Sunday 13th April 2025

By Tinks 🧚‍♀️,

I first came here in April 2023 to race in the marathon for a Boston USA Qualifier because they describe it as the fastest, flattest marathon route in the UK and believe me there isn’t a hill in sight, just field after field of cauliflowers 🥬, in amongst a handful of houses 🏠.

The Fens are beautiful and you can see for miles and miles although the weather always has a big part to play.  In 2023 it was boiling 🥵, in 2024 I went back to run the 10K – it rained hard ☔️ ! In fact I have never seen rain like it, how Graham Purdye ran the marathon that year I’ll never know.  This year I fancied the half marathon to complete the set and was faced with a 17mph headwind 💨 which became a cross-wind, which went back to a headwind – I never actually remember it being behind me lol!😂

We love coming to Boston, Lincolnshire, as we visit the folks on the way and pretty much the entire field of runners across the Marathon, Half, and 10K are all club runners from across the UK, I even bumped into an ex flying ✈️ pal, Luisa, in the toilet queue – she had travelled all the way from Lancing and two of our running neighbours from Heathfield – Nicky and Steve Thompsett, took part in the half and full marathon, they are two absolute machines 💪🏼

There are no crowds of supporters here, no music 🎶 , no bands 🪘, no landmarks, it’s just you, the cauliflower 🥬 fields and the Fens, but the marshals are fantastic – they keep you going, and like I said up above, it’s as flat as a pancake! 🥞

Running into the wind was hard.  Towards the final miles I started to feel it in my lower back but thanks to my chief supporter, fluffy 🐌 on his bike, he kept me going to the very end (and many others around me).  It was nice to come back in the drier weather but when they say ‘if it’s blowing a hoolie across the Fens, you’ll feel it’, well they weren’t lying.

I finished in 1:38:25 and despite feeling a little disappointed (I’m not actually sure what time I’d have been happy with), after a cappuccino ☕️ & a blueberry muffin, things didn’t seem so bad.  I have had a few niggles recently 🦶🏽 so all things considered it was a fantastic time.

Fluffs and I both had a nice morning, and ultimately, we got to see our family for the weekend and what’s more important than that hey!! 💓

A race festival we would recommend, the terrain and route are very much like Lydd, but don’t bank on the weather!!

Thanks for reading, love Tinks 🧚🏻