The Third Marathon in Four Weeks. Will it all end in tears?

We left Harrisburg in the pouring rain for New York where we arrived …….in the pouring rain. Seems that the entire East Coast had caught the tail end of Hurricane Melissa that had devastated Jamaica and then proceeded to dump rain all the way North. Fortunately, it was short lived and the following days were cool but dry. Our accommodation was only about three blocks from Penn station but the rain was so heavy we arrived sodden.

We joined up with the group from RunFun travel. I had qualified for this event myself so we only required a room not the full package. We were on the periphery but it made life much easier having some familiar faces around the place. It also gave us the opportunity to meet some new friends.

I had run twice after the Marine Corp Marathon the week before. Both short runs to try and run some of the soreness out but was a little worried how starting another marathon already a bit worse for wear was going to go. I’d had a 5 km along the river in Harrisburg, still felt a bit sore in the legs but much more positive than I was earlier in the week.

We went to the expo to pick up the race number and the t-shirt. This is where you first get the feel for how big this event is. There’re people everywhere!! For many this is their first marathon, something of the order of 8-9000 I think I heard. Of those many will be one and done. Meaning that if you want a souvenir top or shirt or whatever then this is it. And people were buying. And buying big. I heard figures that this event is worth over a billion dollars to the greater New York community in flights, accommodation, food and sales. Big, Big. We did our thing and got out as quickly as possible. Number, T-shirt, a nifty back pack from the Abbott Age Group people a couple of gels and we were out.

Anne and I walked the Highline on Saturday and had a coffee at the Australian themed Bluestone Lane Cafe. Coffee was OK but I’m not sure they would get away with the pricing in Melbourne. Ouch. But that’s New York. I found everything price wise on a par with Melbourne prices. Unfortunately, that was before tax and tip and currency conversion. The serves are huge but the quality is not so great. Let’s not talk about the coffee.

The Marathon

Sunday morning rolls around. I had to be on the bus at 5.30 am as I was in one of the first waves being in the World Age Group Championship. I met up with the others from RunFun who were on the same bus including the amazing Krishna Stanton who ended up winning her age group and beating me in by about 20 minutes. We were shepherded to the bus by Dave and Fran from RunFun and special guest star Steve Monaghetti. Krishna and I sat together and found that we knew a lot of folk in common from around the Australian running scene so it was great way to spend some time. Krishna took lots of phots before the start and many of the images with this blog are courtesy of her.

We found some space and settled in to keep warm, had a couple of comfort stops and then we were moved as waves around to the start line. We had heard the cannon go for the wheelies and then for the elite women. Gathered at the start it went again and the elite men charged past on the other side of the bridge. We gave them a head start and then it was our turn. Boom! Cannon goes off, Frank Sinatra starts New York, New York and we head up the Verrazzano Narrows bridge. First kilometre is all up. Go through in 5.03 minutes. Good pace. Next kilometre is all down. Go through in 4.17. A bit quick but all downhill. Next bit is also mainly downhill. Still quick at 4.30-4.35 for the next couple but downhill and flat and comfortable.

Through 7-8 km and legs could tell (and did tell me) that we had run a marathon last week but were rolling along and not getting any worse. I told myself that it was likely that they would fall apart but maybe if we kept going long enough there wouldn’t be too much left to do when it happened. Interesting theory. Not sure where it came from. Through Brooklyn and into Queens (I think. I don’t live here). 10 km down and then 12 and then 15. Still holding good pace and being pushed along by the deafening crowd. Several deep in places and loud, very loud.

Went through the half on a bridge or an uphill and was still looking at a pace to finish in around 3 :12-3:15 but knew that the previous events will eventually make themselves known. There were also a couple of bridges to be climbed and I was pretty sure they were going to hurt. Up and on to the Queenboro bridge. This is one spooky bit of the run. No spectators are allowed on the bridge so it is quiet, mercifully, strangely quiet. The slap of the runners feet and the sound of the cars on the upper roadway and that’s it. Until you get near to the end with a sharp downhill and turn and the roar of the crowd starts again.

This gets us to First Ave and we head North. It doesn’t pay to look too far ahead on this bit. It is a wide boulevard but straight, and long, very long. In fact it turns out to be over three miles or 5 km of straight run and if you look forward all you can see is runners and spectators and if you were to look back it would be just the same. I wasn’t looking back. I knew there were still over 50000 runners behind me.

Things were starting to get a bit tough. There’s a couple of bridges up around the Bronx and some funny little turns and twists and I was getting some enough is enough messages from my legs. I tried to convince them that we didn’t have far to go but they had heard that last week and were not convinced. On to Fifth Avenue. The last road before Central Park. Don’t let anyone try to convince you that this road is flat. I have 50,000 runners who’ll testify that is a gradual uphill. I was concentrating on trying to maintain posture and pace even though I could feel myself slowing. If I kept my head up I could see where the deviation would be into Central Park and this would nearly be all over. Fifth Ave on this part of the course is about 4 km long. It also has the unfair mirage in that it runs alongside Central Park for about the last 1500 metres. Eventually, finally we trun into Central Park.

There is still over two miles or 3 km to run in Central Park but something about being in there says that the finish isn’t far away and that I will get there. Now is the time to look at the watch and see what the possibilities are. With 3 km to go if I could hold 5 min/ km I would run significantly quicker than last week. With 1 km to go up on 59th street it looks well and truly like I can beat my time from Washington. Wouldn’t that be an achievement! To run the fastest of the three marathons in the final one. It needs a Sub 8 minute kilometre. There are signs of 800m to go and then 400m to go. At this point I think I might be able to go under 3:20. Sign for 200m to go. Watch ticks over 3:19. One minute for 200 metres. Push hard. Into the finish and over the line 3:19.55. Two minutes quicker than last week, 6 minutes quicker than Melbourne three weeks ago and even 9 minutes quicker than when I ran New York for the first time back in 2019. Finished 11th in my Age Group in the World Age Group Championship so I’m claiming that as 11th in the World. Sounds good.

Quads shot, calves not happy and feet a bit distressed. We walked back to the hotel and I had a shower and a nap. We headed down to the hotel bar and had a couple of Guinness (Guinnesses?) and caught up with Krishna, Steve and the other runners as they came in. We then headed out for food.

Monday was slow, a bit of touristing up on “the Edge” the rooftop with amazing views and then to the aircraft carrier “Intrepid” which is now a museum and finally to a Broadway performance of “The Lion King”. All well worthwhile. Tuesday we packed up and pootled off. Now down in Philadelphia for the Rocky Run on Saturday. A much easier assignment. 5 km warmup and then 10 miles (16km). No expectations and no time challenges.

That will be the last of the runs on this adventure. It’s off to Vancouver and then home. We’ll be in Vancouver for my 67th birthday. New York was my 67th Marathon. There’s poetry in there somewhere.

In which we fly out of Melbourne and run the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington DC

After a pretty successful and not too painful Melbourne marathon there was a couple of days of making sure that all of the ducks were lined up, (actually in our case all of the budgies). Thanks go to a wonderful volunteer in our next door neighbour who has only recently moved in but volunteered to mind the 80 odd budgies we currently have flying.

All of the flights were organised and the accommodation and getting to the airport and the ESTA for the USA and the equivalent for Canada and a COVID shot and a flu shot and all of the running gear in the carry on and we were away. We tried something different this time with Skybus taking a new route from the Box Hill railway station. Bus from our place to Ferntree Gully, train to Box Hill and Skybus to the airport. All up about 2 hours but meant we didn’t have to park a car at the airport for a month and more than $350. Started off a bit shaky when our first local bus was fifteen minutes late but from there everything went smoothly.

First flight was Thai airways to Bangkok. Nice plane, good food and friendly service. Arrived in Bangkok about 10 pm with 5 hour layover. Second flight at 2 am with EVA, the Taiwanese airline. Again, very comfortable. We were in business class so had a chance to lay flat and get some sleep. Arrived in Vienna at 8.30 am after a couple of hours sleep and several meals with each airline.

We stayed at a very interesting hotel in Vienna. It was either the agglomeration of several buildings or a convent or part of a nurse’s quarters or something along those lines. The corridor from the lifts to our room was over 70 metres long according to strava. It seemed endless. It did give us a deal of privacy but it also meant that the hot water took forever to warm up. All of that cold water going down the drain while it warmed up was painful to a couple of aussies used to saving water where possible.

