A runner who set a new female record for the Jersey Marathon said she did not train with the intention of smashing the previous best time for the course.
Alice Braham crossed the finish line in two hours and 40 minutes on October 5 – beating the previous record, set 12 years ago, by four whole minutes.
Of the 456 runners who completed the full 26.2 mile (42k) race,105 were female.
Braham, a running coach from London, said it was not part of her training plan to set a new course record but she was “thrilled” to have done so.
She said: “I’d predicted that I’d finish at least seven minutes slower than my recent PB because it was a hillier course.
“In fact, I didn’t know the course record was on the cards until around mile 18 – I was finding it tough in the last few miles but with the sea view and support from spectators I felt so happy.
“Knowing that I was winning and that I could break the record really spurred me on.”
The 49-year-old said she had heard Jersey’s course was “tough” but that it “added to her strengths”.
She said: “Reading reviews of the Jersey Marathon I came across the advice, ‘incorporate hills into your training and go out running when it’s blowing a hoolie and chucking it down because you can’t choose the weather on race day’.
“It made me laugh as that was my summer’s training – our family holidays this year were spent in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany, where there were hills, wind and rain.
“That said, I was very relieved that Storm Amy blew over – I got caught out in it on a run on the Saturday and worried I’d made a bad choice of marathon!”
When asked for some words of advice for future record breakers, Ms Braham said: “I don’t really want to give too many tips on how to break the record as I wouldn’t mind mine lasting another 12 years.”
However, the coach said to have a great race in Jersey, runners had to “go out believing in yourself, feeling strong and positive”.
She said: “If you’ve done enough training, you know you can do it and do it well – I teach my clients about the power of the mind over the body.
“You need to be physically fit to tackle a marathon but really your mental endurance is just as important.”
Ms Braham said to remember when running up hills on the Jersey marathon to think “whatever goes up must come down”.
She said: “There will be a downhill where you can relax your legs soon enough and if there’s a headwind and you’re feeling tired, remember that it’s the same for everyone.
“I would advise getting to know the course profile before you do the race, so that there are no nasty surprises.”
A trip to remember
The record-winning runner said smiling was just as important as putting one foot in front of the other.
She said: “It’s amazing how a smile relaxes the body and brings energy – you will also get the support of everyone around you if you smile and engage, and make friends!
“Finishing along the seafront is beautiful and the views will keep you going when the legs have had enough.”
Ms Braham said her first experience of Jersey would be one to remember: “[It’s] a lot less hectic than London where I’m from – I could tell from my short stay that there is a great community spirit and that really came out on marathon day.”
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