Brave runners smash marathon storms

Photo: Picture: RICHARD DAWSON

MARATHON man . . . our Lewis battles through the pain barrier.

Lewis Jones - runner number 6057
“Why?” — that’s the question most people are asking as they hit the 19th mile.

Some people shout it out loud as a question no-one will answer, some replay it over and over in their heads.

There is probably a reason why Greater Manchester hasn’t hosted a marathon for 10 years, apparently it’s because it was superseded by the infinitely easier Great Manchester 10k Run.

More believable is that the region’s penchant for atrocious weather makes the task in hand so hard.

The route, starting from Longford Park in Stretford and journeying out to Dunham Massey in Altrincham, was in parts transformed into a mud-ridden cross-country trek through ankle-deep puddles.

The wind was relentless and the rain unwavering as thousands set off from the start line — and there really was no let-up.

It’s hard not to think of last week’s images of the sun-kissed London Marathon taking in the signature sights of the capital when your feet are sodden, you’re sliding through mud and your clothes feel like they’ve just been dipped in a bath. This was an altogether different beast.

It is not until you actually experience the pain, grit, determination and extreme willpower it takes to cross that finish line that you can fully admire the efforts of those who have gone before you.

From mile 17, every mile felt like 10, every step felt like torture.

Yet as much as a marathon can take away from you, it has the ability to give back.

You discover your resolve in the face of a seemingly impossible task, which in all honesty does give you an ego boost when you cross that finish line — even if all you want to do is collapse.

The whole thing serves to remind you that you’re not alone.

Whether surrounded by thousands of other runners or the countless supporters, you know that you’re all in it together.

That, in an age of every man for himself, is worth its weight in gold.

Now I feel as if I can do anything — apart from bend my knees for the next week.



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