Last weekend, Newport & District Running Club’s Elly Blake took part in her first ever marathon, and chose the Maspalomas Marathon, on Gran Canaria, to do it. Afterwards, she kindly sent us this report:

I entered this race back in March 2023, so I had plenty of time to train. I chose this marathon because it is very flat and had a generous 6 hours to complete. I only started running in 2022 at 51 and I am still learning and enjoying finding out what my body can achieve.

Over the training period I competed in 8 half-marathons and accumulated 2,000 kilometres of running. My goal for my first marathon was to complete in 5 hours, and I finished in 4 hours, 41 minutes with 2 minutes walking time. 

Elly after the race!

The Maspalomas Marathon was very hot in the high twenties degrees Celsius but there were plentiful refreshments every 2.5 km and marshals with hoses to help cool off. The organisation of the event was first-class and the route was traffic-free and effectively marked out. After the event a hot meal and cold drink were provided. During the event, music was played around the course by live bands and DJs which helped to keep a lively party-like atmosphere. A good quality T-shirt, towel and medal were included.

There were many holidaymakers taking the opportunity to combine either the 10 km, the marathon or the marathon relay with a holiday in beautiful Meloneras. 249 runners were from the UK. If anyone would like to participate in November 2024 do make contact and I will do whatever I can to help.

My next marathon is Manchester in April which I will be running with my son Sam and my nephew Matthew. Following that is a 50 mile event in May and an 80 mile event in June. I am looking forward to joining the Wheaton Aston 10k race in December (hopefully wearing my new club t-shirt) and more Wednesday night training sessions in Newport during the summer months.