Luxembourg Marathon – The Night Run

Luxembourg is a small, usually quiet town but it really came alive for the marathon and half-marathon on Saturday night. What seemed like thousands of people lined the streets and cheered the runners as they (the onlookers) sipped their drinks in bars and cafés or enjoyed their evening meal. In the residential districts, some families set up barbecues in the street, brought down chairs and sofas and made a night of it. It was a truly festive occasion. 

Frankly, it was all pretty exciting and the home crowd very welcoming. 

The course, though, was pretty tough. It seemed that the first half of the marathon was downhill and the second half was uphill. Negative splits were just not going to happen. 

The organisation was good (apart from a crush at the start) and there was plenty to drink along the way. That was just as well as it was a warm evening. 

The finish was quite something too. A four hundred metre dash along a torch-lit path at dusk and into a sports arena fitted out with lights and sound like a disco !

Oh and I managed a personal best of 3 hours 48. I felt comfortable all the way, no aches or pains, and no stiffness the following day either. I tried as best I could to keep a decent chi-running posture and foot strike and that seemed to help quite a bit. 

I’m really happy and that brings this season’s marathon running to a close. I have big plans for the autumn, though!

Posted by Xavier.