THIS CHARMING MANCHESTER
As if running on air.
Stablemate Daniel Smith (38) popped his mara’ cherry in Manchester with an utterly orgasmic 2:58:36.
Smith had a rough time of it in the weeks leading up to the race, suffering from the dreaded Man-U-fan-flu. But the Fleetwood lad came good in the end. Here’s hoping and praying his team can do the same.
Swaggering around the start line in sublime surroundings, Smith savoured the subtle breeze, adding, “[It was] enough to keep you cool but not strong enough to affect your stride.”
Smith told The Stable News:
“Where to start … Having been ill for the previous couple of weeks, with not much training, Stazza was rightly concerned about me going into the race.
The taper was adjusted to see how the body reacted, and all felt well going into Sunday. Strategy was to start slower than MP for four miles and then kick on a bit if everything felt OK. Fortunately, I felt great on the day. Apart from a little panic around 24.5 miles with a hamstring cramp, I managed to hold pace and was delighted to finish my first marathon under three hours.”
The Stable News interrupted Ally “the Chin” Smith’s roller coaster retreat at Alton Towers for a quick reaction before he plunged to near death on Oblivion: “Another member of the Smith clan doing the business! The taper adjustments and race plan worked a treat … Great job on sub-3-ing your first mara’, mate … Now it’s time to face Oblivion … Aaaaahhhhhh!”
Basking in his new, state-of-the-art sensory deprivation tank, The Stablemaster Skype’d in: “Ah, this is the life … A one-way ticket to Stazzaland … without having to run in circles for 30 miles! Oh, and before I depart to my homeland; young Daniel ran a blinder of a race! Smashing three hours on his first outing … tremendous. Now I’ll be off to concoct some super sessions for you all to get to the next level!”
Smith will be building back his fitness through the winter with his eyes on some major races next year: “Nothing planned just yet but an eye on Berlin half and Manchester half next spring, and maybe Amsterdam Marathon next autumn.”