Cadbury Marathon 2010

There is no better way to start the year for the Marathon Man than by taking on the first marathon of the year on Australian soil in Tasmania.

The Cadbury Marathon in Hobart, Tasmania is one of the more scenic events and is gaining in popularity every year. The event is very well put together by Richard Welsh from Athletics Tasmania and R4YL with there being 128 on the start line for the marathon in 2010.

It really was a fly in fly out mission arriving in Hobart early Saturday morning and then taking off on Sunday afternoon. It was magic to spend a little time at the Salamanca Markets with people everywhere. Later that night I enjoyed a great pasta meal with the elite athletes. Mark Tucker, Scott McTaggart and Tony Farrugia joining up with Richard Welsh for a pre-race meal.

It was a very early start with the bus leaving the hotel from just after 4am to arrive at the start line at 5am in preparation for the 6am start. It was great to return to Tasmania and enjoy the beauty of Tasmania and the friendly locals. Like the previous year the Half Marathon competitors were very supportive! Thank you ...

The run itself was strong for the first half with the double loop course taking its toll a little especially towards the final 10km when the cramps started to really hit me. On reaching a hill that seemed more like a mountain in the final stages that a fellow runner provided support and inspiration to push through the pain barrier and step it up another level to approach the mountain leading up to the finish line. In the end crossing the line in 4:11:46 - a respectable time although outside my previous best time secured last year.

My congratulations to Scott, Dave, Tony, Larry and Mark on posting some incredible results:
Marathon
1 Scott McTaggart - 2:23:39 * New course Record
2 David Criniti - 2:29:52
3 Anthony Farrugia - 2:31:35
7 Larry Blaylock - 2:40:08
Half Marathon
1 1002 Mark Tucker - 1:05:35 * New Course Record

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Hobart and recommend that there is few better ways to start the running calendar than by taking on the Cadbury Marathon in Hobart in early January.

2010 Marathon Man Plans

There are a number of exciting events planned for a big 2010.

Please see a selection of some major Marathon Man plans:

10 January - Cadbury Marathon (Hobart, Tasmania)

13 March - Six Foot Track (Blue Mountains, NSW)

1 May - Rotorua Marathon (Rotorua, New Zealand)

16 May - Sydney Half Marathon (Sydney, NSW)

30 May - Comrades Marathon (South Africa)

4 July - Gold Coast Marathon (Gold Coast, Queensland)

25 July - Sutherland 2 Surf (Wanda Beach, NSW)

1 August - Brisbane Marathon (Brisbane, Queensland)

8 August - City 2 Surf (Sydney, NSW)

15 August - Adelaide Marathon (Adelaide, South Australia)

19 September - Sydney Marathon (Sydney, NSW)

10 October - Melbourne Marathon (Melbourne, Victoria)

31 October - Auckland Marathon (Auckland, New Zealand)

Looking forward to seeing you throughout the year ...

Please come and say hello!