One week on from the bright lights and big crowds of London, Dorset’s marathon faithful returned to something rather more rural, rugged and relentlessly undulating for race four of the 2026 Dorset Road Race League season — the ever-challenging North Dorset Village Marathon.

Starting and finishing at Sturminster Newton High School, this gloriously unforgiving tour of the Dorset lanes took runners on a winding expedition through Hinton St Mary, Marnhull, Stalbridge, Todber, Stour Row, Margaret Marsh, West Orchard, Farrington, Child Okeford and Hammoon. Quaint in postcard terms perhaps — but in marathon terms, a true grinder.

For Bournemouth AC, all eyes were on Stuart Nicholas and Katie Gunn.

Stu’s Bold Bid Falls Just Short

Fresh from a commanding victory at the Norfolk Marathon, where he clocked 2:46:52 on a course boasting over 1,000 feet of elevation, Stu arrived in North Dorset in formidable shape. Add in a blistering 16:03 parkrun PB at Poole and a 33:22 lifetime best at Stubbington earlier in the year, and confidence was understandably high.

After finishing runner-up here in 2025, Stu clearly had unfinished business.

And from the gun, he looked intent on settling it.

Despite a testing opening four miles featuring plenty of climbing, Stu attacked the course with real conviction, tearing through at sub-six-minute-mile pace before settling into a still aggressive rhythm just north of that mark. Through ten miles, he was setting the agenda, handling the early hills with admirable authority.

A 6:23 on the notorious ninth-mile climb was followed by a 6:17, then a slick 6:07 downhill eleventh mile as Stu continued to press on the front foot. Through 15 miles, this was a brave, front-running display.

But North Dorset rarely gives without taking.

As the latter hills arrived, particularly the energy-sapping climbs around miles 19 and 20, the cost of that early ambition began to surface. Splits drifted, then drifted again.

Unfortunately for Stu, Twemlow Track Club’s Chris Wood was executing something close to marathon perfection behind him.

Having gone out significantly more conservatively, Chris gradually cranked through the field with ruthless precision. Once he reached the latter stages, he unleashed a devastating sequence of miles, including a 5:45 24th mile, to reel Stu in, surge past and disappear.

It was a stunning piece of marathon running from Chris, who claimed victory in 2:44:54.

Stu, meanwhile, showed admirable grit to hold on for second in 2:47:15 — another excellent marathon against a very strong field, even if his post-race verdict that by mile 24 “the wheels belonged more on a clown car” suggested it had become something of a survival mission.

Even so, second place in a county championship race and another elite-level performance underlines what a superb season Stu is putting together.

Katie’s Courageous Battle

For Katie Gunn, this race carried a very different narrative.

London Marathon heartbreak had struck again just seven days earlier, with fuelling issues once more derailing her race after sickness intervened. The search for race-day nutrition that her stomach will tolerate remains an ongoing frustration.

Yet if last year proved anything, it’s that Katie possesses resilience in abundance. After similar London disappointment in 2025, she bounced back immediately to win North Dorset outright as first female.

Could lightning strike twice?

Sadly, this time it wasn’t to be.

Katie battled gamely but her body simply wasn’t cooperating, and by mile 21 she was reduced to walking. In truth, she would likely have stepped off the course had logistics allowed — but with little option other than getting herself back to the finish, she dug deep and kept moving.

That determination saw her complete the course in 3:57:16 for 67th overall and 14th female.

Not the defence she’d hoped for, certainly, but in many ways an equally admirable display of toughness. Sometimes marathon running isn’t about times, positions or podiums — it’s simply about refusing to quit.

League Picture Tightens

Elsewhere, Victoria Pye of Egdon Heath Harriers strengthened her hold on the women’s individual standings with a commanding first female finish in 3:15:13, while current champion Emma Mogridge of Dorset Doddlers and Miranda Aldridge of Verwood Runners completed the podium.

In the men’s race, Mark Savage took third, while David Jones of Twemlow Track Club grabbed fourth and Poole AC’s Adam McCrea continued his excellent season in fifth.

Team-wise, the Dorset Road Race League tables remain fascinatingly poised. Poole AC continue to lead the Men’s First Division despite being denied victory here, while Egdon Heath Harriers strengthened their grip on the Ladies’ First Division.

For Bournemouth AC’s women, failure to field a team in the last two races saw them slip down to fourth in the table, with Purbeck Runners and Verwood Runners tied at the top.

Bournemouth AC Takeaways

North Dorset once again proved that this is a marathon where pacing, patience and resilience are every bit as important as fitness.

For Stu, there was plenty to admire in a brave and ambitious run that yielded another major result, even if the top step narrowly slipped away.

For Katie, it was a painful reminder of the marathon’s brutal unpredictability — but also another testament to her tenacity.

The roads may have been rural, but there was nothing quiet about the drama.