On Saturday 3rd December Dan and Dennis continued their quest for fine drinking and eating establishments; but in order to partake of their Wetherspoons they first had to tackle the It’s Grim Up North Christmas Cracker (Day 1) which was a Marathon along the Leeds / Liverpool Canal.
Upon arriving in Leeds the organisers slapped an ankle bracelet on the pair. Dennis was worried his past had caught up with him, but it merely turned out to be the timing chip. The race director also announced that the Marathon numbers hadn’t arrived (the 5k, 10k, 10mile, half marathon, 20mile and ultras had
) so the duo would be running numberless.
The Marathon (along with a few half marathoners who wanted to start early) started, in Kirkstall, alongside the Kirkstall Brewery- which wasn’t visited on the day, promptly at 9:30 and set out along the canal towards Leeds, after 3 miles Leeds was reached and it was time to turn around and run back. Once back across the start finish line the race was heading towards Liverpool.
The fun runners got to turn around after only 3.5 miles whilst the marathon continued. Almost within touching distance of the Merseyside city, a mere 114 miles short, the marathon turned and re-traced their steps to the finish where they were greeted by a medal Flavor Flav would have been happy with, a can of beer and a Christmas selection pack. Some of the quicker runners (Dan), was also treated to a complimentary hot dog and mince pie(s).
Dan took advantage of the reduction in weight and improved slip streaming the lack of a number provided and finished in 3rd place in 3hr 25. Dennis, unfortunately, could not make use of the lighter load – probably because he’s a lot heavier than Dan and plodded home in 4:46. The winner from Manx Harriers was approximately 1 light-year ahead.
This was the pair’s 5th Marathon this year, which they were really proud of until they remembered that MAC’s Shelley Fairey did that amount in a week in May. A good day out was had by all.
