As I mentioned in my previous piece about the Boston Marathon UK, my original plan wasn’t to run that race at all, but the Newport Marathon.
Since I registered late and the race sold out quickly, I signed up for the Newport 10K. In the end, my friend couldn’t make it and transferred his marathon entry to me, so I could decide after Boston whether to run the marathon in Newport or stick with the 10K.
Decide what you’re racing
I knew right away I’d probably run the marathon, it’s my favorite discipline and what pushed me into long-distance running 13 years ago. Still, I wanted to make the final call after Boston. However, since Newport Marathon is a serious event, they emailed me exactly one month before the start asking me to choose which race I’d run, or they would assign me the bib for the first race I entered (the 10K). So even before Boston, I had to commit to the marathon in Newport.
No compromises in Boston
I was advised to go for a personal best (better than 2:55:42 in Valencia 2023) at whichever marathon had better conditions, but that didn’t make sense to me since I’d be running two marathons anyway. I wasn’t going to “save myself” in one race for the next—it’s not realistic when racing two marathons in seven days, as even an easy pace still brings significant fatigue. Skipping Boston wasn’t an option either. I had prepared for Boston UK and stuck to that mindset.
Boston UK turned out to have terrible running conditions. I had to be satisfied with finishing another marathon in a solid time (3:05:46), considering how much the wind pushed and slowed me down.
I’ll try, then we’ll see
After that, I focused immediately on recovery for Newport Marathon in Wales. This was a new kind of challenge. I knew a PB wasn’t realistic after just seven days. But what about a Good for Age qualification for the London Marathon 2027 (sub-3:02 for my 45–49 category)? That felt worth attempting.
I didn’t present it as a serious goal, this could easily have ended in 3:30. Between races, I ran 5 km daily to maintain my running streak, had one massage, three magnesium hot baths, focused on recovery nutrition and then carb-loading. Work still had me walking over 12,000 steps daily, and I didn’t even manage to foam roll.
I’ve previously stacked marathons with 2–3 weeks between them. Best example: Valencia (Spain) 2:55, then two weeks later Boka (Montenegro) 3:00 in 2023. But never with just seven days and such an ambitious pace.
For Yuki
I thought of Yuki Kawauchi. I am familiar with his training which gives me some hope. His training isn’t extreme; it’s his racing that is. If he could run strong marathons almost every weekend, maybe I could manage two, on my level, of course. He’s always been an inspiration: a “citizen runner” with elite results. This felt like a perfect chance to try something in his style.
Newport Marathon
The race is organized by Run4Wales, the same team behind the Super Half in Cardiff, so it has many features of larger European marathons. Great medal and shirt, and runners even got free entry to the Welsh Cup women’s football final (Cardiff vs Swansea). Though relatively new (8th edition), it has grown into a major UK race. This year: 2,748 marathon finishers (313 sub-3h, 11%), plus 1,421 in the half and 3,194 in the 10K.
I want better than sub-3:02
I hadn’t run sub-3 since Frankfurt 2024, and never in the 45–49 category. I wanted that again – and the London qualification too. I knew I could run a sub-1:30 half; after that, we’d see.
Conditions were good: about 10°C, no strong wind, already much better than Boston. Some said it was warm in the sun, but overall it was very favorable.
The race
My first kilometer was the slowest (4:28), then I settled into ~4:15/km, gradually improving. I first saw the 3-hour pacer at 21 km, joined the group at 25 km, and stayed until about 33 km.
I planned stronger fueling (two extra gels due to the previous marathon), but lost two. I took six in total (one pre-race, five during) plus water at stations.
At 16 km, the course loops a 10 km circuit twice. After exiting the loop at 35 km, I pushed to 4:05–4:08/km. At 38 km, I saw a sign: “Empty the Tank.” That’s exactly what I did.
When the body faces a new stimulus – like short recovery – you can expect reactions. I’ve never had cramps during racing, but at 40–41 km I felt warning signs in my left calf. Fortunately, it never fully hit, and I finished strong: 2:58:51.
Recap
It was a negative split (Garmin: ~1:29:50 / 1:29:01). I achieved 3 of 4 goals: two completed marathons, Good for Age qualification for London (which I’d love to run again), but not a PB – which I believe I was capable of.
This was my 35th marathon and 5th sub-3. Most importantly, I handled this new stress without injury (just one small blister). I also maintained my running streak – now at 742 days (more than two full years) with at least 5 km daily.
