Trip from hell fails to put Buckie marathon runner Michelle off her stride
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A BUCKIE runner shrugged off a trip from hell to slash her personal best marathon time.
Michelle Slater headed for Valencia in Spain earlier this month to take part in what was her seventh marathon.
It was to end up as a triumph for her, knocking almost 10 minutes off her personal best time and finishing in the top 10 per cent of female competitors at the event.
However, running the race was to prove the least of her worries.
Michelle explained: "I left Aberdeen Airport on December 1 with husband Neil and children Sylvie and Innes for Valencia, and to participate in what would be my seventh marathon.
"We had a challenging time getting there due to the outbound flight being cancelled, the next flight being delayed, we missed our connection and had to overnight in Amsterdam. The following day we were up early for a flight to Zurich, and then on to Valencia – not the best pre-marathon preparation!
"When we finally arrived in the city we were all very tired and to top it all our baggage hadn’t arrived! Luckily I had taken my running kit as hand baggage, so we dashed off to the runners' expo to collect my number and then headed to our hotel for some much needed rest."
Having already undergone one marathon just to get to Valencia, Michelle had to try and shake off the after effects of her nightmare journey and get in the zone for the main event.
She continued: "I wasn’t sure how the marathon would go as the travel problems had been quite stressful and tiring, but I awoke on Sunday feeling refreshed and raring to run.
"I had been training since August for the race and didn’t want to let the previous day’s chaos spoil things for me. Our hotel was near the start line so I jogged over and dropped off my bag, got ready and lined up alongside over 32,000 other runners, ready to run 26.2 miles.
"The elite runners started first, then the mass start was off 30 minutes later. It was very busy so the first couple of miles were a bit slower than planned, but I didn’t mind as I was confident of making up time later. The route takes you round the city and past the main sights. The locals were all out in force to cheer the runners on, there was a great atmosphere, and my family were able to come and cheer me on along the way.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my run and was able to get faster as the race progressed, I eventually finished in a time of 3hrs 13.21 minutes, which was a new personal best time by nearly 10 minutes. I was delighted with my time, as my goal had been to run under 3.15 hours. I was 601st out of 6635 female competitors, so I was pleased to make the top 10 per cent."
After the exertions of the race, Michelle and her family were able to do some sightseeing, including a visit to the cathedral which holds the Holy Grail, and a trip to see Europe’s largest aquarium.
The family returned to Scotland on the Monday, mercifully minus the travel carnage.