We walked quite a bit around Vienna looking at canals (drains) and architecture. Of most interest to me on the first day was the Hauptallee. This is the long flat piece of road where Eliud Kipchoge ran sub 2 hours for the marathon distance in the Ineos 1:59 challenge. I could see why they picked this bit of road. Flat, straight and long. All it takes is good weather conditions and it is perfect for fast times. Needless to say I had a bit of a run on the course. We looked at the Danube river and attended a concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in the Karlskirche (St Karl’s Church).

I did the Danau Park parkrun on Saturday morning. This is a 3 lap run to make up 5 km in a park that had been reclaimed as part of an upgrade for the Vienna international Garden festival of 1964. I was pretty pleased with the shakeout but annoyed that it was a D for Donau rather than V for Vienna. I already had my D at Dorset but finding a V parkrun isn’t that easy. There’s only one parkrun in Vienna so maybe I could claim it anyway. Went around in 21.34 showing I was in reasonable shape after Melbourne. I ran back to the hotel to get a longer run in. Did a bit of the hauptallee and around the soccer stadium. Was not lost at any stage but probably did a couple more kms than expected.

We had a look at the big palaces at Belvedere and Schonbrunn over the next couple of days. Both extremely impressive structures and spaces but I do struggle with the idea that small sections of society have/had so much when the peasants starved. A philosophical debate for another time. Just when we thought we were getting the hang of the underground it was time to leave.

On to Washington

One of the curiosities of the ticket that we were flying on was that it is a Star Alliance around the world fare. It was booked through Air New Zealand but we fly with allied carriers. For this next leg We were ticketed with Air New Zealand for a United Airlines flight that ended up on an Austrian airlines airplane. Got us to where we needed to be.

There’s been a bit of conjecture about passport control and politics in the USA but I can speak to Anne and myself that the nice man at passport control was extremely professional and courteous. We had a short conversation about why we were coming to the USA. (to run marathons) and about marathon running and then he wished us well and sent us on our way.

Our Airbnb in Washington DC was in NOMA which is a shortening of North Of Massachusetts Ave, It is an eclectic area with Gallaudet University, a large african-american community, close to Union Station and the political centre of the city. It is a longish walk to the Capitol building, the White House and the Washington monument. We settled in and then on Friday made the trek down to pick up bib number for me for the Marine Corp marathon on Sunday. The actual bib pick up was easy. The adjacent expo was crowded and uncomfortable. We didn’t hang around.

I had thought to do the parkrun on Roosevelt Island on Saturday morning but it was cancelled due to the government shutdown. This was a theme for this part of the trip. All of the Smithsonian museums, the National arboretum and some of the parks were shut. It was extremely disappointing as we had made time to visit the Smithsonian’s. We have no plans to return to Washington any time in the future and if we’d known this was likely we would have spent more time in Vienna and less in Washington.

Marine Corp Marathon 2025

Sunday rolls around. The metro is running from 5.00 am and start time is 7.20 am. I had a couple of good hours of sleep but was awake and moving before the alarm went off, a fairly normal occurrence, A pastry, some yoghurt and the rest of the gatorade and out the door. Join up with all of the runners on the metro platform. It’s actually very comforting to see the crowd on the platform because you know that you are on the right track at the right time. Pretty much follow along with everyone all of the way to the start area. A couple of comfort stops and head to the start. Boy, was it a long way from the back to the front. I was in the red wave at 3:30 expected finish time so behind the really quick guys but with lots and lots of people behind me. Don’t trip over whatever you do.

The gun here is a howitzer. No missing it when it goes off. First the wheelies and then us. A slow shuffle down to the timing mat and then away. I set off with a plan to run conservatively. Nice plan. Crowd through Rosslyn was amazing, noisy and enthusiastic and we rolled along at around 4.40 / km. I was comfortable but found myself chasing runners when they came past which is not a good thing to do early in a marathon. Out of Rosslyn we headed out into an area of parks and bush which was really pretty and then back into town. There were a couple of up and down hills which wasn’t good for my pace judgement but I was still rolling along sub 3 hr 20 pace which was a bit quicker than perhaps wise.

Coming through the half we meet what is called the “Blue Mile” This very poignant stretch has posters with images of fallen servicemen all along it. It reminds us that we are very fortunate to be able to be out running and that we should be grateful to be doing so. Back around the point and up along the golf course and we start to get to the business end of the marathon. At mile 17 we head into the Wahington mall. At one time there was concern that the marathon wouldn’t take place as this area is under the control of Parks and they are not being paid during the shutdown. I don’t know what compromise they came to but we got to run. Mile 18 and 19 have crowds. Lots and lots of supporters out in the mall. Anne was here somewhere. She even has images of me but I couldn’t see her. There was still not a lot of running room and with some of the construction going on it was important to watch where we were going.

Starting to tire after 20 miles (32 km). I’ll have to admit I prefer kilometres. Miles seem to take forever to tick over and 10 miles doesn’t seem as satisfying as running 16 kilometers. We head back down to the Pentagon and Pentagon city. The crowds build again. There’s a bit of round and about through the streets and a carpark and a building site. I think some of the compromises are coming home to roost. Back up past the Pentagon and past the start area. In to the last mile (kilometres), The watch heads up to 42 kms but there’s still a bit to go. We see runners head off to the finishing chute up a very nasty little hill. Gosh!

Up the hill and into the chute. I think I recorded 42.6 km and that seems common to other people’s distances. Time of 3:22.16 was 4 and a half minutes quicker than Melbourne two weeks ago and finished 2nd in the Age group out of 358 and 1511 overall out of 30,182.

I gathered up my belongings and met up with Anne and Dave Howlett. The finish line party was just a mess with so many people looking for friends and family. There were also problems with the Rosslyn metro so we took the opportunity to head to the next metro station and get out of there. Popped into the local brewery on the way home for two beers and some chips and then a shower and a nap.

We left Washington Monday and headed here to Harrisburg in Pennsylvania for a couple of days. Thursday we move on to New York for the Marathon and Age Group Championship on Sunday. I’m still a little sore from last Sunday so it will be interesting to see how it goes, Still that’s two marathons down and one and a half to go. Over half way.

When Christmas was only last week

In 2024 I was fortunate enough to be quick enough to qualify for the World Age Group Championship in New York in November of 2025. In fairness, it did take a pretty hard run to get under the automatic qualifying time in Canberra 2024 but it was done. Later in 2024 I suffered an unusual setback when I had a bulging disc in my spine pressing on the spinal cord. This led to a particularly slow and painful run in the 2024 edition of the Age Group Champs in Sydney.

So with a bit of trepidation that I could come back but also a bit of redemption available, we accepted the challenge. One of the things about accepting for an event such as this is that flights, accommodation and training all have to be planned a long way in advance. Which then leads to a long, long lead in and a feeling that it will never get here. Until it does. The last couple of weeks involves long runs, paperwork, complaints about exchange rates, long runs and debates about weather. How cold, what to pack etc.

During a pretty standard winter Cross country season I put in a solid run at the Sunshine Coast to qualify for Cape town in 2026. (let’s get ahead of ourselves) and paced the Brighton beach Marathon. There were miles in the legs. There would need to be. I had signed up for the Melbourne marathon and then two weeks later the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington DC, another week to the New York Marathon and finally another week to finish off with the Rocky Run in Philadelphia. This a 5 km run followed by a 10 mile (16 km) effort.

To the first event.

The Melbourne Marathon of 2025

What do Marathon runners and farmers have in common ? An almost overwhelming desire to talk about the weather. Farmers, longer term, about seasons and drought and crops. Marathoners much shorter term what will the weather be on Sunday in two weeks time. Will it be too hot to run? Will it be windy? Will it be wet? Melbourne this year was no different. It must be remembered that Melbourne is already famous for four seasons in one day and that weather forecasts generally are taken as a suggestion not as fact.

Marathon day came around and the possible rain stayed away. Conditions were pretty well perfect at 10 degrees and overcast. 14,200 registrations were touted at the start which made it the biggest Melbourne marathon in history but also led to lots of congestion around the course. This, as mentioned above was only the first of three marathons and although important as my hometown marathon it was not one in which to hurt myself. This was my first one in my nice new green Spartan singlet presented to those who have run 10 Melbourne marathons. I set off at an easy pace of just on or just under 5 min/km which should work out to around 3hr 30 min. I had company with one of my training partners, Adrian, who was also looking to run around that time so we kept pace together and had a bit of a chat and kept half an eye on the 3 hr 30 pacers.

