The Melbourne Marathon was a great experience. Starting the day walking from the Grand Mercure in Swanston Street with the elite marathon runners I walked to the MCG with Tesfaye Jiru from Ethiopia and discussed tactics. This was a great experience to learn that what sets the Ethiopians apart from other competitors is the fresh food and the ability to train in the open fields and at altitude.
The start of the marathon is always a buzz and this was no different with a number of competitors recognising me from previous marathons on the Gold Coast and Sydney and saying hello. It was great to see Charlie the Regional Director of Novartis Consumer training for a upcoming adventure race with full kit on his back.
With the adrenalin flowing the great Australian marathon champion Rob de Castella started the race at 7.30am with more than 3,000 competitors heading away from outside the MCG I started with the 3:45 pace group. The course proved to be a great adventure for me as while I have travelled to Melbourne a number of times, the majority of my time has been spent driving and in meetings and I have not really had a chance to appreciate the beauty of the city until now.
The common consensus to date has been that I have been starting out too fast in the first half of the marathon and that I should look to slow this down and pick up speed in the back end of the race. Well this is easier said than done! One of the great innovations that I really appreciated on the course was the water being available in plastic bags so you could keep running and bite into the bag and sip on the run rather than having to stop to sip from a cup! Bravo Melbourne Martahon ... Let's hope this is one day common practice for all marathons.
I felt as though I was pacing myself well in the first half of the race and when a song I liked started on the iPod I maintained my pace and resisted the urge to step up a gear. I crossed the half way mark in 1:52 and recall mentioning to those beside me that "this is where the race starts". I had been maintaining a good pace and by starting out in front of the 4 hour group and intially making my way up close to the 3:30 group it was not until close to the 15km mark that the 3:45 group made a break. The course was to wind out from St.Kilda Beach up to Brighton with some beautiful homes along the way. I felt strong and it was not until with just under 10km to the finish that I watched the 4 hour group pick me up and fly past. While this did hurt I was more interested in maintaining my pace and perhaps just perhaps I could stay close enough for a big finish.
With the promise of entering the MCG for the first time ahead, the time was now to make a strong finish and I continued to move ahead while others started to feel the pinch and slow to a walk. This is one of the most intense experiences when your mind tells you to push forward and the body simply does not respond. A true test of endurance and one that every marathon runner must face at sme time! The personal battle continued and on entering the MCG it was incredible. I recall thinking that the atmosphere on Grand Final day must be electric and with a number of people in front of me I was not really making much of an impression. Then with the line in sight and the spectators near the finish I discovered something extra and crossed the finish line in a new personal best time of 4:05:50! It is incredible to think that over the 42.195km distance I had improved my previous PB on the Gold Coast by 5 seconds ... While the 4 hour barrier remains for now, it is only a matter of time before this is broken!
The crowd were brilliant and the fellow competitors provided great inspiration with a number of runners cheering me on during race. It is this comraderie that makes me love this sport. Thank you so much to all you great people who take part and support each other in this magic journey!
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