White Fence time trials 2017-19

17/10/19 Run the White Fence interclub time trial kicked off again thanks everyone who made it. There was a fabulous mix of adults, kids, gutsy efforts and soaking up the white Fence & some good chats & beers after. Windy conditions just staved off the adult records. Except we have new junior records!!

Winners 3.6k (very windy conditions):

Men’s: Dom Bullock 11.32 followed closely by Mike Mahan 11.33, Chris Truscott 12.38, Sam Cornell 13.26, Gus Rutherford 13.40, Neil Rosenbaum 13.53, Ben Feld 14.19, Darren Bagnall 14.45, Bill Menviel 17.04, Rohin McDermott 17.26.

Women’s: Laurie Menviel 14.20 followed by Emily Bassett 15.08, Nadine Aronheim 19.49, Cathy Rowney 19.50, Megan Doyle 20.48, Lauren Crow 20.48, Sarah Flynn 21.20.

Junior Boys 3.6k

Aston Lake 10yrs old 14.20 (record) followed by Sean Kim 12yrs old 15.03, Tokiya McDermott 17.25, Toby Croft 17.28 and Tamen Peralta 19.26.

Junior girls 3.6k

Alice Flynn 10yrs old 17.45 (record) followed by Kaili Menviel 19.26 and Ruby Maloney 19.30.

Kids 1k boys Jaden Truscott 7yrs 5.00mins followed by Matteo M 8yrs in 5.21. and Angus Fehon 6yrs 6.59. Girls 1k Hin McDermott 5.31 followed by newbie Estelle 6yrs old in 7.14.

Lucky door prizes:

Nadine Aronheim, Tokiya McDermott & Lauren Crow

Thanks everyone for coming & thanks so much generous prize sponsors @runnersshoprandwick @therunningroom @imovephysiotherapy @lisa_wholelifenutrition @4dhealthandperformance @tailwindnutritionaust

Thanks Ben & Lily for helping coach the kids & helping at the finishline together with Alise & Myles. Thanks Alise and Steve for pics.

Juniors warming up

Juniors warming up

Running the Fence 3.6k

Running the Fence 3.6k

Go Juniors!!

Go Juniors!!

prizes for juniors and adults and lucky door prizes and drinks afterwards (the kids had treats)

prizes for juniors and adults and lucky door prizes and drinks afterwards (the kids had treats)

Relaxing and thankfully the wind started to die down afterwards lol

Relaxing and thankfully the wind started to die down afterwards lol

Rejoovers with all the running clubs at the WFTC monthly evening race 1 of 4 for 2019. 41 adults for the 3.6k white fence & 17 kids for the shorter race. Top 3 males: 1. Ali Najeem 11.38 2. Johnny Mac 12.33pb 3. Ben Feld 12.36.. (Record remains 11.24 Chris Truscott Dec 2018 WFTC). Top 3 females: 1. Greta Truscott 13.43 (new WFTC record) 2. Michaela McDonald 13.45 3. Melissa Campbell 15.11. Congrats Johnny & Zac on big pbs and happy birthday Neil!! Next WFTC likely first Thursday in March.

WFTC Jan 31st 2019.jpg
WFTC jan 31st 2019 kids.jpg
WFTC Kids race jan 2019

WFTC Kids race jan 2019

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The last of the monthly daylight savings series 2017-18  @w_f_t_c #5 Wed 7th March 2018. Thanks host @adamballesty & everyone for sharing the magic sunset runs together with families, friends and furry friends 🐶 

Congrats to race #5 white fence winners: Chris Strom & Sarah Binks winning the finest bottle each. Kids race 500m Ava Bembick & Jaden Truscott. 1k Eden Macgregor & Jack Honeywood. All kids winning yummy @bearnakedausnz peanut butter Bear Naked Bars. 

Congrats to the whole 2017-18 series white fence winners: Darren MacGregor & Rachael Honeywood each winning a gift pack of @tailwindnutrition , a gift voucher for the @tafbondi Athletes foot & a Night Ize running light thanks Zen imports @davestewart73 

Kids series winners Harry & Lucy Ballesty with a night ize light each - the Ballesty family is so committed. 

