On Sunday 22 April, as it seemed half the world was preparing to line up at the start of the London Marathon I found myself on the opposite side of the English Channel, in Belgium, also preparing to run a marathon, that being the inaugural ‘Antwerp City Marathon‘. As I had done London a couple of times I had fancied a change of marathon venue and combining a weekend in Belgium with running a marathon seemed like a good idea. (How can running a marathon be described as being a good idea I hear you ask!) Anyway……….

We arrived on Saturday late afternoon and having picked up our running numbers etc. found ourselves ready to experience the Saturday night attractions of Antwerp. As many of you will know, Belgium is famous for (amongst other things) the quality of its chocolate and beer. Although I have been known to sample a chocolate or two in my time I am probably better known for my passion for the latter of these two products. Possibly a difficult evening lay ahead and this proved to be the case as the very welcoming bars of Antwerp did their utmost to lure me into indulging my interest in the science of Belgium brews. However, with 26.2 miles looming the following morning and temperatures of 25 degrees C. forecast, I managed to restrict my intake to some moderate tasting, and it was off to bed at a fairly respectable hour.

The morning of the marathon brought sunshine, clear blue skies, and, as predicted, unseasonably high temperatures. As the residents of Antwerp prepared to do whatever Belgian people do on a sunny Sunday morning they were confronted with the sight of myself and around 1000 other allegedly sane individuals preparing to run 26 miles (or 42 kilometers in Belgium money). As the starters pistol sounded at 10am, it was already very warm. it was clearly going to be a day for cautious running.

The first 5 miles or so are run on the west bank of Antwerp’s river, the Scheldt, and pass through some attractive residential suburbs before crossing under the river to the east bank on which the city centre and larger part of Antwerp is situated. This crossing is done via the mile long Waslaand Tunnel which briefly provided an unusual running environment as well as offering a very welcome period of shade. On emerging back into the bright sunshine, I passed the 10K point still feeling O.K. and felt I was making fair progress. The route was predominately flat and the event seemed well organised with excellent traffic management and water stations at every 5K. I continued to run steadily and reached halfway without too much distress. By this time we had passed through the historic centre of the city (to which we would return at the finish) and were now out in the eastern suburbs where many of the residents had come out to cheer the runners, with some even setting up impromptu water and food stations.

I had passed the 35K point (22 miles), which marked the turn towards the city centre and the finish. Although tiring I managed to make steady progress and entered the last mile or so to the sound of cheering crowds. A last effort brought me through the finish line on the Grote Markt (Antwerp’s main square). Having received my medal, T-shirt etc. it was time to quickly head for a shower. After all, I had a hangover to organise………….Cheers!

Enjoying a well earned drink

N.B……I would definitely recommend the Antwerp Marathon as an enjoyable alternative for a spring marathon. The route is almost 100% flat and although being predominately urban does take in a couple of local parks as well as passing through some attractive residential areas where local people offered enthusiastic support and encouragement. If a full marathon isn’t your thing the event also includes a 10mile and a 5K run. The city of Antwerp, particularly the medieval centre, with it’s magnificent cathedral and town hall, plus it’s overwhelming selection of restaurants and bars, proved to be an excellent choice for a weekend break………..Maybe see you in Belgium next year.

Sam Green