I’ve never done a race that has delivered so much, in terms of both pleasure and pain! If you’re doing the whole island race, you’ve got an early start and 48 miles to cover of technical coastal paths, starting and finishing in St Helier. The marathon start point is at Les Fontaines, and starts with a gentle road section that overlooks the Normandy coastline just 15 miles away, before heading off-road for spectacular coastal views. You’re rising up and down, constantly able to see the headland in front of you that you’ll be climbing up. The views go on and on and on, so expect to stop lots to take pictures of the crystal clear ocean, white sandy beaches and beautiful cliffs.
Underfoot, it’s tricky as a lot of the pathways are rugged rock, so if you’re coming downhill caution is a good idea. The downs felt much harder than the ups, although both comprise hundreds of steps built in to the path. For a short person, these steps were just a little bit too big, so I was doing large assisted steps up and pushing off my thighs every time – what a strength builder!