Sydney Marathon
Sunday 15thSeptember 2018
Don't miss out! Run one of the world's most scenic #bucketlist marathons. Run across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and finish at the Sydney Opera House!
WHEN - Sunday 16 September 2018
START TIME - 7:05am (Marathon Start)
DISTANCE - 42.195km
START & FINISH LOCATION
Start at Bradfield Park, Milsons Point travel over the main deck of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and finish at the Sydney Opera House
This event is owned by Athletics Australia. Profits from the event go back into the community through Athletics Australia’s grass roots programs. Pont3 is a highly regarded event organizer. The event has grown under the management of Pont3 from 12,000 in 2004 to over 33,000 in 2017. The Blackmores Sydney Running Festival is the sole remaining participant legacy of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. It started in 2001. The Blackmores Sydney Running Festival is run on one of the most spectacular courses in the world, taking in all of the Sydney iconic landmarks and providing all runners with a unique opportunity of crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge traffic free. An amazing achievement is that the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival is the only Australian running event that is broadcast live.Just 18 years old, the event now boasts over 33,000 participants from over 66 countries each year.The event is also a hugely successful fundraising activity supporting a number of local and national based charities. In 2017, the event helped to raise over $1,750,000 for charitable organisations. The total funds raised since inception is over $18,650,000.
Pre-race –
I’d entered Sydney marathon in 2017 (as my potential qualifier for Comrades 2018) but two months prior to race day, I was injured by my crazy dog knocking me over! I was diagnosed with a joint sprain and ITB friction syndrome. It stirred underlying hip issues and I couldn’t run properly for six months. I still have hip issues but I’m hoping to manage it and qualify for Comrades 2019. I’ve had my eye on Comrades for four years… I refuse to give up! Sydney became an important event with a goal to run sub 3:40 (Comrades C-grade qualifier). I’d run The Tan marathon (3:47) in June and Brisbane marathon (4:07) in August. Brisbane was a training run for Sydney (and a fun girls weekend away). I hadn’t publicly commented on Sydney marathon. I wanted to quietly focus on what I needed to do to get the job done. In the few weeks before, I booked extra Myotherapy and Chiropractic appointments, I cut down certain foods (gluten, dairy, sugar, caffeine), I visualised 3:39 on the race clock and I concentrated on mindset. A few days before, we drove ten hours to Sydney (not ideal)! Usually, I’d fly to a race destination because my hips dislike sitting for any length of time. However the cost of four flights (my husband, two children and I) is expensive. Sydney had become a family holiday, combined with a marathon plus Sydney Harbour Bridge climb for my mum’s 75thbirthday (my mum flew up)!
The day before the marathon my nerves kicked in. I knew this meant a lot and I had to remain calm. I prepared my gear: shorts, calf compression, RMA top, new VIVRA magnetic pouch https://www.vivra.com.au for my phone (I never run with my phone but I wanted to call Brad at the finish line), Flipbelt for gels, At One bars https://atonefoods.com.au and a small drink bottle with an electrolyte tablet https://nuunlife.com), Injinji socks and Hoka Cliftons. I train in Brooks Glycerin but nearly all long runs and races are in Hokas. They help my hip joints last longer.
I had a light mushroom risotto for dinner and sparkling water. I spoke to Brad about his plan to spectate around 8km, run home and collect our boys and rejoin the sidelines at 22km. I was looking forward to seeing my boys! I went to bed at 9:30pm and set my alarm for 4:50am.
Race-day –
I woke before my alarm and went through the usual routine of toilet, green tea, oats, toilet, get dressed, toilet and did I mention… toilet. I woke Brad so he could Rocktape my shoulder (thoracic outlet plays up when I push pace and I knew I’d be pushing). I’d also had asthma in the days leading up to the race, so I decided to carry my Ventolin. I walked less than a kilometre to the train station and together with a random stranger (who was also dressed for running) we located the correct station to take us to Milsons Point. The weather was mild with a cold breeze, perfect conditions for running a marathon.
I arrived at the start hub with ample time to spare. The half marathon runners were congregating at the start line and I lined up with thousands of other minions for the toilet (there’s that word again). There were over 37,000 entered across all distances, but only 4,000 in the marathon. I hid behind other people to stay warm and ran on the spot (butt kicks) to keep my hips free and mobile. About 6:30am I watched Kurt Fearnley (what a legend) and other wheelchair athletes head to the start area. I made my way into Group A and walked up towards the front. Not long after, I spotted Jenny (friend and fellow RMA) and wished her luck. The announcer gave us a ten second warning and the siren sounded to signify the start of the Blackmores Sydney Marathon 2018.
