Thursday 3 March 2011

Duchy 20 & Duchy Marathon: a tour of the course

Here's a quick guide to what you can expect - including a couple of sneaky hills they don't tell you about!

In a brief departure from my normal, chronological running blogs, I've hastily compiled a video to help competitors in the Duchy Marathon and accompanying Duchy 20 miler.

Please bear in mind that I wasn't able to compete last year, and haven't paid close attention to the course details, so this is based upon my recollection of the Duchy 20 course from 2009 - I'm pretty sure it's accurate to that, and if there have been any major changes, nobody's told me!

*** Sod's Law alert! I've since checked, and they HAVE made a small change this year, so the final mile takes a different route. The finish is in the same place, though. ***

If you don't know the course, hopefully this will give you some idea of what to expect... although, in truth, the character of this race is all about the weather. With a long, very exposed clifftop section, any change in the wind, rain (or - heaven help us - hail) will make a real difference.

I run these cliffs a lot (although usually the footpath along the cliff's edge), and I can tell you: on one day you can be moseying along enjoying the stunning sea view... and on another, hardened marathoners are crying for their mummies. And, with the race in March, the weather could be literally anything (and that's all part of the fun).

If you're taking part - good luck, I'll see you there (assuming my gammy shin clears up...).


As you can see from the map below, I haven't run the entire Marathon course - it follows the big clifftop loop twice, so there would be no point in showing you all of that. Instead, I've stuck mostly to the 20-mile route...  with the exception of the little out-and-back detour around 13.5 miles. Trust me: there aren't any real surprises there.
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2 comments:

  1. Hi Run To Discover,

    Was hoping you might be interested to hear about The Great Lanhydrock Run, Sunday 26 June 2011? It's a ten mile mainly off-road trail run taking in spectacular views around the National Trust Lanhydrock estate, near Bodmin, Cornwall. It's a challenging but rewarding route, so please get in touch if you'd like any more information. Love your videos - it's a great idea!

    Many thanks
    -Alice
    Ranger, Lanhydrock
    alice.barker@nationaltrust.org.uk
    @LanhydrockNT on Twitter, National Trust Lanhydrock Countryside on Facebook

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  2. Thanks Alice!

    It sounds like a great idea. I've never actually been to Lanhydrock and it would be a great way to explore.

    Unfortunately, I have the small matter of an ultramarathon that weekend...

    David

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