PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD KENNINGTON/
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How a 40 year- old marathon virgin tackled the inaugural Richmond Park 26.2 mile race. By Carl Stanger
(Marathon) Life begins at 40
Contented Carl – our writer reaches the finish in 3:50
“ Richmond Park, in leafy South West
London, has always represented a place of pleasure for me. Having been fortunate enough to have lived around the area for many years, the Royal Park holds glorious memories of picnics on balmy summer afternoons, romantic walks and carefree cycling amongst roaming deer. “I’d toyed with the idea of a marathon
for a few years but thought my time had passed, having missed out on previous applications for both London and Brighton races. When a place became available for the inaugural race at Richmond Park my initial thoughts were ‘Great – how tough can a potter around Richmond really be?’ “A group of running friends who used
the park for training saw its potential as a marathon venue given that a lap of the walled grounds is around seven miles, and finally secured permission for a race on May 11th, 2011.
Born to run? “Endurance has never featured highly on my sporting CV. For athletics at school and college 400m represented the maximum distance I could compete in. “Since leaving London almost two
years ago, my sporting activity dried up – with neither regular football nor commuting on the bike. Life with a young family and busy guesthouse in Eastbourne, whilst joyous, leaves little free time.
“Since our guesthouse plays host to
The Running Inn, an Eastbourne running club, and provides a meeting point for
38 n RUNNING FREE
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