With torrential rain last week and the glorious sun this weekend, there is unfortunately no inter-school sport to report on. However, three members of the Shiplake community have recently taken the ultimate challenge and have competed in marathons. Year 13 Pupil Hannah Simonds-Gooding ran the London Marathon at the end of last month, and Mr Ebbage and Mr Miller ran the Brighton Marathon the weekend before. Below are the reports of their grueling experience. A massive well done to all three of them, especially to Hannah who raised £2,372.25!
Hannah Simonds-Gooding - Year 13, Gilson House.
On Sunday 22 April, I ran the London Marathon. Leaving very early in the morning to get to the start line in Greenwich, nothing more could be done. After all the training and carb loading, I felt as ready as I possibly could. The fact that it was said to be the hottest London marathon slightly scared me, but I took this is my stride making sure I drank more and ate along the way, and didn't go for anything special on race day. The atmosphere in Greenwich was absolutely amazing, everyone was filled with excitement and ready to get going before it was going to get too hot. I was placed in pen 8, at the back, so when the marathon officially started at 10.00am, I only got over the start line at 10.50am, due to the numbers of people starting.
The journey along this run was absolutely amazing, with endless people cheering you and hearing my name honestly kept me going. Hitting a slight wall around mile 20 I tried to not let it get to my head, so slowly counting down each mile helped me a lot, and also seeing lots of familiar landmarks along the way. At around 5.15pm I crossed the finish line, managing to get through the whole race without the heat taking over me.
Thank you Shiplake for the endless support with sponsorship and all for the good charity MIND, currently to date I have raised £2,372.25.
Mr Miller - English Teacher
After a week’s intensive training and carb loading in Marbella, I was feeling optimistic about flying around the 26.3 mile, coastal course.
On the morning of the run, after checking my fueling, race number and footwear, I perused the train times back to Reading - the 2.30pm looked like the only way I’d get back before 6.00pm. With train timetables and chafing fresh in my mind, I walked down to the start line - slurping a coffee whilst taking my place next to those runners who were aiming for a 3 hour marathon. Having not run a marathon before, and having not managed more than 14 miles in training, I thought this was a reasonable target. I was wrong.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t long before I found myself outstripping the 3hr 15min pace runners (I would next see them at mile 22) and skipping water stations as I found my majestic stride; we'd only been running for 40 minutes… who could be thirsty already?
Around mile 11 I started to worry that maybe (just maybe) I had set off too hot. I soon put these worries to one side though and hit the halfway point with 1hr 28min showing on my Garmin Forerunner 220 (the cheapest Garmin on the market). At this point, I was starting to get a few twinges in my legs, but the prospect of a lengthy wait at the train station spurred me one… For two more miles at least.
At mile 14 the splits became a tad negative. By this stage, I was also inhaling the free, High 5 energy gels at an unhealthy rate, as well as taking three cups of water at every station. Hoards, stampedes and several seas of runners were now overtaking me. I looked at my watch. 18 miles… This wasn’t good.
At mile 20 I had to stop to walk for a bit. Whilst hobbling/stretching, a fellow sufferer offered me a gel to rub onto my legs… of course I accepted - desperate times and all. Placebo or runner’s wonder cure, the gel seemed to give me another few laboured miles. Finally, the finish line came into sight, and I hobbled over in 3hrs 32min … respectable, but not what I’d hoped for at the halfway point. I then sat on the curb, half wrapped in a foil blanket... not looking forward to dragging a suitcase to the train station.
Thank you for all those who donated to the Make a Wish Foundation. Despite being overtaken at mile 24 by somebody who had been juggling all the way around, I almost enjoyed the experience.
Richard Ebbage - Head of Psychology
It was a really good experience. The training had gone well through January and February but the snow meant my furthest run before the event was 15 miles rather than the 20 miles suggested by the training plan. The thought of going into the race and having to go 11 miles further was scary and at the start of the Easter holidays I wasn’t sure I was even going to make the start line. The break gave me the time to focus on some last minuet training and so I thought I would give it a go.
At the start line, I still wasn’t sure I would make the end of the race and so that was my only goal. It started well and the atmosphere was electric. With so many people running for really great causes (I regret not getting sponsorship now!) and a huge crowd, including my girlfriend and parents, it was like nothing else. It was tough at times but I paced myself well. With the distraction of bands on the way around, people in costumes and the adrenaline, it was enough to get me through; even after my legs turned to jelly at the 20 mile mark! Crossing the finish line after months of training was actually quite emotional. I mentioned it to anyone who would listen the week after, including wearing my t-shirt taking activities that week. I would recommend it to anyone!
