Andy Baron frightened the good women and children of Manchester with his sore nipples last weekend….

When I say the Manchester Marathon was dull it’s a positive. At about 10 degrees and overcast with no wind or rain in sight it was the perfect running weather, flat course from Old Trafford football ground out to Altrincham and back was surprisingly uneventful – I was aiming for 3.15, started at 7.25 min mile pace and didn’t really slow down much finishing in 3.15 and 3 seconds. The most eventful thing was probably the three or four miles I ran shirtless through Carrington to cries of “put it away” and “werewolf” in search of Vaseline for chafed nipples.

The organisers who took some deserved criticism for their organisation in 2012 have clearly learned some lessons since. The route is the perfect marathon course, flat and closed roads throughout, loads of water stations and marshals and a well organised start and finish.

The support on the route through Sale, Timperley, Altrincham, Urmston and Trafford area is quite humbling. That thousands of people (and Mark Wilkinson, cheers Mark) cheer you on for doing something you enjoy and is a very individual sport, they don’t even know you, it’s an amazing feeling and I think unique to marathon running.

One minor black mark for the organisers, the photographers are charging £20 for a picture taken on the route so here is an artist’s impression.

I still reckon I can do a 3hr one day….