despite being diagnosed with incurable cancer, Jane took on some seriously tough sporting challenges, in the process raising nearly £2 million for charities. She passed away in 2007, but her name lives on as an integral part of the Run for All organisation, which organises the Yorkshire Marathon.

And while many top class competitors will again be descending on York, the majority of those putting their best feet forward will again be club and ‘fun’ runners. Though as anyone who has done a marathon will tell you, fun isn’t a word that springs to mind when your blisters are starting to rub at mile ten. Not that it seems to deter people.

Lucy Hammond joined her local club, Pocklington Runners, shortly after completing the Great North Run half marathon in 2012. This year’s York Marathon will be her third crack at the 26.2 mile distance.

“The reason why I love the York marathon so much is because it’s where I grew up, and I pass my old primary school and lots of other places, which helps when you have so far to run!” says Lucy, of Barmby Moor.

“Training has been going well, and both times I’ve completed a marathon in the past I have learned something new and been able to adapt my training. This time I am doing longer runs as I need to pace myself better in the second half. Last year I did York in 4 hours 52 minutes, which was half an hour faster than my first marathon, and this time I am aiming for 4 hours 45 minutes.”

Being a member of a running club has been immensely helpful, she adds, with the camaraderie and shared experiences of fellow members during training – come wind, rain or shine – invaluable.

“I completed the London Marathon for the first time last year, and it was great to have the support of the club for training and being able to run on home turf,” says Lucy.

 “This year I have done all my long runs on my own as I have to fit them in around children, work and other races, but I have been able to fit some speed sessions in with others from the club. I am looking forward to this year as I feel much more prepared and hopefully when the day comes I will have plenty of miles in the bag – and fresh legs!”

Organisers hope this year’s race will top the £2 million raised for charity last year, and event lead Lisa Ashcroft said: “The reaction last year was phenomenal and we now want to build on that success for future years. We’re so grateful to everyone in York and along the route who really embraced the first ever marathon and helped it be such a fantastic experience for all of our runners. We’re looking forward to another brilliant year.”