It’s the ultimate target for many a runner when they lace up their trainers and embark upon their journey into distance running. That fabled sub three marathon. It sounds so simple on paper, but it can often be so difficult to achieve. Namely because there’s so much that can go wrong in a marathon. You’ve got to get the fuelling right to ensure you have enough energy to see you through. You’ve got to get the hydration and electrolyte intake right to avoid any muscle tightening or cramp issues.

Most importantly of all though, you’ve got to get the pacing right. You cannot afford to get carried away at the start and go to fast, thus exerting too much energy which will then cause problems for your later in the race. It’s a tricky balance to get all that right.

That’s what James Hulbert was attempting though at the Zurich Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Madrid. He’d come very close before when he did the Larnaca Marathon in 3:01:18 so he knew he was there or thereabouts. Since then he’d had the bit between his teeth and had been working really hard in training to make further improvements in preparation for Madrid. He definitely felt like this could be his time.

One crucial element that he hadn’t factored in though was the course profile. He’d assumed that it would be flat and fast, since most big city marathons tend to be. But he was wrong about that. It was actually quite a hilly course, with over 1,000ft of elevation. That was going to make his task substantially tougher.

He needed to be going at an average pace of around 6:45 to 6:50 to get the result he was hoping for. The first couple of miles were uphill and James got through them in just under 6:30 pace. Then it plateaued a bit for the next couple of miles which James went through in 6:14 and 6:12. After that there was a downhill curve all the way to mile 16, but still with plenty of small inclines along the way.

Going through each 5k in around 20 minutes and he made it through to the half way stage in 1:24:43, which was significantly faster than he needed to be. That may have been a good thing though as the last 10 miles are a lot tougher and are on more of an uphill trajectory. Up to mile 17, James was still hitting around 6:45 pace or faster for his splits. Then as the course began to revert onto an incline, his speed inevitably dropped.

He was still managing around 7:10 to 7:15 pace for his next four miles which took him up mile 22. A couple of splits that were closer to 7:30 pace saw him start to worry that he wasn’t going to make it for the sub three. He knew he had a battle on his hands and dug really deep, managing to lift the pace a bit.

The last 5k was pretty much all uphill though so it was not an easy finish. He knew there was sub three pacer with a flag on his back so the aim now was stay ahead of the pacer. He knew if that guy came past him, he’d had it. It made for a very nervy ending to the race for James and he kept checking over his shoulder to see if the pacer was there.

It was a huge relief for James when he arrived on the home straight and realised he had done it. Reaching the line in 2:59:17, he’d come in 338th out of 9,129 and had indeed secured the sub three that he wanted. It was a monumental achievement for James. He’d ended up clocking 26.59 miles on his watch so his pace had averaged out at 6:45 per mile.

It may not have worked out quite the way he planned it and it was certainly touch and go toward the end but ultimately, his target has been assimilated and that was all the mattered. He’d also done on a very tough course as well, which shows he was in tremendous shape and had prepared very well for it.

James was there with a mate of his called Sebastian Bush-Hipwood and he was running his first ever marathon. He managed a phenomenal time of 2:49:56 which put him 104th overall. Not bad for a marathon debut.

Bournemouth AC members who have been around for a while may remember Raluca Basarman from her time with the club. She was a regular attendee to the training sessions and a very popular member of the group during her time there. She has since moved to Madrid but has continued with her running over there.

She competed in the Half Marathon and delivered a pacing masterclass, going through each 5k in around 24:30. That saw her make it to the finish line in 1:43:35 which put her 3,470th out of 17,351.

Out of the women in the race, she came 364th out of 6,132. That was a pretty decent result for Ralu and was only a couple of minutes off her PB for the distance which she did on year at the Bournemouth Marathon Festival.

Ralu has worked hard to get back to her best form, especially given that she has been busy with other activities, not least organising her wedding which is taking place this weekend.

There wasn’t too much time to rest for James though before he was thrust back into league action at the Alton 10 and after a week off, he was back in training again. The difference was though that he’d now enhanced his Power of 10 CV with a sub three marathon and that was something to look back on with immense pride.