A downhill marathon how hard can it be?

Just days after racing the Berlin Marathon, AWs Running Shoe Guru tackled the Worlds Fastest Marathon and surprised himself with a victory

Running a marathon on a predominantly downhill course might sound easy, but a race billed by the organisers Marathon Tours and Travel as The Worlds Fastest Marathon proved harder than it might appear.

The marathon starts high above the Spanish city of Granada in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Andalucía in Spain. At 2500m above sea level, the effect of the altitude is noticeable and at one point on the course we pass a high-altitude training camp used by the national team.

At its first running in 2019 the race was won by Kenyan Anthony Karinga Maina in 2:09:38 with pre-race favourite and fellow countryman Julius Ndiritu Aguilar fading to 2:43:34, so although the course has the potential to be record breaking its by no means a given. Maina had in fact gone through 30km at sub-2hr pace on that occasion.

The race gets underway greeted by the rising sun and the road immediately drops away at an average gradient of 4.6% although at some points the road signs warn of an 8% drop in elevation. The mountain air is cool at the start at just 10C but with no noticeable wind except for the breeze created as we quickly descend, the temperature is ideal for a marathon.

The course drops around 2000m in total, with all the descent in the first 19 miles of the race. From then the route follows the Rio Genil river into Granada where runners are greeted by four laps of the Jardines Del Salon, a tree-lined elongated park with open air bars and restaurants.

Those that have ever taken part in a fell race or even a road race with a steep downhill section will know how the muscles can feel both during and after the event. DOMS (or delayed onset muscle soreness) is the most common result of a prolonged downhill effort.

Due to its eccentric nature, running downhill induces lower limb muscle damage by alterations in the muscle structure and function. The reaction of the muscles to the alternations in movement affects performance by reducing the range of movement, the shock attenuation and the muscles peak torque. So its no surprise when after just a few miles of the race I begin to notice a little stiffness in the top of my glutes and quads.

Yes, the downhill nature of the course has certainly made the opening miles pass quickly (I went through 5km in around 17 minutes) but I was all too aware of what was happening to my legs. The effect of the altitude was negated by the rate of descent so breathing wasnt an issue and the cool air meant my body wasnt over exerting by sweating to keep me cool but the legs were certainly telling me a different story.

A short, flat section of road at around 10km came as somewhat of a shock. My legs almost stumbling to regain a more natural gait after the initial downhill miles. At the next break from the continual drop at just after 10 miles I was a little more prepared. The switchback road flattened in the distance before ramping up for around a quarter of a mile.

Noticing the presence of another runner quickly closing on me I eased back a little to try to contain the stresses being compounded on my legs. As we reached the slight dip my brief respite allowed me to quickly accelerate up the short climb with my fellow runner struggling to get his legs to switch from the demands placed on them during the 10 miles of descent to those required for this short climb. I was now clear at the head of the field of around 100 runners representing 19 different nationalities from around the world that had undertaken this adventure.

Many athletes would indeed go on to record personal bests in the race as well as best times at various intermediate distances on route to the finish, but all would comment on the demands of this course.

As the route flattened out in Granada, the final laps of the race proved to be a mental challenge as hard as that of the physical one. Runners legs were literally crumbling under them as they summoned both mental and physical power to lap the Jardines Del Salon four times, each time having to run to the side of the finish gantry willing for the final lap when they could pass beneath it.

I reached the finish line in first place, both elated at my first marathon victory but at the same time delighted to stop and allow my legs some forgiveness from the almost three hours of pounding. Even then I dare not sit down for fear of ceasing up and perhaps not being able to rise again for the foreseeable future!

Runners came through the line mostly looking like they had paid a similar price for the relentless downhill course, but all wore broad smiles across their faces.

The first female, Christa McKay from the Isle of Man was one such delighted runner, in her debut marathon shed taken first place and achieved her aim of a Boston Marathon qualifying time.

The organisers have certainly created a unique event in Andalucía. One which feels big enough to have an international feel but at the same time one which is small enough to feel like you are experiencing it with an extended group of friends. With everything from the pre-race pasta party to post race massage and celebration dinner included with your entry, its an event thats more than just a marathon.

You can find out about next years event at Marathon Tours and Travel and the full results from this years race are here.