Beachy Head Marathon weekend, October 26-27
They say there is magic around the South Downs – and spirits swirling through the mist. The Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy reports that there are 80 percent more fairies and 30 percent more ghosts inhabiting the South Downs than other parts of Sussex. I am not making this up. Giants fought here, including the Long Man of Wilmington. They reckon there are stashes of magical treasure buried beneath the protected landscape. Well, it is pretty hilly so there is something under there.
Believe what you like but I will tell you this: I saw magic on the South Downs on Saturday. It was the 2024 Beachy Head Marathon, the great cross country classic of our region, with more than 1,100 metres of elevation, and pretty much the same number of finishers this year: 1,103. The trail rises into the forbidding shadows of Friston Forest, and down into the medieval village of Alfriston, where they used to hear the dead calling from their coffins. The locals were so convinced that they started hanging bells to headstones, with a string attached to inside the coffins, just in case. But I digress.
Down to Cuckmere Haven, along the white cliffs of the Seven Sisters, before the final climbs – there are four more steep rises – past Beachy Head lighthouse. Only once runners are past Beachy Head, with one mile to go, does the elevation relent. For some reason we pay for the privilege, and Beachy rookies can’t really appreciate the challenge until they suffer themselves, no matter forewarnings. And it was muddier than usual this year.
So it is more wondrous that Harrier Amelie Karlsson, a Beachy debutant, won the women’s race. And she had fallen off her horse a week before, hurt her back and triggered a spate of sciatica. We questioned if Amelie would show, and she did, and she went for it. Amelie finished 18th overall in 3:41:52, beating the next woman by nearly 10 minutes. I told you there was magic. This was a completely tremendous run.
Local lad Oliver Varney won the overall race in 2:57:14. You might recognise the name because the unaffiliated Oliver also won the Eridge 10 this year. He won by more than seven minutes on Saturday, and so was the only one to break the three-hour mark.
The irrepressible Eren Muduroglu was next Harrier across the line (69th, 4:07:01 and 9th M50), despite little specific training, before Geoff Turner sprinkled his own magic dust on the race. The day after setting a new 5k PB and age-grade club record at Serpentine, Geoff defied tapering convention to casually wend his way into the runner-up spot for M60s (88th overall, 4:14:22). Geoff was only a minute behind the M60 winner, having spent moments of the race waiting for team-mates, and even running ahead to open gates for others (Gentleman Geoff did this for me twice alone, late in the race, as the Seven Sisters rose up ahead). I am delighted to report that Geoff has already entered the 2025 race, and if I can keep up, I’ll try to open a couple gates for him.
I finished in 4:24:36 (125th, 15th M50) and was pleased with a race PB, and Tara Taylor (140th, 4:27:59) finished in her accustomed position of first W55. Congratulations Tara! A division of a dozen Harriers was completed by Ali Farrall (6th W45 despite refusing to taper and apparently getting into a row with the Seven Sisters), George Harris (who put in a brave effort to finish after falling heavily, like the Long Man himself), Clifford Gray, Jonathan Hodge, Kannan Mahalingam, Mark Crowhurst and Derek Harrison. Derek once ran Beachy and Somerhill XC in the same day, and it was great to see him back at Beachy this year.
Congratulations also to Harrier Grant Aitken, who completed the early-start Ultra (distance around 52km) in 11th place, in 4:42:20 and M50 runner-up – fantastic effort.
The Half Marathon was held on Sunday morning, and Eren stayed overnight to run it with his son Callum. You see, Eren likes running best when he is completely knackered – only then does it get really interesting for him. I don’t know if this counts as magic but it counts as something. The “Muds” were joined by Harrier Mark Scott and former clubmate Hugh Stephenson. Well done guys.
Beachy Head Marathon 2025: October 25th…