The route for the 2013 Malvern Midsummer Marathon has not yet been published, however expecting that it will be vaguely similar to previous routes I have done a bit of advanced scoping of the terrain and obstacles. A few notable things are:

The steep ascent at the start…

…isn’t actually that steep when compared with some of the ascents in the last seven miles….

There are some good stretches in the first half of the expected course where it might be possible to run a little.

There is a shiny new bridge where a previous one had been washed away.

There are some stretches with knee length grass which makes things very hard going, perhaps it will have been cut by the time of the race.

There is a ford, so expect wet feet.

There is a convenient bench at Bromsberrow for a quick sit down before the assault on the hills?

There are some very steep bits at the southern end of the hills, down…

…and up….

The pictures don’t really do justice to the steepness!

The final peaks might seem never ending.