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Race video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkb-PmAAV3Q
Nottingham was the final leg of my 3 marathons in 3 weeks campaign. I had booked a rental car to drive to Nottingham but then decided to take the train as it was dangerous to drive for 6 hours one way and then drive back. On Saturday 11th September, I boarded the 2pm train for Nottingham. It was not a direct train and had to change stations at Warrington. The 10 minute walk from Warrington Central train station to Warrington Bank Quay was at one of the most dangerous walks I have ever done. It was basically walking through a ghost town on a Saturday afternoon and I was just praying and hoping that I do not run into a gang of thugs. Luckily, I survived and reached the other station which was beside the shopping square.
On the way to Nottingham, I sat in a cabin full of drunken Englishman who had returned from a football game. Finally, I reached Nottingham central and walked at night to the hotel. It was at least a 45 minute walk, contrary to the 15-20 minutes what I was told. It was a cheap but clean 30 pound room with an attached bath. There were a couple of other marathoners staying at the hotel. In the evening, I went down to the bar and met up with some couples from New Zealand. After an early night, I woke up fresh at 7am and after breakfast, took the bus to city center for the race. The marathon was well organized and they had already sent me my bib via mail. It was hot and sunny but as the race started, it became overcast.
We ran through some of the most beautiful and picturesque parts of Nottingham. The highlight was running through the forest park and around the lake. The course support was perfect with plenty of fluid stations along the way. They were serving bottled high protein lucozade, the best you can find in the market. A few miles from the finish, we ran beside Trent Bridge and saw the cricket ground from outside. After about 5 hours and 13 minutes, I crossed the finish line and received a nice medal.
After the race, I walked back to the train station and had to wait 3 hours for the train. To kill the time, I went into a fried chicken joint and stuffed myself on the greasy food. The journey back to Glasgow was relaxing. I reached Glasgow central just after midnight and Shazia and Amana aunty were there to pick me up. I got home just in time, took a shower and then we all headed to the airport to catch the flight back home to Doha. Hence, the mission was accomplished, i.e. completing 3 marathons in 3 weeks!!! 
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AuthorZiyad Rahim is an adventure-runner from Pakistan. He currently holds 10 Guinness World Records in long-distance running, ranging from marathons to ultra-marathons. Race Reports
July 2018
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