The first half was pretty well spot on at a touch over 1hr 45 and we were running fairly easily. There were moments around the drink stations where some runners demonstrated a lack of experience darting across the course and clogging up the first tables but all in all fairly uneventful. We headed down towards Elwood and the furthest point on the course. There was good crowd support at the turn but a fair bit of congestion as well. It was a chance to see some of the other runners that we know as they were going in the other direction. The weather was starting to warm a little and here we started to see our first runners starting to flag or cramp. We saw one runner fall tripping on the feet of the barrier off to the side. I’m not sure why he was that wide but may have been trying to get through a crowded area.

Around through St Kilda and up Fitzroy St, 30 km down. Still going along fairly well. Holding at around 4 min 45-50 sec /km so a bit in front of 3 hr 30 min but we know that the tough bit is yet to come.

Surprisingly for a marathon the hard part of Melbourne is not necessarily the last 10 km or even the hill up past the shrine. It is when the marathon and the half marathon merge and twice as many runners try and take up the same amount of road. The organisers try to keep the two events separate as long as they can with the marathon runners on the road near the trams and the half runners in the service lane up St Kilda road. Unfortunately the signage wasn’t that good and some of the half runners thought they should join the marathon. This wouldn’t be such a problem if they were running the same speed but they were not. The half runners were about a minute per km slower and causing a lot of trouble. Eventually this becomes moot because the separation stops and all of the runners share the same space. Marathon runners continually shout to try and get some clean running room and half runners try and stay out of the way. At least some of them.

It was in this section that I lost my running partner, Adrian, as I lost momentum going around City Road and under the St Kilda Road bridge. Going around near the Tan the half runners turn right and the marathon runners go straight ahead. This involves the two events crossing over with all sorts of excitement. At 35 km in a marathon.

Up around the Shrine of Remembrance and down Domain Road. Last hill done and still feeling pretty good. I passed the 3 hr 30 pacer. The pacers in Melbourne run to gun time which is a little unusual these days. Most events have the pacers run to their own nett time so they don’t have to chase time early to get on to the aim pace. I knew I was a couple of minutes under 3hr 30 but was expecting to run out of legs somewhere down here as we were going quicker than the pacing job I did in Brighton and not much slower than the Sunshine Coast. On to Flinders St and heading back to the MCG. The crowds build and the excitement also. The organisers split the half and marathon to get everyone a clean run along Brunton Ave but then strangely at the entrance to the ground it is necessary to cross over again for the final half lap of the ground.

Over the line in 3hr 26 min and 54 sec nett. Ended up as 2nd of 70 in my age group and with a (just) negative split for the event. Remarkably consistent even for me. Didn’t hurt anything so job done and then home to clean up, get organised and get on a plane to Vienna the following Thursday. But that is a tale for the next blog.

Anecdotally, I have heard there were 12,200 finishers so a number of did not starts or did not finish but the largest number of finishers ever. It seems there are plans in place to make that number even higher but that is going to take some pretty major changes to course. We wait with bated breath.

The Challenge

After it was announced that Cape Town in South Africa would be the site of the 2026 World Age Group Championship we sat down and wondered if

1. we could go there and

2. we could qualify.

The second one first. To qualify in my age group 65-69 there are two means of qualification. The first is to run sub 3:26 in one of the qualifying races, the second is to be one of the fastest X number of athletes to take up an invitation. It’s not entirely clear from the website what X is but it is contingent on the number of automatic qualifiers and the number of runners who are prepared to go to South Africa when invitations are sent out. I think further invitations are sent out when the original ones are refused up to that certain number. It would be far more desirable to run an automatic qualifier, it saves much angst.

The next challenge becomes to find a suitable race to try and run. The only available races in Australia after June were Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Sydney and Rottnest Island.

Gold Coast and Sydney sold out long ago. Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth is a four hour flight away. It is quicker and easier to go to New Zealand. Sunshine Coast and Townsville are on the same date and Townsville is much further North and thus more likely to be hot and inhospitable for marathon running. Sunshine Coast was the choice.

Training went well and I was not getting complaints from my back which was great although there are age related twinges and stiffness, c’est la vie. I ran the AthsVic 5 km on the road followed by the 8 km cross country and the 10 km on the road. All went well and I was holding on to decent times in the low 4 min/km range and finishing without too much damage so I was hopeful if everything went well……

To try and keep this adventure more affordable we flew Jetstar after promising never to use them again after our adventures in Hobart a couple of years ago when they cancelled our flight home. This time they were only 45 minutes late on the way up and two hours late on the way back. You do get what you pay for.

We caught up with running buddy Adam Bryce in Brisbane for a beer and then stayed with our younger son Luke. He kindly loaned us his car for the weekend and off we went. It’s a pretty easy hour drive from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast along the Bruce Highway. We stayed at a little rental unit just out of Mooloolaba. It was described as a cosy studio and that’s exactly what it was. It suited our requirements perfectly.

The Marathon

6.00 am start time. Means up and about at 4.00 am, down a pastry and a yoghurt, make sure I have everything necessary and out the door by 4.30. Twenty minute drive and find a park. All good. Still well before dawn but weather was about 10 degrees and the sky overcast so good conditions for marathon running. It was a long trek to the bag drop but I had given myself plenty of time so everything was in place.

My very clever plan was to stick with the 3:15 pacer for as long as possible and then hopefully be in a position to get to the finish without dropping the 10 minute buffer to be under 3:25. It was a great plan. Starter counts down to zero starting blast goes and we’re off. First part of the course is up the biggest hill on the course. Not really a problem as it is early in the event but unfortunately nobody told that to the pcer who went through the first km in 4:30 which is closer to 3 hr marathon time than 3:15. Fortunaately he settled down on the back side of the hill but we were about 40 seconds under time at 3 km. I was wondering when this would come back to bite me.

We come back over the hill and the pacer gets a little break on me, about 6 km in and I decide to stick with the original plan and work a bit to get back on the group of about fifteen to twenty runners. We get a light sprinkle of rain. Not enough to be annoying but enough that you know it’s there. Better than sunshine. We stay like that all of the way out of Maroochydore and on to the freeway. This is the new part of the course. The old course had us going back and doing another two shorter laps but the new course is on big loop and advertised as quicker and flatter. It’s still 42 km long.

The pacer starts to get a bit of a break again just after 21 km as we head into Twin Waters and this time I let him go. He was still well under 3:15 pace and the risk reward of holding on to him didn’t seem to make sense. There is no advantage for me in running 3:15 as opposed to 3:20. My stated aim in big letters was SUB 3:26 not sub 3:15. It is very easy to drop ten minutes at the end of a marathon. It’s not easy to pick up minutes if you lose them. The leaders come back the other way, Ryan Gregson being paced by Brett Robinson. Ryan won by about four minutes in 2:15. The nice thing about this is when you see the leaders you know that eventually you will get to turn around. It also gives you a chance to look out for other old blokes to get an idea of where you might be in the race for Age group awards. I couldn’t see anyone who looked as ragged as me. I’m not sure whether that’s a recommendation or not.

Around the turn and heading back. It’s a pretty spot out there and will certainly be photogenic if, as they were saying, it becomes the Olympic marathon course in 2032. Back over the freeway bridge with the sun out. Fortunately, not cooking up as it might have but starting to warm up.

With about 8 km to go I started doing that thing where arithmetic becomes important. I had been holding 4.45 minutes/ km and so had a couple of minutes below 3:26 up my sleeve but starting to get to the hard part. It gets worse.

We turned on to the course at Maroochydore to find ourselves smack in the middle of the half marathon field. Just like in Melbourne the two events merge but they merge at different paces. Imagine driving on a freeway at 100 km/hr and then hitting a full three lanes of traffic doing 70 km/hr. That’s about this. The half marathoners we merged into were running around 5.30 min/km across the width of the course while we tried to go around them and maintain 4.45 min/km. As a positive it also meant that we couldn’t get transfixed by our watches and start to panic about time slipping away because there was no opportunity to look at them. Try to remain calm and positive. I still had time and I appreciate that this is their event as much as it is mine. Not fun but certainly gave us more to think about than just how much everything was starting to hurt. I’m not sure how much time it cost but certainly a significant amount.

Around on to the esplanade and the course widens for the run home. It didn’t feel this far when I dropped the bag this morning. Lots of people and lots of noise. Surrounded by half marathoners and a couple of marathoners. Into the chute and over the line. Stop the watch 3:20’04. Nearly six minutes under my qualifying time. Job Done.

