Two out of three ain’t bad
This was always going to be THE one. London marathon 2022 was the Abbott World Age Group Championship and I qualified. The chance to compete against the best of my age (60-64) was always going to be a challenge particularly as the event has chopped and changed due to COVID. I was qualified for the first running in 2021 but couldn’t travel out of Australia.
Weather
we all spent the week prior to the event sweating on every weather report. Early predictions were an 80+ % chance of rain that might ease off later. As the week progressed there was a gradual improvement in the forecast with likely rain becoming lighter and then less likely.
The morning dawned. I needed to be out at Blackheath by about 8.15 am. I had a rain jacket, a change of clothes and running gear. The weather was overcast and cool. It looked a chance for a light shower but no worse than that. Nearly ideal.
To the Start
Fascinating how the underground works. There seems to be a built in redundancy so that there are a number of ways to get to the same end point. This is a great way to make new friends as various groups debated the best way to get to the start. I followed the crowd. Paddington to Charing Cross, change train get off at Blackheath. There may have been a quicker way but I was working on the Keep It Simple rule.
At the start which is a big open field we were directed to the Championship corral. London has three start points Blue, Red and Yellow. Runners from red and yellow merge after a short stretch and then that group merge with blue start after about 2.5 km from the start. Blue includes the elites, the British championships and the Age group championship who are then followed by about 10,000 runners. All up the field is about 45000 strong.
Strategy, what strategy?
I think my major aim apart from the obvious desire to finish and not embarrass myself was to compete and to better my time from Berlin (3.18.40 but you knew that). I had set off at a controlled pace in Berlin, gone through the half in 96 minutes and dropped about six minutes in the second half to 3.18. So I wanted to be a bit quicker in the first half and then try to hang on.
I heard a truism while waiting at the start ”you don’t bank time in a marathon, you simply borrow it from a loan shark. It is always paid back with pain and interest.” This of course must be balanced with that other grand old saying ”No guts, no glory”
So off we went, I started well and looked around to find a couple of 60-64 runners to pace off. This may have been a mistake if you recall the best of the best in the world from above. Went through 5 km in 21 minutes and the half just under 90 minutes. Considering how chuffed I was to complete a half marathon in 89.47 a couple of weeks ago this was either going to be fabulous or painful or both.
One of the other things about marathon running at this age is that the opportunity for significant runs doesn’t come along with every race. I still have the fantasy of running sub 3 hours and a PB of 3.07. At the half both of these seemed possible although three hours very unlikely. The crowd support in London is brilliant. As the event starts later, at 9.30 am there is time for supporters to get out on the course. And they do. 3-4 people deep across Tower Bridge, the noise is deafening but the lift it gives is noticeable. Far different from 7 am on a Sunday morning in Melbourne.
The wheels started to wobble about 28 km in. I would have liked another couple of comfortable kms but not to be. From here it becomes a mental challenge. One more kilometre, no don’t cramp, don’t look at that guy walking. We turn around down near Mudchute, what a great name and then up and around back towards embankment. At that point we can see the later runners heading off on the Canary Wharf loop. I don’t want to see them because I know we are not heading to the finish until after the point they turn into view. Down into the tunnel 38 km down, Ambo’s are performing CPR on a runner off to the side. Say a little prayer for him and run on. Embankment is exactly what it says on the box. The road around the river Thames. The London Eye is on the other side of the river and the turn at Big Ben is ahead. I’m holding on to 5 minutes per kilometre and looking at below 3.18 but not sure by how much. 3.15 maybe, that was my sneaky goal but went out the window with the time at the half.
Turn right, up by St James park, not sure how far to go until I see the 400 metres to go sign. Promise the legs anything for a little more pace through to the line. One of the wheelchair athletes pulls up beside me as we run in. We overtake a couple, fortunately he doesn’t run me over in the shadows of the finish line.
Finish
Finished in a net 3.12.04. 3060th overall out of 45000 and 35th in my Age Group. I took six and a half minutes of my Berlin time. Have a bit of a hobble going on with my left heel with a bit of inflammation but pretty chuffed all up. This is the sixth fastest marathon I have run in 47 marathons and was done in a championship in a big crowd. Tomorrow we fly out to Helsinki and then on to Chicago for the last marathon of the adventure. I keep saying it will be a pleasant jog around Chicago. We’ll see……
