Three MACs headed south to take on the Maraton de Málaga on 14 December.
Some concerns were expressed about the chair, secretary and treasurer all being on the same flight – Everard’s Brewery policy would have prevented such recklessness, but fortunately the flights out and back were uneventful and the MAC committee remains intact.
There were doubts whether any of the intrepid trio would actually make the start line, never mind complete the race.
Andy had been broken following his last marathon with Dan. And Dennis had also been a bit broken following his last marathon with Dan. Something of a pattern emerging!
Dan was suffering from the lurgy, but had blitzed his body with Neurofen to numb the pain.
The trio travelled out on Saturday morning, with a 2am start the perfect way to prepare for the race ahead. Having landed in Málaga, they hit the expo, along with 22,000 other runners – it was rather crowded. With race numbers collected, they wearily made their way to the luxury accommodation for an early night.
Sunday morning was dry and perfect weather conditions – the race started at 8:30 with marathon and half marathon runners hitting the route together. The race had a great atmosphere with several cheer stations and bands, and crowds along most of the route.
All three MACs were taking it steady to avoid injury and the dreaded DNF. Andy crossed the finish line in 3:46 and MaraDan ticked off marathon number 61 in 4:02. Dennis made the most of the facilities along the route, finishing in 5:00. This was slightly behind the overall winner in an impressive 2:06:08 and the first female finisher in 2:24:44.
Runners were rewarded with a T-shirt, medal and the usual array of fruit and water.
Our trio then added a tour of Malaga’s bars as further reward for their efforts. The Christmas lights in Malaga were fun with a light show in the evening, and our MACs took the opportunity to stretch out the calves with a jaunt up to the Castillo de Gibralfaro – the castle provides great views over the city, with perhaps a few too many steps for comfort.
Time to relax now for two thirds of the group, who are happy to see the back of marathon running for 2025. For Dan, one more shoehorned in before the end of the year. 29 marathons between them this year, but fair to say that Dan is doing most of the heavy lifting in that total.