It took a fair while to get out of the finish area and then to pick up my bag and get out of there. It is something the organisers will need to look at in future but really I couldn’t have asked for better for me. Maybe I could have picked up 20-30 seconds without the half runners but it didn’t make any difference to what I was trying to achieve.

Final result was 3:20.03 officially and I won the 65-69 Age Group. We headed back to the studio for a shower, a sleep catch up and then out to a nearby. very pleasant pub for a beer and chips.

Monday was back to Brisbane for a catch up with friends and then to the airport where we were first evacuated, the fire alarmed, and then delayed. Finally home again to Melbourne 3.00 am Tuesday. Whew!

From Here

The way the system works.

Sunshine Coast has to confirm their results and then these are forwarded to the Abbott people. They check the result and slot it into the system. Then, all going well, they send me confirmation and invitation to the Age Group Championship. According to where I slot in at the moment I rank at 125 in the world and now have an automatic invitation by time.

Then comes logistics. That’s another blog in the future.

The Long Run

It’s been eight months since my last marathon. Kind of sounds like a confessional, doesn’t it? The break was probably longer than I would have liked but the last two hurt as I managed a bulging disc and lack of kms through Sydney and Melbourne marathons. After a break we started a maintenance schedule with gentle running and no racing. The idea was to keep moving and hope that the back would settle down with time. There was a time when I wondered whether I could run beyond a shuffle and then a time that I wondered whether I could run to a standard I could be content with. Unfortunately, until you give racing a try you just never know how it will react.

Also in that time major life changes have come along with Dad’s health slowly spiraling down over several months involving repeated admissions to hospital until his body finally gave out. During this time we’d mind Lady the dog, always with the thought that she would be going home.

After Dad left us came the exciting job of clearing 60 years of accumulated “stuff”. A garage sale, many trips to the Charity stores, two truckloads of metal waste, 3 skips. Wouldn’t have been surprised to find a partridge in a pear tree but finally, the house was ready for sale. It was sold at auction and settlement looms. This chapter ends. Time becomes freer.

I maintained the slow maintenance running schedule with the knowledge that I had several marathons mapped out in 2025 starting with Melbourne in October, Marine Corp in Washington, end of October and New York at the start of November. At some point we all knew there would have to be a step up. The long runs.

A couple of the group signed up for the Ballarat marathon. I wasn’t ready but thought I could run the Half. Too late, sold out. Gold Coast marathon in July, sold out, Sydney, sold out. Best option seemed to be the Traralgon Marathon, a small country marathon of about 100 runners. A double out and back course on the Gippsland Rail trail. Open, dirt trail with very little elevation change. I put in a couple of building runs up to 32 km during a couple of solid weeks and ran a cross-country race of 12 km with AthsVic. I kind of got to the point where if I didn’t commit now I’m not sure when I would.

5 am into the car with Anne along as support in case I needed driving home. 3 degrees and foggy all the way down the two hour drive. Picked up the number, met up with George. Zero degrees and frosty and off we went. I had in my mind the long plan. If I can run sub 3.26 in a World Age Group Qualifying event there is a trip to Capetown a possibility for the World Age Group Championship in 2026. Talk about getting ahead of oneself.

The first catch, of course, is can I finish a marathon and second, could I reach any pace at all? I had run just under 5 min/km the week before in Cross Country over 12 km on a rough, up and down course in very windy conditions so I thought to start out with the 3.30 pacer, Ben who we knew already as he lives locally. That seemed comfortable so I then ran a bit in front of him and joined up with a young bloke from down around Traralgon for company. We ran through to the turn and back steadily.

My aim was simply to get through to the half, sub1.45, declare that a win and then concentrate on finishing. After such a long break I wasn’t confident of what would happen after 30 km but I thought if I could convince myself that I could get to the half then with more training 3.26 is not out of the question. I passed through 21.1 km in 1.41 so job well done and off again. I made it out to the turn for the second time and was expecting to fall apart coming back in but was starting to catch the back runners of the half marathon. Their encouragement kept me going although the distance was starting to tell. The last 5 kms were challenging but I was still moving forward and passing half runners. It became apparent that we were going to be in excess of the expected 42.195 km when I hit 42.2 km with still a distance to go. Crossed the line in 3.35 and 42.9 km. I asked a couple of other runners and commonly the distance sat round 42.9 km. I figure on an AIMS certified course, on road and with a real block of training there is a real chance to get to Capetown. I won the 60+ age group so very happy with how it all went. George was second in the age group so we had a club 1-2

A couple of hurdles loom.

George and I with Knox legend Peter O’Halloran

The little dog

Cute, small and fluffy also old, wearing out and spoilt. All descriptors for Lady, the 14-year-old Spitz cross belonging to my father. We told Dad when his previous dog passed that if he wanted another and it outlived him then we would care for it. And so it came to pass.

After Dad died life was traumatic for all of us and not least of all for Lady the dog. Lady was accustomed to being the centre of attention, almost limitless treats and limited exercise with her mobility challenged master. A change of address and diet, her exercise increased, she lost weight and adapted. Unfortunately, very poor socialization meant she was not good with other dogs. Where does this meet with long runs? No, we are not extending her exercise out to long runs. Small and fluffy not border collie.

It has presented us with difficulties in travelling to long runs. In the past I have run marathons around the country and overseas. Sure it involves planning, but generally getting on a plane, checking into a hotel, running, getting back on a plane and going home. Or, hopping in the car, driving for 2, 4 ,6, 8 or 10 hours, checking into a hotel, running etc… With her poor socialization we can’t leave her with people with other dogs. With hotels and airplanes, no dogs allowed. With her age and health a kennel wouldn’t be a viable alternative.

Add to this now she is on the mend from an exercise induced injury. Believe it or not, on a walk down the street she snapped her Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL). A football injury. A dear friend who is a vet has repaired her but she is still recovering. While she is at the vets we managed to sneak in the trip to Traralgon. Still would have happened but she would have been in the back of the car.

Where to from here ?

The conundrum is this. Run Sub 3.26 in either of the Sunshine Coast or Townsville Marathons, both on Augst 3rd. Other events are either sold out (Gold Coast, Sydney) or 3000 km away (Perth, Rottnest Island). I had a brief thought of heading to New Zealand but airfares are prohibitive with a trip to New York coming up. Best bet is Sunshine Coast, a lightning trip. Up on Friday, back on Monday and rely on the kindness of friends to mind the dog. Go hard and then go home. It will be a chance to catch up with our younger son Luke who lives in Brisbane so that would also be a positive.

There is an outside chance of sub 3.26 in New York as I chase the speedy Avi Moss of Texas and Michael Brosilow of Chicago before post race beers but the course and crowds aren’t really conducive to fast times. Never say never.

There are very few chances for long races before August but I’m hoping to put together a good training block that will set me up for the series of Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, Marine Corp and New York. Interestingly that will get me to 66 marathons in total before I turn 67 in November.

Interesting times ahead. I have a couple of aches and pains from the marathon last Sunday but I’m feeling far more positive than I was a week ago. I know it’s still in there we just have to be patient and tease it out. Don’t break anything.

It’s amazing what one good run will do.

The Run

2024 was my eleventh Melbourne Marathon, each of them different and each special in their own way. When I ran my first back in 2003 we ran point to point from Frankston to Melbourne. It was a long way and it was to be one and done. Nevertheless the lure of a better performance and changes to the course have brought me back another ten times and I now proudly call myself a Melbourne Marathon Spartan

In 2024 we had good weather and conditions. Cool but clear with a bit of wind to roll in later. I hadn’t had an ideal preparation with a back problem leading to a very difficult run in Sydney four weeks before. In the intervening weeks I had more consistent running but there was no time to get the long runs under the belt so we decided to run a conservative event and treat this as a long training run. The whole aim was simply to get through and not suffer as I had done in Sydney.

With that in mind I wasn’t too concerned to be further back at the start than I would normally be. I could see the 3:40 pacer up ahead and lots and lots of runners. The start was eventful as runners pushed through slower runners and tried to get some running room. We went through 1 km in 5:14 which is about where I wanted to be so I settled down and rolled along. With a bit more space 5 minute kilometres were pretty easy so I spotted the 3:30 pacers and used them as a gauge to keep my pace steady. The day started to warm up and was pretty dry so I was mindful of the need for a drink at most of the water stations. Seeing a number of runners cramping later on made me grateful that I had gotten enough fluid in. I think Boston earlier in the year had taught me that it is not necessarily the heat that can get to you. There it was cool but dry and many people suffered the same fate.

