David Kenyon tells us how he got on with the 7-Valleys Ultra, and New York City Marathon!
MAC Ltd’s David Kenyon told us last year about his preparations for the Abbott Age Group World Championships held as part of the New York City Marathon in November 2025. Here he tells us how he got on!
7-Valleys Ultra-Marathon
Saturday September 27th 2025, 6am. My Daughter and I joined several hundred other runners in the dark at Ambleside for the start of the 7-Valleys ultra-marathon. Approximately nine hours later we passed through the same spot, having completed 32 miles and 6000 feet around a loop that took them along Langdale, over to Styhead Tarn, descent into Borrowdale, back over Greenup Edge to Grasmere and past Rydal Water back to Ambleside. For many this would have been more than enough, but it wasn’t even halfway. Despite the gloomy forecast the rain had held off up to this point and conditions had been good for mountain running.
Leaving
Ambleside (again) it was a short hop over to Troutbeck, where our drop bags and
a welcome change of shirt and socks were waiting, plus more Freddo frogs, which
provided a fair proportion of our calorie intake for the day. From there we set
out on the longest, steepest and highest climb of the day up to almost the
summit of High Street. As we were nearing the top the weather finally broke,
the temperature dropped and the wind started to pick up. Then the rain started.
The next checkpoint was halfway down the mountain and we reached it just as the
light was fading, glad for a few minutes respite from the wind and a warm drink
to thaw our fingers. It was completely dark when we left the checkpoint and the
rain was now full-on, but at least the next stretch was on good paths and then
a road section into Glenridding.
After a
strenuous uphill hike to the Glenridding checkpoint for pizza and more Freddos
we had the last big climb to tackle – Sticks Pass. After an initial steep zigzag
path, the route became several miles of gentle incline before topping out at
around 2600 feet. Unfortunately, the cloud base was now about 2000 feet so the
last section to the top was in very poor visibility. On most occasions reaching
the top of a climb is a welcome relief, but descending Sticks Pass to St John’s
in the Vale is more treacherous than the ascent and having reconnoitered the route
in training we knew what to expect. On a good day the path is just steep. After
heavy rain and following in the footsteps of many others the path was steep and
exceedingly slippery. The race organisers had kindly prepared for some
incidents by stationing a mountain rescue volunteer on this section of the
course. It was nice to know that we were being looked after, but also a stark
reminder of the danger.
So, it was
after a very slow descent that sometime around midnight we arrived safely,
albeit slightly bruised, at St John’s in the Vale and headed up valley six to
Threlkeld, where the final checkpoint was located. By this time the rain had
eased and, fueled by more Freddos, we made our way up the final valley before
doubling back towards the finish at Keswick. It was a welcome relief to reach
the town, but the 7-Valleys ultra had one last sting in the tail. As it approaches
the lake the route passes within 200m of the finish, but instead of taking the
direct path we were directed away from the finish to enter the park from
another direction adding on at least half a mile, which feels a lot further at
the end of 68 miles and 13000 feet of ascent.
Finally,
just before 4am on Sunday morning we crossed the finish line, tired but elated
to have completed our toughest challenge to date. Most people would take a
break after completing an event such as this, but we had five weeks to go
before our next challenge, the New York Marathon – a mere sprint by comparison!
New York Marathon
Sunday November 2nd 2025. The day I had been working up to all year had finally arrived, and after an early morning departure to get to the start at Staten Island I was toeing the line at the foot of the Verrazzano Narrows bridge ready to take on the New York marathon. Of all the major marathons the start of New York is one that will stick in my memory, it may be a mile uphill but the view over the bay, past the Statue of Liberty to Manhattan, and the NYPD helicopters hovering at road level were enough to take my mind off the effort. I’d like to say it was all downhill from the top of the bridge, but New York is not known as a hilly marathon for nothing.
Through Brooklyn
the course is a series of gentle inclines followed by gentle descents, so keeping
a steady pace is difficult. For most of the course the streets are very wide,
giving plenty of space to keep out of the way of fellow runners, but sections
through Brooklyn are narrow, and the noisy crowds feel very close. Entering
Queens the course twists and turns before the next big bridge at 15 miles,
Queensborough. There are no spectators here, so the only sounds are the
footsteps of runners and your own breathing as you try to maintain your rhythm
up the steepish slope. Reaching the top it’s then a steep downhill into
Manhattan, where turning onto First Avenue a wall of noise assaults your ears.
The
rectilinear road layout of Manhattan means the next section is three miles
straight on and almost flat; a welcome relief after the earlier hills. Entering
the Bronx at approaching 20 miles is where the marathon distance really sorts
out those who are well prepared from those who aren’t and where it becomes a
battle between your head and your legs. The locals here do their best to take
your mind off the discomfort, with numerous bands blasting out a good beat, but
I hardly noticed as my focus was on keeping as close to my earlier pace as I
could.
At 21 miles the course heads back into Manhattan, this time on Fifth Avenue, for two miles of flat road before the infamous mile-long hill leading to Central Park. On tired legs this hill seems never ending, but eventually we turned right into the park for a change of scenery; skyscrapers replaced by trees resplendent in their autumn colours (not that I really noticed at the time). A few more undulating hills took us to the southern end of the park for a short stretch back on the road and then the final turn back into the park for the final half-a-mile to the finish. Every semi-serious marathon runner envisions themselves running strongly over the last stretch, but even if you have the strength New York throws in one last challenge, because the last quarter of a mile is uphill.
What's next?
On that course, I was more than happy to cross the line in a time of 3:06:39, knowing that I had run at a consistent pace and the hills had challenged but not defeated me. Next stop on my marathon world tour, Chicago 2026!
16 January 2026