With the Bristol Half Marathon being cancelled earlier this year, some University of Bristol Boat Club Alumni members took it upon themselves to train for and complete the race anyway. The ‘(Not) Bristol Half Marathon’ took place on September 27th 2020 at Dorney Lake with 11 Nonesuch members making it to the start line.

There were several energy gels involved, a water station (that you had to run a small 50m loop around in order to return your bottle) and 4 waves of runners. There was even a support team, courtesy of Jonny Gorner's parents.

Four-and-a-half laps of the lake later (or until your watch told you could stop), we had 7 PBs and 11 hungry participants. Marcus Smith (UBBC 2016-19) took the top spot in a brisk 1:27:08, with James Foster (UBBC 2015-18) and Jonny Gorner (UBBC 2013-16) hot on his heels to round off the podium. It just goes to show, even in a global pandemic, that rowers will always find a way to hurt themselves on Dorney lake.

Enjoy a photo of the runners and rest assured they nursed themselves back to full health in the local pub afterwards.