Beachy Head Marathon 2026
As Andrea said, that was probably the strongest wind I've ever run in. It was probably the strongest horizontal ice storm I've ever run in as well, in addition to being one of the few times that it felt like my entire body was being lifted up from behind by hurricane force winds. After a while I just let the wind push me up the seven sisters and back down, thankfully a literal tailwind resulting in several segment PBs across the sisters and their little brothers further on towards the finish line.
I'm very happy to have finished, and I considered giving this post the title "The Marathon That Felt Like An Ultra" because that's how I felt, and that's how I paced it.
And it's also one of the many reasons why I enjoyed this run so much. The extreme weather was exhilerating because it felt fearful at times, and because it ebbed and flowed. There were moments of reprieve and calm in amongst the absolute deluge. You could hear the waves far down below smashing themselves onto the beach and up against the tilting white cliffs. Everything was at an angle, like we were on a ship at sea. People (both runners and tourists) were huddled on the ground in the lee of sporadic windbreaks made of gnarled trees or carved out gravel slumps. Nobody was really properly dressed for the occasion.
Although I am very happy with my choice of kit, and the Peter Storm polyester longsleeve top under the Salomon rain jacket felt pretty well impervious to wind and rain. I managed to come out of several hours tromping through mud clean, I think due to the horizontal wash cycle of the rain and hail rinsing me clean several times, and running along stretches of wet grass. The Hoka Mafate Xs were the right choice in the end, over the Speedgoats, just because they're a lot more comfortable and keep me blister free. A LOT of people were wearing road shoes and I would've felt sorry for them if my judgy brain didn't keep saying "what were you thinking, you people knew better than to wear those shoes on this race!"
The Leki poles saved me too and I got a lot of jealous stares about those too. They took me up the hills, letting me run up several of them, and to power up the stairs. But in addition to that, and for this race very specifically, the poles stabilized me through the slippery mud bits and let me run through those too. So I'm feeling very self-satisfied right now.
All of the above are the reason why even through the worst of it I was smiling like a maniac throughout. My eating and nutrition plan even went beautifully. I had 500ml of Tailwind that I sipped throughout; four cups of Coke; 3 bananas; one sausage roll (the coffee urn was being refilled at the 17 mile sausage roll/coffee aid station so I missed out on coffee); three gels (one Precision and two Veloforte); one Naak sweet potato puree; one flapjack; and four cookies (I'm probably forgetting something): it felt like a movable feast!
A few more highlights: friends along the way including ultra legends Dave Watler, Robin Briscoe, and Helen Manchester and Jenni Jones; as well as fellow running friends John Roberts, Phil Rayner, and Andrea Winks, seen both at start and finish.
One of the very best things about Beachy Head is the baked potato, beans, and sausages that they feed you at the end in the cafeteria. It's a really social event and cooldown as you sip your tea and catch up with friends on how the race went.
I'm beginning to feel like this is a race I'll do every year. JR and I are already planning to do the ultra next year, just to say we've done it.
