I’m pretty sure I was beaten by a man wearing a full gorilla suit. Also ahead of me for quite some time were Spiderman, a couple of Elvis Presley lookalikes, a man dressed as the Devil, another in a full length dress and a woman wearing a tutu and a Superman top.

But, hey I finished the first ever Yorkshire Marathon and, for good measure, managed to overtake Spiderman and beat him to the finish line. A blow for the ordinary man against the superheroes who find it easy to run a marathon.

For most people, whatever their ability, running 26.2 miles is hard and unpredicatable, a test of endurance and willpower. You never know when it’s going to start to hurt, or if your body may just give up on you.

I had been nursing a sore achilles tendon for weeks and as I nervously lined up at yesterday’s start, I had no idea whether it would hold out until the finish.

I counted off each mile without pain as a blessing and focused on enjoying running through the streets of York, past Betty’s and the Minster and out into the surrounding countryside, surely providing one of the most attractive marathon courses in the country.

Soon we were oput into the countryside and on to Butercrambe Wood and a welcome downhill stretch to the half way point at Stamford Bridge, cheered on all the way by hundreds of well wishers lining the route. So far, so good.

It wasn’t until we passed the 20 mile mark that the nagging pain started in my tendon, and another one in my calf, but I wasn’t going to ease up now. Not after the weeks of training on the road and, to help me through my injury, in the gym at York Sport Village.

No, this is where I and the runners around me had to dig deep and we knew the finish was less than an hour away. The breathing was heavier now, accompanies by the occasional groan as a muscle twinged or an uneven step sent shockwaves up the leg.

But a fresh surge of energy came our way as we reached familiar territory on the outskirts of York and on to the finish at the University where it was time for that duel with Spiderman.

My time? Well it’s not about the time but since you ask 3hrs 59 minutes and 52 seconds. And believe me those 8 seconds under four hours had to e won.

Was it worth it? Well, the atmosphere was crackling, the organisation superb and it has to be a huge advert for the charms of York.

So, yes. See you next year, maybe

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