"A severe weather warning has been issued across many parts of the UK. Most of us can expect extreme cold, icy conditions, with temperatures dropping as low as minus four degrees overnight..."
I turned off the weather forecast on the hotel TV, pulled myself out of bed and opened the curtains. At seven in the morning, on November 25th, the sun was already shining. I slid back the glass door and stepped out onto the balcony breathing the warm air and gazing out to sea. It was clearly going to be a hot day in Cyprus. I couldn't believe my luck.
...Until I found myself having to run up an 11k hill in around 30C that is.
I was only invited to join the runners at the Cyprus International Four Day Challenge in Paphos a few weeks beforehand, and several months of chest problems and a particularly nasty chest infection just prior to the event meant I hadn't trained for it at all. I had seriously considered dropping out. But, although I was only able to complete two of the four races the event comprises and struggled in those, I never for a moment regretting going, in fact, it was fantastic.
Catching up Over Pasta
I arrived on the evening of day one of the event. The runners had already completed their first race that afternoon, a 6k road run. I joined them for the pasta party in the Coral Beach Hotel, where I was staying along with most of the 250 competitors. Everyone I spoke to had enjoyed their first run, none seemed to have found it crippling, but few were lulled into complacency about what was to follow over the next three days. The videos of previous years' events playing on a big screen while we ate did nothing to dispel the air of nervousness. Still, the atmosphere was jolly and friendly.
If the all the hotel's food was of the same standard as at the pasta party I knew breakfast that first morning would be a treat - it didn't disappoint. The vast buffet had something for every taste, however the huge vat of porridge was clearly the favourite option that morning.
Coaches delivered us to the start of day two's race, an 11k hill run through Arkansas Nature Reserve. Call me naive, but when I was told I'd be doing a hill run, I thought there'd be some descents following the ascents. I was wrong. We started at sea level and finished 600 metres up in the mountains, with only a few gentle downward undulations for recovery. I finished among the last few, but still really enjoyed it. The scenery was simply stunning with views over the Mediterranean getting ever more magnificent as I climbed. The terrain was rocky and the landscape so arid it had an almost lunar feel to it in places. But there were many patches of green to be seen which held the lemon trees, banana plantations, and olive groves the region cultivates.
R&R by the Pool
With the 10k done we were transported back to the hotel which gave me my first chance to have a proper look around. Situated right on the seafront, the Coral Beach boasts five stars. There's a large outdoor swimming pool, sun beds around the gardens and down on the beach, several bars, and excellent fitness and sports facilities including an Olympic swimming pool. Team GB spent a lot of time training there for the Athens Olympics and the hotel is still often used as a warm weather training base for British athletes.
Day three's race was another trail run, this time a half marathon. Despite waking up with a dodgy tummy I opted join in. (If I'd known I was going to suffer cramps so bad I'd have to walk most of the course to finish joint last I would probably have chosen differently.) It was another toughie, especially considering most of the other runners had two days of running already in the legs. Starting out from Arkamas forest we wound our way up dusty trails past small farms, a few goat herds and the odd donkey until reaching a ridge where the ocean could be seen on both sides. The last six miles were a more comfortable downhill to the finish at Toxeftra Beach... For most people that is. By now stomach was rebelling every time I tried to speed up from a walk forcing me to hike the remainder of the route. Luckily (for me at least) I had a companion, Keith who I'd met at the pasta party was also untrained and struggling, so we made our way together, putting to the world to rights as we went, with the ambulance that follows the back of the race sloping patiently along behind us.
Finish at the Fort
On day four I took the more sensible option of spectating. The final race is a 10k road run past the shops and bars of Paphos town, starting and finishing at the town's medieval fort. The atmosphere was electric with music pumping and the crowd cheering as runners crossed the line, a look of satisfaction on every one of their faces (if a little contorted by the final effort in some cases). And rightly so, this is a tough event, much more difficult than most marathons in my opinion. Although there were plenty of fast runners there, a few hadn't run further than a half marathon before, so for them it was an enormous achievement.
Talking to runners at the post-event gala dinner, I decided there were broadly two types of people there: those for whom it was a race, with a beautiful location, luxury hotel, and good company thrown in as an added bonus; and those who thought of it as a holiday with a running event as a highlight. Even with thorough training and without health problems I know I'd always belong in the latter group. In the two races I took part in, as disappointing as it was to finish so far from the times I've been capable of in the past, I suspect I enjoyed it at least as much as the front runners - maybe even more... But then, it's not a competition, is it?
For more details and to enter next year's Cyprus International Challenge visit the event website.
Ok, I want to go.
Me too.