Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Lausanne Marathon

Options
  • 07-08-2014 2:35pm
    #1
    robinph
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,094 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Has anyone here done the Lausanne Marathon?

    http://en.lausanne-marathon.com/

    Or have any knowledge on the course or what it's like over there? Just looking for somewhere different to head to for my autumn marathon and is sounded interesting...in that I've not been there before.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    robinph
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,094 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    Lausanne is not a flat city and its a challenge walking about the town even before you've done a marathon as there are some very steep streets through the centre. Luckily there is also a funicular train that can take you up and down to the edge of the lake.

    The course itself is mostly flat, but it does undulate quite a bit as you go between the villages along the side of Lake Genevea, there are no real hills to speak of...except for a very steep downhill within the first 5km. The finish is right along the side of the lake though so although it is an out and back course the first and last few km's are different and you have a flat finish in front of the Olympic Museum, which well worth a visit.

    Was beafutiful sunny and still day this year, but I believe they had rain and strong wind last year, and snow the year before. For most of the course you have a good clear view across Lake Geneva and can see the snow on top of the mountain on the other side, or waterfalls down through vineyards along the side of the road. It goes through a couple of small villages, one cobbled but not ones that caused any issues to run along, and although the marathon field is actually very small there is good support from the locals along the way. The turn around point at half way has a good amount of support, partially helped by a lot of them being people waiting for the start of the half marathon that starts after the full distance people have gone through.

    I deliberately went out fast for the first half just to see what would happen, as expected I blew up and dragged myself back in with a 13 minute positive split for a 3:01:06. The sole 3 hr pacer going past you in the last mile is never fun and you kind of loose the will to continue at that point. I knew it was going to happen though and am happy enough with the result as this was just a test run to see how I felt going off at silly speed.
    After looking at the rest of the results though I feel a lot better about my run as pretty much everyone has at least 5+ minutes slower for the 2nd half on that course. Seems strange on what is just a flatish out and back, but possibly the downhill at the start damages people without them realising, and it then comes back to bite everyone at the end when you though it was going so well and was just a nice flat run in to the end to go.


Advertisement