Down onto Beaconsfield parade and through the half on a good schedule and feeling OK. This was the first point at which we noticed that the wind was starting to get up. I reached the turn around down at Elwood at 23 km and wondered if and when the pain was going to start. In Sydney I hit the wall about this point and the lost nearly an hour in the last 19 km. I figured anything from here was going to be a bonus and would lower my comparative time. I was, however, feeling pretty good. I was rolling along at 5 min / km without too much drama. There was a bit of a headwind but nothing too difficult. I knew that I would run out of legs sooner or later but just kept at it. Up to Fitzroy street where there is a hill that leads to the merge with the half marathon runners, 30 km down.

We merged with the half runners and I passed the 2hr 20 pacer so those around them were running at just under 7 min/km. This made it difficult to maintain 5 min/km as we dodged and weaved around them. Most of the runners were pretty good but there were groups that were not. The half runners came out of Albert Park on our left and most stayed over to the left to give marathon runners a clear run. We could use the lane on St Kilda road adjacent to the tram track so that helped. However down behind the Arts Centre on a dodgy little back street there was not room for any finesse and all runners were caught up in the chaos. Coming around onto Linlithgow Ave near the Sydney Myer music bowl half runners went to the right and marathon runners straight ahead so half runners had to move from the left to the right side of the course.

I lost a bit of time and momentum up St Kilda Road and around into the gardens and this at 35 km is the last significant hill on the course so it was hard to get it back. I slogged up the hill and could feel I was starting to fatigue. Down Domain Road I was hoping to stride out a little and get some momentum toward the finish but I was running out of puff. The last 3 km was a bit tough but I was happy that I kept up a pace a bit over 5.10 / km through to the finish and it never really blew out. Into the MCG and around the lap of the plastic. I’m not sure of the point of covering the grass with a plastic layer, maybe to define the course but it always feels that you aren’t really running on the ground.

Finished in 3:38’53 for fifth in my Age Group and did no serious damage. Could I have gone faster? Maybe, but the chances of blowing up and really hurting myself would have been much higher. I would have to have gone out faster and hoped for the best without any logical belief that this was possible.

Time for a break and to build some strength in my back and core and to try and get some speed back into the ageing legs, A bit more track running and hills and even a bit of (ugh) stretching.

The Lead Up

After a successful trip overseas to Boston and Big Sur we turned our sights to the Sydney Marathon which incorporated the World Age Group Championship. On home soil and on Australian Eastern time this was an easy drive, a marathon and an easy drive home. I’d had a break after Big Sur and planned to put together a sixteen week training block and have a go at a (for me) competitive time.

16 weeks out. Very early on there were indications that not all was right with the world. A run here or there would take a little longer than normal or would take more effort. I put this down to the break and thought a little more work and some distance in the legs would see it all come right.

Nine weeks out. Problems. I tackled my first long run, a 30 km Sri Chinmoy event around Princes Park. This is six laps of 5 km with a hill at the 4 km mark. Dirt around the back and bitumen for the balance. It had been raining so the dirt section had some pretty serious puddles to avoid and it was pretty cool. Finished in 2:24 and won my age group. I pulled up a bit sore but it was my first run over 25 km and was quite cold. Tuesday night I ran an easy track session on the bike path and then on Wednesday morning I couldn’t walk to the end of the street…….

Problems Big, Big Problems

Walking, even short distances involved a feeling like someone sticking a knife into my hip, just behind the hip flexor and then grinding it through the joint to the top of the quadricep muscle. Every step hurt and the effect was that the leg woudn’t bear weight. Not promising with the marathon nine weeks away. I took the obvious to an old bloke approach that this was another minor problem and taking it easy for a day or two should fix it. Nope.

By Friday I gave in and made an appointment with the Physio. Dan is a nice young man with the typical Physio mean streak in him. He poked and prodded a bit to see what hurt and how he could make it hurt a bit more and then decided it may have been a soleus muscle strain in the gluteus. A bum strain in short.

A painful massage later things had loosened up a bit and we thought signs were positive. He suggested an MRI of the hip to be sure and as we were now 8 weeks out from Sydney off I went to Doctor Isaac for a referral and an MRI. Came back as normal wear and tear for age.

Hmmm. Next step up is the back. Pain might be referred from spinal nerve damage. So back we went for another MRI that showed a lesion in the L4/5 vertebrae. Dr Isaac suggested a CT guided cortisone injection into the spine. This took a couple of days to organise. Five and a half weeks before the marathon. Haven’t been out of a walk for four weeks. I asked the doctor about the likelihood of running in the near future and was given the guarded “do as your body tells you”. Not promising as my body was telling me to go and have a holiday in the sunshine.

Post Injection.

Things started to improve. Injection Thursday, walking Friday slowly, better over the weekend. I could put weight onto my leg without discomfort but we were now only four and a half weeks out. Gentle 5 km run Tuesday. Started to slowly build up distance over the next two weeks with ten and twelve km runs. I needed to find out if there was any chance to run the marathon. I needed to try a longer run.

Sandy Point Half

The Sandy Point Half is a pretty simple event. 10.5 km down Beach road, turn at the cones and run 10.5 km back. I had volunteered ages ago to be 1:45 pacer. 5 minutes/km. Simples ! I had advised the organisers that I was having issues with my back and wasn’t supremely confident but thought I could manage what is a comfortable pace for me. I was wrong. Weather was nice, cool and not much breeze, ideal running weather really. After about 8 km it became clear that I was working way too hard for the pace and if I continued at that pace I would blow up and not finish. The culprit was my left quadricep that again felt like there was a knife stuck in it. I threw away the pacing balloon, told the other pacer and jogged it in. I could hold 5.20 min /km and finished in 1:51. I was pretty sore again for a couple of days and obviously this was not the boost that I was hoping for but with little or no training for six weeks not a surprise. It didn’t give me any guide as to what I could expect nor any confidence that I could double the distance in three weeks with no time to build up.

Sydney Marathon – The Age Group World Championship

On to the main event. We had a bit of family crisis to deal with which meant Anne had to stay in Melbourne. I was on my own. Drive to the little town of Yerong Creek, South of Wagga which now boasts a lovely little cafe for a stay overnight with my sister and husband and then on to Umina Beach, North of Sydney for another overnight stay this time with my nephew Thom, his partner Greta and their two kids Eliot and Miriam. Friday into town on the train. A very pretty train trip if anyone gets the chance.

Friday night was the Meet and Greet for the Age Group Champs with a harbour cruise. I managed to catch up with Avi and Lisa and a cohort of Houston runners and a bunch of guys from Melbourne all under the sunset and lights of Sydney Harbour. A good night had by all.

Saturday I woke up early, strange bed, sleeping alone and decided to Parkrun. The local run Piramma was on part of the marathon course so that was useful and it is a very pretty course with a view of the harbour bridge. Ran 24.11 with a stop to take a photo so under 5 min/km. From there it was over to the Opera House for the picture of the runners who were to compete the next day. Wow! What a crowd. The rest of the day was spent resting up as the marathon was a 6.00 am start which means an even earlier rise to get there.

Sunday 3.00 am. Time to get going. Check the gear, go to the toilet. Hear noise next door. I didn’t realise they were runners too. Nope. Turns out they were just getting home from a night out as I was leaving. Funny old world. Metro from Barangaroo to Victoria Cross, short walk up and into the gathering area. Dark, very windy but not too cold.

5.15 gear bag in, last toilet stop, gather in the corral, out to the start and away. Sun was just up but cool and windy as we head down the first kilometre to the bridge. down to the bridge and then up onto it. The view is spectacular as the dawn rises over the harbour. I’m trying to settle in to something a little over 5 min/km. If I could Parkrun 4:50 then 5:05-5:10 should be doable. Down off the bridge and around through Darling Harbour. Everything holding together, still lots of people around and the quick runners of the “A” corral coming past. Up through Barangaroo and past the Hotel. If I’d known what was coming I might have stopped in for a rest and a coffee.

At 10 km I was around 50 minutes. It was still very windy and there are a couple of hills so I was pretty happy with how it was going. We went across Oxford St and out past the Cricket ground and on to Anzac Parade for the long out and back up to 21km. Hit the half in 1:38. Double that is 3:36, Add 10 minutes for 3:46. Would be happy with that.

I hit 23 km and 23 km hit back. Within 500 metres all of the go in my legs had gone. I had always known that this was a possibility but was hoping to get to 30 km or beyond before having to face it. The idea was then to heroically jog in at 5:30 / km and finish brightly. The reality was much, much different .

