All of a sudden I find myself with two spring marathons in my diary this year. How did that happen? Well, I just couldn’t turn either one of them down, they’re both too good to miss. I mean, when you’re invited to run the Boston Marathon with Kathrine Switzer on her 50th anniversary race you simply don’t say no do you?! There’s quite literally a long road ahead but my training plan is well underway and is going well so far. I anticipated giving my absolute all in Boston and then not running another marathon until the autumn at the earliest….
Then up popped the Women Can marathon in Devon. This marathon was inspired by Kathrine’s story. The race organisers wanted to honour her achievements and celebrate her 50th anniversary run so they’ve created a running event for ALL women, to celebrate that Women Can run.

MARATHON
A woman, listed only as K. Switzer of Syracuse, found herself about to be thrown out of the normally all-male Boston Marathon when a husky companion, Thomas Miller of Syracuse, threw a block that tossed a race official out of the running instead, April 19, 1967 in Hopkinton, Mass.(AP PHOTO)

I’m so pleased that this marathon has become the first UK 261 Fearless® partner event. I love that it’s also the 50th anniversary of the community playing field in the village that’s hosting the race, making it a celebration of sport and activity for the whole community. Team relay entries and Nordic walkers are welcome too and the focus is on participation and enjoyment rather than personal best times.  I also happen to love Devon and have happy memories of working in a beach bar one summer as a student and popping down for some weekends to surf when I was a junior doctor. The course route looks stunning.
How could I NOT be there!
Women Can is six weeks after Boston. I did a double marathon challenge in 2015 when I ran Mallorca and London with seven weeks between them. I was worried about it but it was actually fine. I ran a PB at the first one in Mallorca, did very little running between the two and then ran much faster than I’d expected I would in London. Like childbirth you tend to blank a lot of it out but I don’t recall saying I’d never do it again!
There’s also the small matter that the Women Can is almost entirely off road. I’ve never run a trail marathon (or even a half come to think of it) and wonder how my slightly wobbly post-Boston legs will stand up to it! I’m going to have to add some trail runs to my marathon plan. I shall be going with a totally relaxed attitude and purely to enjoy myself and soak up the atmosphere. I’m really looking forward to meeting up with other 261 Fearless club members and ambassadors; there’s been a flurry of excited chatter on social media since the partnership was announced.
I know running in Boston with Kathrine is is going to be a life highlight for me so I think it’s actually a great plan to have something like this to focus on afterwards.It will help me to avoid the post-marathon blues. It’s also incredibly exciting for 261 Fearless® to be partnering with an event in the UK. It’s the perfect match and I can’t wait.
Roll on the spring!
For more information about Women Can Marathon and to sign up, visit www.womencan.co.uk
For more information about 261 Fearless® visit, www.261fearless.org.
261 Fearless drjulietmcgrattan.com
Photo credits: Featured image, Gratisography; Historical image, Boston Herald; Group photo, Horst von Bohlen.

Similar Posts

13 Comments

    1. That’s fantastic news!!!! It’s in Devon not Dorset so make sure you fly to the right place! Also get race booked as I know it’s filling up. Bring that purple t-shirt! #261Fearless

  1. Ha ha wrong D place. It’s been a long day. I can fly direct to Exeter from here. Would be in a similar position to you as it is only 8 weeks after Manchester. ☺

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *