Week 4 Perth Marathon sub3 mission

With the Cape to Cape miler last week this week was all about recovery. I was unable to run for four days post the ultra and had penciled in my first run Thursday morning at Yelo, my weekly 5:30am 14k progressive ( or a 10k easy?) . The alarm was set for 4:40 unfortunately due to a power nap earlier in the week I had set it to PM not AM. , rookie error so no Yelo run Thursday.  Albeit I probably could have found time but wasn’t ‘in the mood‘ and had house chores and work to attend to.

Friday and Saturday were more of the same, finding excused not to run albeiut in my defence my Wife and No3 Daughter were away and I had a funeral to attend Saturday , so running took a back seat. This left Sunday where I was determined to run to keep my Strava streak going , 99 weeks of some sort of exercise,  (you have Strava right ?  http://www.strava.com )  It’s a pretty weak streak of course but at 99 weeks you aren’t going to break it are you ? So an easy 10k Sunday afternoon and that was it for week four of my sub3 mission.

That’s probably not enough to justify a post so I’d thought I’d reflect on my favourite marathon and goes through some memorable moments. The Perth City to Surf marathon started in 2009 and it was also my first sub3 marathon. I finished in 2:58:14, 36th position overall from a field of 811.  My first sub3 at 42 years old,  in my tenth marathon. I was met at the line by one of my running hero’s , the mighty Mick Francis, who had pipped me by about a minute or so, also running over the top of my good mate Bartsy with the finish line in sight was special,  albeit not for Bartsy, his last sub three funnily enough.

In 2010 I had the runners nightmare when my Garmin discharged itself in the evening and I had no juice when I turned it on at the start line. This was back in the day when Garmin’s were for running only and not your everyday watch. Mentally this finished my race early and I tried to hang on to my mate Jon Pendse and a sub3 group but was ejected out the back around fifteen kilometres into the race. I then ran alone , with no idea of pace, and finished in 3:03:20 , good for 31 place overall, from a field of 976. I still reckon if I had my watch I would have ran sub3 but such is life. After this race I would wear two watches for many years.

2011 and my first sub two hours and fifty minutes finish. I finished in 18th place, in a field of  989, recording 2:49:13 with my mate Rhys ten seconds behind me and Jon three seconds behind him.  Rhys was dropped early for a toilet stop, he’s well known for this, and we never saw him but unbeknown to us he was stalking us the whole way and ran Jon down in the finishing few metres.

2012 and I improved my time again finishing 7th overall out of a field of 1047, in a time of 2:45:05, just pipping Rhys again . This was important as I was the first Australian to finish and there was a $6,000 prize, unbeknown to me at the time, for this. The race was sponsored by Chevron who had brought in five male and one female African runners, the six ahead of me.  At the time it was the most lucrative marathon in Australia and funnily enough I was working for Chevron at the time so was adorned in a Chevron singlet, I should have got a bonus , albeit the Chevron finishing tent was pretty special.  Rhys got second Australian good for $3,000, incredible prize money for us ‘hack’ runners.

I ran my marathon PB in 2013 and ran with the lead African woman the whole way, letting her break the tape a few seconds ahead of me. Finished 9th, from a field of 1196,  in a time of 2:41:14 which I thought would be good for some prize money but it seems there were two Australians ahead of me after the six African runners. No worries, it was a great PB and I was stoked. The only time I ran with a named bib, given to the faster runners of an event, albeit in my case I knew the RD.

2014 I ran 2:49:02, good for 13th overall from a field of 1,141.  I had been abroad the week before and picked up a calf knot so my streak of improving finishing times was done, still happy enough with another sub two fifty finish and got to wear the number one bib.

I got my best City to Surf finishing position in 2015 running fourth in a time of 2:48:30, from a field of 987 runners.  By this time Chevron had dropped the prize prize money  significantly and no African runners meant we all bumped four or five places up the finishing order, explaining fourth place ?  I was hoping for $2,000 prizemoney for fourth but there was a caveat that prize money for fourth and fifth would only be paid out if they were in 10% of the winning time ? What, seriously.? Unfortunately for me Yuki Kawauchi, the Japanese super runner , had come across and ran a 2:16, with second place being 2:35.   Yuki cost me $2,000.  No worries, as I said earlier I run for the love of running, not prize money, albeit it would have been nice.