My quads basically gave out. I could do no more than shuffle and there was no brightly about it. Any attempt to speed up was met with massive indifference and threats of strike action. Uphills were bad, downhills were worse. Runners came past. Many gave words of encouragement. Thom running his first marathon came past. David running a typically solid race came past. George following up from Kangaroo Island a week before came past. There was nothing I could do but persist. 30 k around the park, 35 km back into town, 40 km agony down to Lady Macquarie’s chair and not much better coming up. Finally, to the Finish line. The young and enthusiastic running through as I shuffled in. Job done.

After a sit down came a slow walk back to the pub we were meeting at. I met up with family and friends and enjoyed sitting very still and a couple of pints of Guiness. Later. I made it back to the hotel and slept for a couple of hours, then out to the presentation dinner. Monday back to pick up the car and down to Canberra and Tuesday home. A long, long weekend.

What did I learn about Myself

I like to think that I am self aware enough to know that I am not superman. This was an occasion to remind myself of that. There is always the movie version or the advertising jingle that says all we need to do is want it enough and we can overcome anything. If finishing is enough then OK I’m happy with that. I wanted it enough to finish and I did.

What I couldn’t achieve was the Fairy tale. In that there would have been a burst of energy, a beam of light, maybe a chorus of Angels and a negative split. But would it have been justice? 9 weeks of interrupted training, six weeks including parts where I could hardly walk, medical procedures and physiotherapy to get to the start line and you want rainbows as well? Sorry. the real world doesn’t run like that. I think I’ll take the finish and be grateful. Next year in New York we’ll work on better.

Where to from here ?

Melbourne marathon in three weeks. I have no time commitments and no plan to race. It will be slow and steady and don’t look at the watch.

After that I’ll go back and talk to Physio Dan and we’ll see about a rehab plan for the back and hip which will no doubt involve lots of stretching and strengthening. There is a tightness in the left hip flexor which doesn’t allow it to straighten. I think that is what is throwing the pressure forward on to the quadricep muscle,

From there.

Who knows?

Is this the new normal ?

Time will tell.

Canberra, Boston and Big Sur

Three marathons, four weeks. Of course we can do it, and half way around the world into the equation. Hmmm… Let’s see.

Canberra Marathon

Typical for Canberra, very early (6.15 am) start on a cool, overcast day. Not as cold as last year but still very fresh. Pretty good running conditions. I was feeling reasonably positive at 5.00 am when I set out for the drive to the start, All of the pre-start preparation went well, gear on, get parked in plenty of time, toilet stops done, vaseline the rubby bits and then we lined up and were off in seemingly no time. Up around Parliament house and back down to the lake. The first five kilometres were over nice and easily. About 22.5 minutes so steady, maybe a touch quick. Aim here was to run better than 3:26 the qualifying time for the World Age Group Championship in 2025. With good conditions I thought it would be doable without hurting myself too much for the two marathons to follow. If I could get it done here then the pressure comes off for Boston and Big Sur.

Through 10 km and still a touch quick but rolling along nicely. Canberra is quite a hilly course. Up to Parliament, down to the lake, up around Telopea park, down to the lake, back up around the front of Parliament, back down to the lake. You get the picture.

At half way there isn’t a marker but by following the Garmin for 100m past the 21 km marker I was through there in 97 and a bit minutes. Still on for a pretty good time. Over the Commonwealth Ave bridge and onto the boring part of the course, the freeway. The organisers have altered timings this year so that we don’t run into the half marathoners at this point and it makes for much freer running. It’s still boring. It is also a long downhill to the turnaround and a long grind back up the hill. Just after the turn is the 30 km mark so a good time for a long uphill grind. By the time we get to the Kings Ave bridge at 36 km after 6 km on the freeway the legs are voting for change of pace and scenery. We slow a little bit but the last part is another loop around Telopea park so the scenery stays the same. Starting to feel the pain but into the last couple of kilometres and still looking at well under 3:20 so incentive to keep pushing. Over the line in 3:17 so job done. (As a postscript Abbott have sent the invitation for the Championship. We don’t know where or when but that’s a problem for another time).

Job done. Back to Geoff and Lynda’s for recovery and then Monday the lazy 8 hour trip home. Wash everything, pack and on Wednesday fly out to Auckland and then Houston.

Houston, a stopover and meeting new friends

We had one night in Houston so I contacted Avi Moss who I’d met in London a couple of years ago to ask if there were any good running tracks around the airport as we would be staying out there overnight. He responded by saying we could stay with him and Lisa Thompson his partner and an elite para athlete in her own right and run with their group. The run didn’t work out due to very slow border security at Houston airport but I did get a little loosener upperer in and Avi and Lisa took us to meet their running group over a couple of beers at their local bar at the University. It was extremely generous of them and a great reflection on the running community of Houston. Maybe we’ll get back there for the marathon another year.

Boston Marathon

So, on to Boston. I was having more trouble than usual with jet lag on this trip and the dryness of the air conditioning seemed to be affecting my ears so I was a little out of sorts leading into the marathon.

We met up with some friends that we had met by chance in Wanaka in New Zealand prior to the Queenstown marathon. While out on a walk there we had bumped into BJ and Ripp Rippberger. We were chatting about the walk and Queenstown marathon, and they mentioned that they lived in Boston and that we should catch up with them. We did that and they very generously chauffeured us up the coast from Boston through a couple of the smaller towns to the north that we had only ever heard of from stories and television like Salem and Marblehead. It was interesting to see the impressive houses and boats in that part of the world. We even tried the local favourite , the lobster roll.

The Boston Marathon has its own little quirks. One is that it starts at 10.30 am for my wave so in addition to everything else the timing makes nutrition difficult. How much can I eat before getting on a bus for an hour trip out to the start and how much before the event itself. I think in the end I needed more than I took in but that isn’t how it felt at the time. Aim here was to try to repeat the run of the week before. Boston is an easier course than Canberra and the weather was warmer. I was feeling OK on the start line but had another terrible night’s sleep beforehand. All the conditions were about to jump on me.

I started well, except that after 200 metres I needed a wee. Been to the toilet several times, no excuse for the bladder. Had to wee. Very hard to concentrate. Shouldn’t need it. Need a wee. Jumped into a portaloo a couple of kilometres in, lost 40 seconds but felt so much better. Through 5 kilometres I wsn’t far off what I’d run for the same distance in Canberra. With the toilet break it meant that I was probably 30 seconds quicker over the 5 km. This should have given me a warning to back off. I rationalized it by being downhill whereas Canberra had a pretty serious climb in the first five km. Should have listened.

Through 10 km and feeling good, a couple of small towns Framingham, Ashland, all with great crowds and high excitement. Through the scream tunnel that is the Wellsley girls college at Wellesley at 21 km. I consciously looked around going through the towns knowing it was unlikely that I would ever be here again. The support is amazing with people three and four deep through all of these small towns. Went through the half in 95 minutes and had a fleeting idea of 3:15. The day was warming up.

I was trying to get a mouthful of water at each water station, located a mile apart and thought I was doing a reasonable job of hydration but the combination of lack of sleep, jetlag and the marathon a week earlier came back to bite me. Almost as soon as we hit the first rise in Newton the legs called it a day. Unfortunately, we still had another 15 km to go. From here it was simply survival mode.

I was wearing a black armband in honour of my mentor, coach and friend Geoff Warren who passed away a week. earlier. Quitting was not an option. I tried to remember some of the advice and some of the stories that Geoff had related over the years both to pass the time and also to sideline the pain that was building with the passing kilometres.

Shuffle along and get up the hills as best as possible and try to roll down the downhills. I lost something like 10 minutes in the last 10 kilometres. The day had warmed up to one of the warmer marathon days that Boston has seen and there were runners cramping all over the course. It hurt but at this stage there was nothing to be done. I wasn’t cramping although there were some moments when I’m sure parts of me were thinking that might be a good idea.

Into town and to the final stage of right onto Hereford and left onto Boylston. I was trying to use the energy of the crowd to get over the line. Down the final straight and over the line, Made it !

Finished in 3:28 and 21st in my Age group. Certainly nothing to be sneezed at but I think this was an opportunity for something better that just got away.

Interestingly with time this run has looked better than I had originally thought. A week later and I came across some stats for the event including 980 did not finish. 120 hospitalizations with heat stroke, 1200 treated on the course. The hottest event since 2017. It hurt but I finished. Sometimes I need to give myself more credit.