The first kilometre started off well, a little congested but I still managed 5:08min. I had a pace band for a 3:39 marathon, which indicated a steady pace of 5:11min/km. My training runs are 5:20-5:40min pace so the pressure was on. I was happy to put a few minutes in the bank in the first half (if possible) so I had some grace time in the last hour. The course reached Sydney Harbour Bridge at 1.8km and elevation gain was about 30metres. It’s not every day you get to run over Sydney Harbour Bridge so I took a moment to look up and take it in. Sydney had put on a sensational day with blue sky and sunshine. I was happy to be running and my body was feeling great. On the down side of the bridge, my pace increased slightly (4:30min/km) because I maintained a steady effort. It soon leveled out to around 5min/km because there was a small increase in elevation over 4-5km. I don’t remember much about the first 5km except it went very quickly and there was a drink station. I had no intentions of stopping at drink stations unless absolutely necessary. I was carrying electrolytes and Brad agreed to hand me another bottle at 22km. I pressed play on my headphones and listened to some tunes. By 6km I was running around Hyde Park and along Moore Park Rd. I was in the zone, focused on posture, and I nearly missed Brad. He yelled out and I yelled hello. The course continued for about a kilometre until we took a U-turn, which meant I could see Brad twice. He’s my favourite supporter! We turned left into the Sports precinct where I could see the SCG, Sports Medicine Clinic and Rugby stadium. At 10km (49min) I was roughly 2-3min ahead of schedule and feeling fine. I grabbed a gel out of my Flipbelt and knocked my headphone cord. My music stopped but I didn’t want to waste time trying to fix it. I kept running. At 12km, (60min) I reached Centennial park and attempted to fix my headphones. I stopped for about 20 seconds and got it working again… for about 10 seconds and then it stopped again. Grrrrrr… I was a bit pissed off that it didn’t work but I ran on. I ran with one word revolving around my mind… Comrades! Who needs music when you have a goal like Comrades!
We seemed to run around in circles, clockwise and anticlockwise for ages until we left the park about 20km. I reached 21km (1:46) again about 3min ahead of time, and I took a second gel. After exiting the sports precinct, we rejoined the course along Moore Park Rd. The spectators were encouraging and a good distraction. I spotted Brad and our boys, and gave them a high five! I asked Brad to run with me and fix my headphones. He got my music working again, repositioned my awesome VIVRA pouch, and I thanked him. I never stopped (those 3min were precious). About 23-24km, I was swept back towards Hyde Park with my music blaring. I sang The Real Slim Shady (Eminem) and shuffled up over the event bridge. Around 26-27km I remember seeing Pancakes on the Rocks, as I listened to Let It Go (Frozen). Brad had pressed play on my music but it included all the kids songs too! “Let it go, let it go…” I imagined Eminem singing Let It Go!!! Haha! I stopped for 10 seconds at the next aid station for a quick drink of water. Then picked up the pace to make up for lost time. At 29km, we ran alongside the Aquarium and IMAX. There was a small amount of elevation. From 30-35km, I don’t remember much at all. On reflection, the map shows the course was totally twisty and confusing. The course zigged and zagged and I got completely lost (nothing new for me). At one point, there was another drink station (I stopped momentarily to wash down a third gel) and my music wigged out AGAIN! I was not happy... but there was just over an hour to go and I had to suck it up and run for my dreams! We followed a nice, easy boardwalk with views of the water (which helped calm my mood). Physically, I still felt good but noticed other runners starting to fatigue. Many people only train until 32km (this is the point the mental game begins). The next split was 5:47min and on reflection I could have comfortably run 20 seconds quicker. This race in particular, showed me that I tend to drop back as other runners slow around me. My strength is my ability to maintain pace until 3 hours or around 36km (plus I like to think I have mental strength). I need to capitalize on that!
At 36km, my legs began to feel heavy and unresponsive. My right hip flexor was hurting and I opted for ramps instead of steps. Even the step up onto the curb was painful. My right hip has been a problem since Two Bays 56km in 2017, and moreso after the collision with my dog last year. I can manage going slow on relatively flat surfaces but pushing pace for hours triggered some significant pain. “Only 6km to go! You can do this!” I ate half at At One bar as a distraction. At 39km, I’m pretty sure I had another drink. It was getting warmer and I was dehydrated. Around the 40km mark (after the overpass to the pier), we ran up a ramp onto the footpath and under Sydney Harbour Bridge. We continued onto a wooden boardwalk towards Campbell's Cove.
Full disclosure: I don’t remember any of this, I’m just reciting from the course notes! I looked at my watch when it beeped 40km and it read 3:23 (3-4min ahead of schedule). Apparently, the course becomes narrow at this point (according to the notes). At 41km, the path follows the water, past Fig tree and around Circular Quay in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art. My recollection of this stage is, “left, right, breathe, run, push, nearly there, keep going, smile at the supporters, yay RMA, left right, breathe…” There were some pretty palm trees and a satisfying view of the finishing chute. I caught a sudden glimpse of Jody (friend and fellow RMA) and she told me to keep pushing. So I did. I saw the timing clock 3:36… something and I ran strong across the mats. I was done! 3hours 36min 58seconds. You bloody beauty!
Within seconds I saw my mum, boys and Brad. It was so good to see them! I hobbled through the finish area, collected my medal, water and fruit. Another RMA approached me and congratulated me. My thoracic outlet pain kicked in and I could barely move my arm (I’m so lucky I married a Chiropractor). Brad helped me to move again. We took a few photos with the Opera House in the background and got the hell out of there. I needed breathing space, literally and figuratively. I was super happy and completely exhausted.
Post-race –
I ran consistently and clocked 10km in 49min, 21km in 1:46 and 42.2km in 3:36:58. I was really happy with my efforts and pacing. The course was fun. I like variety, turns, some hills and epic views. The weather was great, sunny with a cool breeze. My personal results were 812th overall, 103rd female and 20th category place.
Feedback and will there be a next time –
Sydney marathon should be on everyone’s bucket list! I’ll probably never run it again because I still have to tick off other cities on my quest to run a marathon in every state and territory in Australia. However, Sydney will remain a positive experience in my memory bank. The course incompasses Australia with iconic views like the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. The course offered some challenges (not a PB course) but it was relatively easy and the spectators were very supportive. I’d definitely recommend this event to other runners.
