Running along the Caldecotte Lake in the UK.

We were back in Milton Keynes after a taste of the Enigma kind of racing in January. This time I signed up for a double marathon weekend, part of the Week at the Knees Marathon series. Hardcore runners were running their 6th and 7th consecutive marathons already. I could not take off work; I had to content myself with taking part in the tail end of the series.

Richard and I took the Jurbise train to Brussels Midi station after work on Friday, March 15, 2019. Our Eurostar train left at 18:56 and arrived at London St. Pancras International Station after two hours at 19:57. We walked over to the Euston train station to catch the Virgin train to Milton Keynes central station at 20:43. Depending on the time, the train to Milton Keynes can take either 30 minutes or an hour. It was a short cab ride to the Premier Inn Caldecotte, our accommodation for the weekend.

We woke up bright and early to the hotel’s breakfast buffet and be ready for the first of two races.

It was cold! I wore a merino base layer and a winter vest, a merino beanie over my racing cap, and gloves.

A pre-race brief was held outside the pub ten minutes before starting time.

Racers set off at 9:00 AM, with a small lap followed by seven laps around Caldecotte Lake. It was also windy that the race tent was moved to under the bridge.

Multi-lap courses test one’s tenacity. Thankfully it was flat, dry, and the path wide enough for runners and promenaders alike. I finished the first race of the weekend in 6:13:51.

We made our way back to the hotel to rest and have dinner.

The second race was basically a repeat of the first day. Race brief first before the race proper.

I kept my race bib so I had the same number. As expected, I was slower and came in at 6:17:39.

Richard already checked us out of the hotel by the time I finished. I changed clothes in the hotel restaurant while Richard waited for our cab to arrive. We made our train to Euston at Milton Keynes central station with plenty of time to walk to St. Pancras International station to grab a bite to go and wait in the pre-departure lounge.

The medals interlock with each other. Cool!