Montreal/Quebec

We had made a conscious decision not to hang around Boston. We had been here before in 2015 and had walked the Freedom trail and taken in some of the sights that this city has to offer. It is pretty darned expensive over Marathon weekend and we thought we might be better served getting out and seeing something new. There is a great deal of history in Boston and it certainly worth the time to visit but it was time to move on. We flew out on the Tuesday after the Monday marathon still a bit sore and sorry and headed for Montreal in Canada.

Montreal is in the province of Quebec and is part of French speaking Canada. We had a look at several histories and still couldn’t see how that has happened. The French settled in Canada and were trading with the native American tribes and then the English moved in and took it over. The French speaking traders seemed to have remained as part of the colony. The new Canadians then repelled several attacks from the United States who were intent on expansion. As near as I can tell from there it was a matter of the French speaking peoples having a larger affect on the population and it has now passed to the point where it is the official language of Quebec. We, of course, speak little French beyond Bon Jour. It’s not big in Melbourne. What we did find what that most Quebecois are bilingual and very forgiving of our ignorance.

Montreal has some lovely architecture and is justifiably proud of its Old Town. The area back from the port has been retained with cobbled streets and marvelous old buildings that give the city much of its character. While in Montreal we ventured out to the Olympic precinct where the Olympics were held in 1976. The main stadium is still there and the velodrome has been converted to a biodome containing five distinct ecosystems from tropical through to arctic. We saw Puffins ! Also penguins and a lynx and racoons and several other animals and birds we’d never seen before. We couldn’t pick out the sloth in the tree although we were assured it was there.

We headed further North to Quebec City for the weekend. This isn’t the furthest North we have been that is still Helsinki in Finland which is several degrees of latitude further North but Quebec was in early Spring with changeable weather and a biting cold wind. It is an interesting city, a fair bit smaller than Montreal and more fortified. The river here is narrower and Quebec City sits on a pronounced hill that gives it an overview of all the traffic coming up and down the river. There are still many of the old cannons and emplacements left to demonstrate that they didn’t take defense of the city lightly. There are also fortifications to explore and the Fairmont Hotel which is advertised as the most photographed Hotel in the world. We took a picture. We tried poutine a local specialty. Basically melted cheese curd over potato french fies and smothered in a rich gravy. Comfort food. Pretty good.

We woke up one morning to a sunny morning and thought we should get out and do some touristing. Then we looked at the weather report of -4 degrees outside and decided we might wait at least until it made it to zero. No we weren’t in Melbourne where it rarely gets below 4 or 5 degrees even in Mid Winter and this is supposed to be Mid to Late Spring ! We spent one day looking at Montmorency falls which are very impressive and one day out at the other end of the bus route looking at the original site of settlement. It was there we noticed gentle flakes of something white floating around us. We were being snowed upon. It was dry so we weren’t getting wet but it was very, very cold.

Back to Montreal and the weather stayed biting cold. We spent one morning watching it snow outside the hotel. Amazingly enough the sky then cleared and the snow that had fallen evaporated so although it was still cold it was pleasant enough to go and look at one of the parks that juts out into the St Lawrence river. On the way back Anne spotted a large furry critter. A groundhog. About the size of a large cat but more in character with our wombat, it was the first of a number of these that we saw poking up out of the ground in various open areas. Our last day in Montreal was spent out at the old EXPO site that is now used as an exhibition space and parkland. The US pavillion there has been donated to the city and is called the biosphere and was designed by Buckminster Fuller as a geodesic dome. It dominates that part of the park and can be seen from across the river in the city proper.

Big Sur

Having spent 11 days recovering from Boston and Canberra with a lot of walking and several runs it was time to complete the challenge and head to Big Sur. We never actually made it to Big Sur itself. There had been a landslip on Highway 1 just North of the Bixby bridge at Rocky Creek. This is just over halfway on the normal Big Sur course. This year it would be modified to a 19.5 km out and 19.5 back with a 3.2 km (2 mile) extra loop at Point Lobos to make up the marathon distance. The pianist who plays a grand piano on the approach to the Bixby bridge under normal circumstances was relocated to about the 12 km mark so we were able to appreciate his efforts on both legs. He was playing Let it Be when I was heading down and the Theme from Chariots of fire on the way back with a crowd of people watching on and taking pictures

The start and finish was to be in Carmel. The start at 6.15 am just on dawn. Carmel doesn’t have accommodation for that many runners so buses ferry runners from Monterey down to the start at 4.30 am. Ouch! We set off and I set myself the task of not running in front of the 3:20 pacer. I knew from Boston the dangers of going out too hard and so had picked a time I felt I could handle if I could maintain discipline. The run is all on Highway 1 down along the coast and is advertised as the Run on the Ragged Edge of the World. The first couple of kilometres is on coastal road but not particularly scenic until it opens up and you can see spectacular scenery all of the way down the coast. I ran very easily behind the 3:20 pacer and then with the group and then just a little in front of them down to the turn. We could see the Bixby bridge but weren’t to run over it. On the way back I ran over the half marathon mat at 98.45 so beautifully on target. If we can hold it together for the second half.

On the way back we ran into a pronounced headwind. It was one climb that seemed to have the wind funneled right up through it. There was certainly a moment of trepidation and I’m sure it was not just me that it affected. The idea of slogging back into a solid headwind for 15-20 kms was not at all attractive so I think we were all a little relieved to find that it only seemed to be prevalent at that particular place. For the rest of the event the wind was much lighter and from slightly off to an angle. Up through 30 km and still everything going well. The camber on the road was annoying being very pronounced and hard on the lower legs but I was feeling really good. I wondered if this was the calm before the storm but was pretty positive as I wasn’t getting any pain signals from the legs or hips. In fact, I seemed to be runnng easier at this point than I had been earlier. We made it to the loop around Point Lobos. I was looking forward to some wild view from somewhere down near the point but it wasn’t to be. The road took us down to the loop at the bottom of the park but no closer. I think there might have been a walk down to a view but it wouldn’t have been suitable for runners in a competitive event. C’est la Vie.

Back onto the main road and only one hill to get up. It was always going to be a doozey. Just after the start was a long downhill so we knew at the finish there would be a long uphill. And so it was. Still, I was feeling so much better than Boston and even than Canberra so I was very happy to get over the top and see the finish. Ran through in 3:20.30. First in my age group which won me a nice timber plaque and a voucher for a pair of HOKA shoes. Same catch as occurred in NZ. They only ship to the USA. I’m not sure why events declare themselves international if their prizes are only claimable in the country they are won. Fortunately, I now know some people who will forward a pair of shoes for me. Just annoying.

So what did we learn

Three marathons in four weeks. All under 3:30. Won my age group in two out of the three. The slowest was the middle one so not seeing accumulation of damage or fatigue. I think the most interesting revelation for me is to take advantage of circumstance when it is available. The quickest marathon was the first and this gave me the chance to qualify for the World Age Group Championship 2025 which we did. A more conservative approach might have been to take Canberra, being the first marathon of the block. a bit easier and use it as a training run for one of the other two. This then would have put pressure on in the second event at Boston in conditions that were not conducive, for me, to a good time. It should be noted that many athletes had good runs in Boston so the heat is not an excuse for poor pacing and fueling.

Where to from here ? Pacing 3:45 in Brisbane in June should be fun and then a bit of a break and then coming back in for a program to run the Age Group Championships in Sydney in September. I’d like to run quicker there than in Canberra and I think that will be achievable all things going well. That would then parley into time qualifying for New York in 2025. I was 22 minutes under their qualifying with a 3:23 in Queenstown last year. Canberra’s 3:17 would be 28 minutes under. This years cut off was 25 minutes. Another couple of minutes should make it sure. Last one for this year will be my 11th Melbourne marathon and then we’ll re-assess where we are at and what we would like to do. Only Tokyo and New York to be done to complete the Abbott majors for the second time. One more Canberra to become a griffin. Places to see things to do.

Everyone, once in their life, should see a puffin.

Where we explore the relationship between marathon running and time.

Apart from the obvious biophysical factors involved in running where skeletal muscles and tendons exert force on the ground to propel us forward there is a far more interesting branch of physics that affects all marathon runners.
It was Doctor Who who described it best when he referred to fluctuations in space time as “timey wimey”. Recent ground breaking theories in physics have also suggested that time is not a constant as we have all been led to believe.

