Race Date: Saturday 20th July 2024

How do you cope with becoming middle aged? Some buy a 1000cc motorbike, others go backpacking to Machu Picchu whilst many simply sit at home and turn to drink. Not these three who welcomed a new age category by running a marathon. Read about their exploits in this report by Caroline Brock.

A few years ago, on realising we would all be turning 40 within a year of each other, plans were made to celebrate by running a marathon. This idea could only come from our good friend and former strider Val Gasperini and it was down to Val’s impeccable determination and organisation that James and I were flying to Munich on a Thursday afternoon.

We had all entered the Königsschlösser Marathon held in Füssen; a beautiful town in Bavaria. Training had been varied so expectations for the marathon itself were also varied. Val had trained well and was in good shape having run a PB at the Barcelona half marathon in February. I had run the Manchester marathon in April but since then training had not been so good and I was relying on my years of cumulative marathon training to get me through. James had been training for Manchester until an operation (no, not that one ed.) meant that was not possible and hampered his training somewhat thereafter.

We hired a car in Munich and drove to Füssen, picking up Val on the way. Val had travelled by train from Mestre. No check in or any of that nonsense, cheap and a beautiful journey up valley of the Trento, over the Brenner Pass and though Austria. James and I compared excuses for why we wouldn’t do well in the race; the lack of training, heat, the flight etc. but I felt very lucky to be in such a pretty part of the World and really wanted to finish the marathon to see more of the area en route.

On Friday we did an easy jog at a nearby lake, Weißensee, with a dip in the lake to refresh our legs. We could have stayed here all day but there was lunch to be eaten! After a delicious lunch cooked by Val, she went for a nap and James and I went for a walk to a local hill where the views were incredible. Not worrying about the finish time the next day meant we got to see more than we usually would (I am usually sat with legs up doing nothing all afternoon the day before a marathon!) and the hill climb gave us another excuse to add to the list 🙂

We went to pick up our numbers later in the afternoon which was very easy and in our race pack we had a buff, a reusable water sponge thing (still not sure of its use), an electrolyte drink mix and a very fetching bag.

Saturday arrived and an early alarm call for breakfast with the race starting at 7:30am. We ate breakfast and I was relieved to see some cloud cover which meant the heat wouldn’t be so bad. We were about a minute from the start line (thanks to Val again) and that meant a relaxed walk to the start. With a relatively small field it had a more local race feel than a big city event and there was plenty of room in the start area to find a nice position and have a last minute trip to the portable toilet.

My race plan had been to run to halfway with the 3:30 pacer and then if I didn’t feel good I would stop, as just after halfway brings you back to Füssen. I planned to walk through each water station and make sure I drank some water and my main goal was to soak up the views and enjoy it. We started right on time and Val was soon ahead and I was in a small group with the pacer. The running felt easy, doesn’t it always at the start of a marathon?

The route of the marathon makes the most of the local lakes and forest which helps to keep it cool and is a great way to see the local area. It is probably 75% gravel/lakeside trail paths and the rest on road. I took the time to admire my surroundings on the way round and didn’t worry about the time. I had kept with the 3:30 pacer until there was a hill around 17k where he pulled away and I was trying to keep my effort level low as there was still a long way to go, so I didn’t try to keep up. The size of the field means you can get isolated but there were enough water stations and supporters out on course that it never felt lonely. I enjoyed the peacefulness of not running in a big pack and it allowed me to really enjoy the surroundings. There is an out and back section just after halfway and along this path I saw Val and James and they both looked to be running well and we managed a smile and wave at each other. I could see Val was in 3rd position at this point and she looked really strong.

In the second half of the race, although I had fallen back from the 3:30 pacer I was passing people and as each km ticked away I knew that I would finish! The last 10k goes out towards Neuschwanstein Castle and around Schwansee. The lap around the lake felt incredibly long and I thought it would never end but eventually the trees opened up and there was an incredible view of Neuschwanstein which made it worthwhile and soon we were heading back on the final few kms back to the town centre. There is a small hill in the last km which felt like a mountain but I still smiled as I ran to the finish. It was my slowest marathon time for 10 years but so enjoyable that I felt like it had flown by. After the race you get a medal and then there is a selection of alcohol free beer, squash, cheese, meat, melon, banana etc.

Val had an incredible run and came 2nd, passing the 3rd place runner on the final sprint! Her training had been worthwhile and although not a PB this was not really a PB course. James came through just under 4 hours which considering the past 6 months is a great achievement (afterwards James told us he was going to pull out at halfway but he thought we would be going through the centre of Füssen and we skirted round the outside, so he missed the chance to stop and by that point he thought he may as well finish!) I’m not sure James quite enjoyed the second half as much as me but we were all happy to have experienced a fantastic race.

On the Saturday afternoon/evening there is a quarter marathon and half marathon so there is something for everyone. It had become quite hot by the time those races started so I didn’t envy them! There is also a pasta party for all runners so we had lunch before we did some sightseeing and walked up up up to Neuschwanstein Castle in the afternoon which is quite a slow walk on marathon legs (a lot of uphill and downhill, ouch!).

I can’t recommend this marathon enough (or the half or quarter if marathons aren’t your thing). Füssen is beautiful, the marathon route was beautiful and there are lakes and the river to refresh your legs after running. The river the next morning was like an ice bath! There were regular water stations and sponges in the second half of the race so if you are like me and don’t do well in heat then you will be well looked after. Look it up for a long weekend!