Husband and wife team Julie and Pete Dixon managed to shoehorn a race into their holiday plans as they snuck a marathon in on their way to the Airport on Sunday.
“We were going up to Essex anyway to drop my car off with my family before flying on Monday… when I saw there was a marathon being held there I didn’t think twice about entering us both in it “
Pete had been quietly putting the miles in alongside Julie as she trained for London in the past few months. He didn’t have a race to train for he was just happily building his mileage up.
Race day came and Team Dixon lined up outside Halstead Leisure Centre before setting out into the countryside toward Bunting’s Green. They then turned North along the lanes of the Essex/Suffolk border. After passing Hunts Hall they embarked on the first of a 10 1/2 mile loop around Twinstead Green and Dagworth Manor, most of which is run twice.
“It was a lovely course” Julie tells me
They continued around the undulating lanes toward Coutess Cross before returning through Pebmarsh and the second lap of the Twinstead loop.Pete and Julie ran together, Pete hoping for a good run. Despite having a bit of a turn at 17 miles due to the unexpected warm weather Pete battled on in the last 9 miles to take a tidy fourteen minutes off his Pb to finish in 4.15.55. They were rewarded with some rather special bling, before they sped off to the airport.