Marathon runners would have been able to provide evidence for this for years. When we look to enter a marathon particularly any of the major marathons we look far into the future and send off our application secure in the knowledge that nothing needs be done now. The event is months and even nearly a year away in some cases. A qualifying time for the 2025 World Age Group Championships can be run right now, in the right event, even though the Championship itself has no scheduled venue or date. When to start training? Who knows?
With months to prepare little achievements occur. Flights are booked and accommodation. Still, not much to worry about. A couple of events to stay interested, a bit of track work but the marathon stays stubbornly in the distance. Until it isn’t…

Our normal build up is 12-16 weeks depending on the event. Still plenty of time. Not as many months but still months away. The seconds are starting to contract but all is well.

A bit of soreness, a missed session, family responsibilities. Changed flights, rescheduled to different cities, changing accommodation, eight weeks, seven, six….

Friday we leave for the first of three marathons over the next four weeks. That’s the day after tomorrow.
Last Sunday, Easter Sunday, and the car decided to throw an ignition coil. 8 hour drive coming up Friday. Tuesday Ben the mechanic saved the day. Big shout out to Ben. Car is back and purring. Whew! Time continues…Stress levels rise.

Time is getting short to make sure everything is in place. We come back from Canberra Monday. Get everything together and clean Tuesday and fly out to Boston via Auckland and Houston Wednesday. The seconds that were so free and easy not long ago are now rapidly counting down. Surely the can’t be the same length seconds that we had when entering.

All we need is a physicist with the appropriate equipment and knowledge to measure them and we could provide evidence for a whole new theory of relativity.

Where to

First up is Canberra on Sunday. Easy drive up the Hume for about 8 hours, weekend with family, Parkrun Saturday and the Marathon on Sunday. At the moment weather looks good cool and overcast. Hopefully not as cool and overcast as last year which was more at the cold, wet and miserable end of the spectrum. Aim is to run sub 3:26 and qualify for the 2025 Age Group Championship.
Back home Monday, on the plane Wednesday. Turns out we are going to Boston via Houston. This is a saga that I touched on in my last blog where Air New Zealand decided they didn’t want to take us to San Francisco but would to L.A. but didn’t mention that they could take us to Chicago until later when they charged an extra fee and then couldn’t have a stopover until United cancelled the internal flight then we could until Air New Zealand decided they wouldn’t fly to Chicago at all but we could go to Houston. Confused? As long as we end up in Boston before Monday week ready to run we will be happy.
So, Boston Monday week. The fourth of the majors second time around. Didn’t get into New York despite being 22 minutes under qualifying. A bit stiff but that’s the way it goes. Three weeks before the race that provided the qualifying time I ran eleven minutes faster but I had a birthday in between. Would have been 22 minutes under that qualifying as well. Three weeks later 34 minutes under and would have been in easily. The second marathon in Queenstown was a much harder course. Quicker time than the 3:23 I ran in Queenstown? Worth a go.

Final event will be Big Sur marathon on the California coast. Runs from Big Sur to Carmel along Highway 1. Due to storms there a couple of weeks ago the road has subsided. Meant that the road was closed and the event might not go ahead. Latest update is that barriers have been put in place and one lane closed. We don’t take up too much room so as long as there is no further damage we should get away with the event. Hopefully. If everything has gone to (my very cunning) plan then this will be a tourist run to enjoy the run and the scenery. There is a prize for combined Boston-Big Sur time but the Masters category is over 40 so would be racing against kids.

Challenging but once on the start line the seconds stretch out into the distance as we look forward to three hours plus of running until we get near the finish where the seconds accelerate. Where are those physicists when you need them?

Where we plan out the first marathons of the New Season.

Having completed Berlin-London-Chicago over three weeks, the idea of completing the six major marathons for a second time took hold. Three down and three to go. The remaining three being Boston, New York and Tokyo. I wanted to complete the first two of these while I still had the chance to time qualify and avoid the randomness of the general ballot. It is tough enough planning a long way in advance without having to wait until the ballot is completed and then competing for accommodation and flights with tens of thousands of others.

I am fortunate that my time from London fell within the Boston qualification period. I had a fair buffer with my qualification time so this was decided to be the next event to tackle. To make the trip more worthwhile we decided to add in the Big Sur marathon on the way home. Boston-Big Sur is a thing and Wayno had run Big Sur and given it the tick of approval.

There are, of course, a couple of hurdles to overcome. The first is that Boston is eight days after Canberra marathon. I also really, really want to run Canberra as it will be my ninth and thus I’ll be only one marathon away from Griffin status. Last year we made it into the Spartan status in Melbourne (ten finishes) and a similar accolade awaits in Canberra next year.

With the idea in place then comes the planning. Three marathons in four weeks , ten and a half thousand kilometres from one end to the other and the same back again.
We stay with family in Canberra and will drive home on the Monday. A day to wash, pack and breathe and then on to a plane on Wednesday. If only it was that easy.

We booked flights back in October. Melbourne-Auckland-San Francisco-Boston. Through San Francisco made sense because we were coming back through there to run Big Sur on the California coast just to the south. All good. Until December. When we were informed that Air NZ had decided not to fly to San Francisco on a Wednesday. We could have Thursday or Tuesday. Drive home from Canberra (8hours) and into a 20 hour flight next day. Not really. Fly Thursday. Still the same 20 hour flight then San Fran to Boston (6hr) flight Friday or Saturday to run Monday. Still not great. We had what we thought were non refundable, non changeable hotel room in San Francisco but couldn’t contact the hotel. Air Nz came back with Auckland-Los Angeles-San Fran on the Wednesday. An extra change and four extra hours. Best we could get.

But wait. It gets better. Finally a response from the hotel. Management had changed but they had not only not informed us but also had not informed their hotel group so the email address we had been given belonged to the previous manager and therefore went nowhere. To top it off there was a reservation but no record of payment. We were offered a cancellation and took it gladly.

So no hotel and a long, long trip with a zig and a zag on the way. I noticed in advertising from Air New Zealand that they fly Auckland to Chicago direct. What are the chances I asked our travel agent. You’ve already changed the booking once (their fault so no charge) and if you change again they will take it as your decision and charge a change fee. So for an extra $150 each we fly Melbourne-Auckland-Chicago-Boston. Think that’s the end of it? Air NZ would not allow a stopover in Chicago as we were transferring to a domestic United airlines flight so straight through and into Boston at 1.30 am Thursday. Not happy but it is what it is. I don’t sleep well on planes so a stopover and a bed would be good but C’est La vie.
Then….. United cancelled their flight. We could have seats on the flight that leaves fifteen minutes after our flight lands in Chicago. Not going to happen. Travel agent negotiated us on to a flight the next day at lunchtime. Just as we had initially wanted. Sleepover in Chicago, light run and coffee and off to Boston. It also reinforced for us the value of a good travel agent. Thanks Andy.

From Boston we need to be in San Francisco Sunday week later. We really didn’t want to hang around Boston because it gets very expensive around marathon time. We haven’t spent time in Canada so thought this might be the chance. Flight on Tuesday to Montreal and then the weekend in Quebec, back to Montreal later the next week and fly Montreal to San Francisco. Catch a lift to Monterey with Dave and on to the very scenic third marathon. Point to point up the California coast Big Sur to Monterey. This will be a tourist run to enjoy the scenery. Might even carry the phone for some pics. Fly out of San Francisco to Auckland, spend a couple of days on the Coromandel coast as recovery and then home and on to the next adventure. Pacing up in Brisbane in June with Adam. Might leave that until the next blog when we might have a better idea of the next package of marathons at the end of the year.

How are we feeling about it all?

With eight weeks until Canberra I’m still feeling a bit underdone. Last week was solid with 96 km total but with the Sri Chinmoy half marathon this weekend and thirty seven degrees yesterday this week is lighter. I was planning a run in our local park which has my 12 km loop but it is closed due to storm damage so I’ll have to find an alternate location. I like the park because the trails are easier on my legs than hammering on the bitumen all the time.
I’m hoping I have adapted to the extra mileage well which is why I am feeling like I should be doing more. No soreness but a bit of general restlessness. I’ve done several track events over the last couple of weeks and times were good without being exceptional. Part of getting older. I can see that a sub three hour marathon is but a fading hope but on the other hand my 3.11 in Auckland gave me great hope that I can be competitive in my age group.
If I can put together a sub 3.26 in any of these three marathons it will give me automatic qualification for the 2025 world age group championships so that is my immediate aim. I already have the invitation to the 2024 event in Sydney in September so that is on the Spring calendar.
All in all, I think I am tracking ok. No serious hurts or illnesses. I’d love to find a Nike sale somewhere to bank a couple of pairs of vaporflys but there’s time for that.
Away we go.

Bring on 2024.