In 2016 I ran one of the races of my life to finish in 2:41:44, my second quicker marathon time and good for fifth place from a field of 828 runners.  By this time the prize money had all but disappeared and I think I got a $25 gift voucher I never used. A far cry from $6,000 for first Australian four years previous. I remember I was running with second and third at halfway and decided the pace was too quick , backing off.  Both these runners ran sub two hours forty and I often wonder if I had just rolled the dice and went with them what would have happened.  Bar a 2:44 at the World Masters later in the year I would never get close to this time, what could have been. I put this time down to Raf Baugh , he of the Running Centre in Perth, who trained me in 2015. Lessons I learnt from Raf got me this close again, three years after my PB on the same course, I should have went with them. ( https://therunningcentre.com.au/ )

2017 14th from a field of 698 runners in a time of 2:49:23. I was recovering from my first major injury , a 5cm calf tear sustained in May which sidelined me for 12 weeks, only resuming full training in late June. After this result I continued to improve culminating in another second place at the Rottnest marathon in October. This is another what could have been but injuries happen and I was injury free before this one so I suppose it was my turn ?  Highlight of this run was finding my good friend Mark Conway, who had just finished ahead of me, skulking in the medical tent at the finish, he was berated loudly.

I missed 2018 due to another injury , a nasty case of plantar fascittis, which hurt as I had ran all nine of the previous City to Surf marathon. Truth be told I probably could have ran it was was protecting my sub3 streak which was over thirty marathons at the time. With hindsight I should have ran.

2019 was my last sub 3 at 52 years old, (at the moment?) , and also the last time the City to Surf marathon actually happened. COVID killed it in 2020 and then , due to the ever increasing costs and dwindling numbers, it was canned. I ran a 2:55:23 , good for 13th overall from a field of 598. It seems fitting my last sub3, number 32, should be ten years after my first at the same event and also the last time the event was run.  It was an incredible event and holds so many good memories, if one race encapsulates my running journey it was this one. Ten finishes with nine sub 3’s in there (and eight sub 2:50’s) and two of may fastest times as well as a sprinkling of top five finishes, perfect just perfect.

Looking at the finishing photos for sub3 number 1 in 2009 and sub3 number 32 in 2019 I don’t think I’ve aged a bit, hell I look younger. Can I go sub3 one more time in October 2025, of course I can.

 

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Big shout out to fisiocrem , this product is just incredible for tired and aching legs. I use it daily and have noticed a vast improvement in recovery.

Bix hydration is just ace, a product brought to life by Vlad Ixel a professional ultra runner who knows a thing or two about hydration. ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/ )  The best thing about Bix is it tastes good with many different flavours and you never get sick of drinking it, this is a big plus as Maurten and Tailwind (both great products)  can be difficult to digest later in the event.  From the website :-

As an Australian elite multiple trail running champion, with wins in over 40 ultra-marathon races across Asia, recovery from training and races has always been my top priority. 

In searching for a solid recovery and hydration supplement, I recognized that critical vitamins and minerals – both in diversity and quantity – were missing from almost all supplements on the market. I had the feeling that in an effort to maximize their bottom-lines, companies in the hydration space, failed to deliver a product that could meaningfully assist athlete performance. 

In order to address this, I began the development of a hydration product. After two and a half years of development alongside a leading German sports scientist, BIX Recovery, an advanced, high-quality recovery drink was born. 

BIX boosts 12 active ingredients scientifically balanced to replace lost electrolytes and assist in immune function. It’s designed with quality vitamins and minerals, in quantities that work! 

BIX is a recovery solution for everyone, that will get you to the top of your game!

What can I say about HumanTecar,  ( https://athleticus.com.au/ ) it looks great, smells great and is awesome for recovery or even pre-run/workout. Read about the science behind it first and then try the products. The compression bandages are just magical after a long event. Put these on and the next day you are recovered, I have used them on a number of occasions and they never fail to astound me albeit the family poke fun at me as I look like a ‘mummy and smell funny’ !

Fractel ( https://fractel.com.au/ ) have your performance headgear covered. I love the colours and the functionality of these hats, I guarantee there is one model you’ll fall in love with.

Shokz headphones, let you keep in touch with the world around while losing yourself in quality tunes or podcasts. ( https://shokz.com.au/ )

T8 running apparel is the best you can get, second to none. Designed for the ultra humid Hong Kong conditions the owners live in.  It is light and does away with any chaffing worries. T8 is the name given to the highest typhoon warning in Honk Kong,  storms and typhoons with gusts exceeding 180kph, which explains the branding. ( https://t8.run/)

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