Andover Trail Marathon

This was the second And-over trail events I’ve done. The first one, was last year – Salisbury Plain Marathon.

Andover Trail Marathon and Half Marathon took place on Saturday 3 September and is a fundraiser for the Enham Trust which supports people with disabilities. The event started at Enham Alamein and the 26.2 mile route follows the Testway up to Coombe Gibbet, the highest point in Hampshire then stunning tracks back to Enham through the beautiful Conholt estate and picturesque villages.

The marathon started at 8am. Car parking was a short walk from the start which was in a field with plenty of toilets and a food van. There wasn’t a huge field of runners, but those that were there were enthusiastic and chatty.

A few points about this marathon, firstly, like Salisbury Plain, my watch clocked it at slightly less than a marathon – a bit of a surprise as trails are notoriously long, rather than short. Secondly, there were quite a few road sections, but when you did hit the trails they were a mix of surfaces and some nice sections to run on. This was definitely an undulating route, with one steep climb to the highest point (though I have to say, didn’t feel very high to me!) Three aid stations on route, staffed by very friendly volunteers.

A nice trail run, but probably not one I’d encourage people to do unless you are purposely in the area. For me, it was a last minute change, as my September run was cancelled.