Manchester Marathon

Months of training came to an end for Luke Tomsett, Richard Davis and returning member Matt Southam at the Adidas Manchester Marathon on 16th April.

Coach Pete Standen had laid down a gruelling block over the winter months, with some of the track sessions topping out at 21k once the warmups and cool downs were included. The training was all about building a good aerobic base and working at specific intensities across the first 15 weeks of the year. The training doesn’t often get mention, as people only see the tip of the iceberg on race day. The athletes arrived at the start line in good shape, but with a marathon anything can happen. However, the Rover’s athletes had a great day.

A cool calm day was welcomed by the 28000 strong field, though there was a refreshing rain shower in the later stages. Manchester is known for being flat, however there was a testing section near Altrincham, though not insurmountable, the athletes had to maintain their focus, as this was well after halfway. The crowd support was friendly and loud, particularly around the final corner as the finish line came into view.

Luke Tomsett crossed the line in 2:50:15, a new personal best by over 4 minutes, which also moves him to 4th on the club’s all-time marathon rankings.

Richard Davis crossed the line in 2:58:42, a new personal best by 28 minutes, putting him 9th on the club’s all-time marathon rankings.

Matt Southam crossed the line 3:37:46. This is 9 minutes quicker than Matt ran at Brighton Marathon just two weeks earlier since re-joining Eastbourne Rovers at the start of the month.