London Frontrunners

If you are looking for a pre Christmas 26 miler, Lisbon seems an ideal pick. This marathon is now in it's 27th year, and in the first week of December the temperature is a pleasant 15 degrees. It maybe needs to up it's publicity. I didn't feel it was marathon weekend, and the owner of my B&B looked right through me with incredulity when I said I was in the city for the event.

The field is quite small, with a few thousand runners. There is also a half marathon. Most of the participants were from Spanish and Portuguese running clubs. Many wirey types, with legs looking like they knew hills well, but the Lisbon route offers a few concrete inclines.

Apart from the lack of city oomph about the race, the out and back route is not the prettiest. I am not a fan of marathon routes that take me tantalisingly by the finish line, only to have to loop away for many more miles. The finish is a small sports ground, a large part of which was being dug up at the time.

The route goes down by the coast away from Lisbon, and then back in. Crowds are few, so this is a race for the self motivated.

At the finish there are free massages and showers - both advantages of a condensed field. When I returned in the afternoon to my B&B I finally managed a smile from the owner.  Think Portuguese Nora Batty.