The longest pleasure pier in the world holds a unique race - Southend Pier Marathon

Southend Pier is the longest pleasure pier in the world and was host to a unique marathon. It is the only full marathon race that takes place directly over the sea. The iconic pier that stretches out 1.33 miles (2.14 km) into the Thames Estuary, is the feature that has put Southend-on-Sea on the map as well as into the record books. Since it was built in 1830 the Grade II listed building has seen both good and troubled times. It has survived fires, boat crashes, two world wars, and economic decline as well as standing up to the elements of Mother Nature. The field was limited to only 100 lucky athletes who were able to compete in the 3rd running of the quirky Marathon. Early weather conditions were perfect for the 09:40 start and warm sunshine persisted for most of the race. However, a strong wind picked up towards the end of the event, hampering runners as they made their way sea-bound, making it much harder. They had to run up and down the wooden pier 11 times collecting a band each lap to prove their progress. In the end, the winner was Toby Draper, a 49-year-old teacher from Essex. He pretty much led from the start and was never really challenged. He set a record time for the race crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 33 seconds. He was 10 minutes faster than 2nd place Rodrigo Santos from Portugal. Santos was delighted with his finish after waiting two years to compete in the event. The race officially ended after 6 hours, with most competitors finishing the challenge. These are some of the rushes from the day's event. #running #marathons