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2003 Review
The first MTB Marathon took place at Builth Wells as a stand-alone
event in 2000. That inaugural event attracted a total of 800 riders
to give the Builth trails a fair bashing, and even the stench of Foot
& Mouth couldn’t dampen people’s enthusiasm to ride
this new to the UK format, and in 2001 the event attracted over 1,200
starters. Since then, it’s grown steadily, and extra rounds
have been added until 2003 when it became a full blown series of three,
with a total number of individual riders taking part the series reaching
2,000, the MTB Marathon has come a long way in a very short space
of time.
The rounds of Builth and Rhayader returned in 2003 alongside their
new brethren, Corwen. However, Corwen had to turn into Ruthin at
the very last minute but still the series ensured itself a diverse
mix of riding, with the big fun ride of Builth contrasting to the
tough Ruthin course. Each round had their own distinctive flavour,
but each was inextricably linked to the others. Maybe it’s
the people who create such an atmosphere and an air of camaraderie,
maybe it’s something in the Welsh water? Whatever the reason,
one thing’s for sure, the MTB Marathon series wasn’t
your ‘average’ series of mountain bike events. Here
was something different, something intangible but present nonetheless;
here was real soul.
“The format of the enduro is much more pleasurable and in
tune with the spirit of mountain biking,” waxed Edward Cluer.
“It seemed more about personal goals than beating the other
guy. We can leave happy in the knowledge that we finished it full
stop/beat six hours, whatever, it’s all fun and part of it.”
But what makes the marathon so special? Is there something in the
water and in the re-fill station’s water butts that no-one’s
telling us?
Co-organiser Mike Wilkens revealed that in his eyes it’s
a combination of things,
“Great locations, like-minded easy-going people, personal
challenges, little adventures - they all make it an amazing experience
to share.”
So no funny stuff in the drink then? No? Oh well. But Mike does
seem to be right: it’s all of those, but it’s also the
fact that it’s not a race. There’s no prize for coming
first, and no wooden spoon for the last rider over the line: it’s
about the ride itself, getting out into the hills, finding your
rhythm as your heart beats and pedals turn, dust clinging to every
pore, and sharing that with others or even the passing wildlife,
“The Red Kites flying alongside me as I rode was something
I don’t expect to repeat,” remembers Bob Hallmark.
“It offers something to everybody who likes riding mountain
bikes going out there and even torturing themselves but not in the
context of a cross country race where you on the go from the gun;”
said Mike,
“you’re able to find your own place and you can talk
to the riders around you. It’s more accessible to people who
like mountain biking and because of its non-competitive nature people
don’t feel threatened if they’re not professionals.”
The 2003 series had all this in abundance: with 950 people riding
Rhayader, 1,350 in Built Wells, and 1,250 at Ruthin they all can’t
be wrong, now can they? Well, we hope not anyway.
“Everyone comes to the events with a different agenda,”
reasons co-organiser John Lloyd, “whether it be a personal
challenge to complete the distance chosen or to ride the course
in a better time than last year, or even not to fall off!”
And you can’t really do all that in a more perfect setting
than the spectacular Welsh countryside, some of which has been put
firmly on the mountain biking map by the Marathons,
“The secret of the Clywidian Range deserved to be lifted,
and I think we well and truly did that this year,”
said Mike on the setting of the Ruthin round, and deservedly so
as many of 2003’s marathonists will attest to.
2003 was the first year of the full MTB Marathon series and it proved
an overriding success. With its blend of biking camaraderie, awesome
trails in breathtaking locations, the series has surpassed expectation:
from both the riders -
“Thanks guys for the best organised bike event in the UK,”
commended Rhys Lodwick -
and the organisers,
“The series went scarily well,”
said Mike.
But the very last word on 2003 has got to go to David Christie:
”I’m not sure why I ride these events as they are blooming
tough. Having said that, they do give me a target to train for and
for which to lose some weight (not so easy at my age). And they
do increase my fitness, which allows me to burn off the young lads
on the hills that I normally go riding with. Oh, and there is the
sense of achievement. And the bragging in the office. So they are
definitely worthwhile...”
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