Lucky door prizes: @karlos_haze winning a @camelbak & soft flask. Jack Basil-Jones winning wine glasses. 

Adults #5 results 7/3/18:

1. Chris Strom 11.47 

2. Johnny MacCormack 13.57 

3. Neil Rosenbaum 14.10

4. Darren MacGregor 14.26

5. Jack Basil-Jones 14.29

6. David Cross 14.47 

7. Darren Bagnall 14.58

8. Chris Truscott & dog Milly 15.00 

9. Sarah Bembrink 15.12

10. Rachael Honeywood 15.15

11. Marcus Kain 15.17

12. Dave Stewart 15.18

13. Hayley Kain 15.23

14. Jo Mawson 15.30

15. Karl Hayes 16.07

16. Hayden Abercrombie 16.19

17. Michael Martin 16.58

18. Polina Tan 17.21

19. Daniel Hill 17.42

20. Emma Trehy 17.47

21. Lesley Mason 20.35 

22. Aoife Suttle & dog Noel 23.39 (tapering ahead of 6 foot track)

Kids 500m: 

Jaden Truscott 3.24

Ava Bembrink 3.26

Noah Kain 3.40

Alex 4.00

Olivia Tan 4.07

Lucy Ballesty 4.09

Lucas Kain 4.15

Alice Ballesty 4.46

Chloe Bembrink 3.46.. part way

Kids 1k: 

Jack Honeywood 5.21

Eden MacGregor 5.29

Danika Stewart 5.33 

Isla MacGregor 5.50

Harry Ballesty 6.08 

Thanks @rachybirds for helping Greta time keep. Thanks everyone, see you out there again soon. #whitefence #centennialpark #funtimes #sponsors #theathletesfootbondi #tailwind #bearnakedbars #diageo #camelbak #zenimports #hokaoneone #internalconsultinggroup #icg

WFTC preso.jpg
2017-18 series kids winners

2017-18 series kids winners

March 2018 kids winners

March 2018 kids winners

March 2018 winners Sarah Bembrink & Chris Strom

March 2018 winners Sarah Bembrink & Chris Strom

2017-18 series winners Darren MacGregor & Rachael honeywood

2017-18 series winners Darren MacGregor & Rachael honeywood

 

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We had an intimate Valentines Day WFTC (white fence track club) series #4 on 14th Feb 2018 thanks host Adam Ballesty for drinks & love songs. Thanks so much everyone who could make it. Well done top 3 guys: Chris Strom, Adam Dickie & David Cross. Top 3 ladies  Bronwyn Armytage, Sarah Bembrick & Niki Hale. 

The Kids had a fun 500m / 1k fuelled on watermelon. Thanks Lisa Studencki for the delightful kiddie treats. 

Lucky door prizes thanks to our generous sponsors: 

- Lisa Sherman, Whole Life Nutrition for 2 x consultations: winners Josh Kolo & Anne-maree O’Mara

- Tailwind gift pack winner Aoife Suttle

- bottle of champagne 🍾 winner Polin Tan who was ecstatic having never won anything before 

- bottle of Bundy winner Sarah Bembrick 

Delicious Bear Naked Bars for everyone thanks to Bear Naked Bars for sponsoring these. 

Thanks Matt Wacher, Chris & Greta Truscott and Harry Ballesty for helping with time keeping. 📷 Grant Sherman, Steve Garamy & Caroline Ballesy. Flower bearers thank you kids. 

Next & last WFTC for the Summer will be on Wed 7th March please join us. 

1 Chris Strom 12.07

2 Adam Dickie 14.16

3 David Cross 14.35

4 Bronwyn Armytage 14.44

5. Adam Ballesty 15.04

6. Ricky Studencki 15.24

7. Sarah Bembrick 15.33

8. Josh Kolo 16.44

9. Dave Dickie 17.12

10. Niki Hale 18.24

11. Polina Tan 18.32

12. Sarah Collins 18.33

13. Anne-maree O’Mara 18.37

14. Steve Garamy 18.49

15. Orla Cunningham 19.20

16. Aoife Suttle 25.13

17. Noel 25.16

18 & 19. Craig & Rachel Birds a WF half moon love loop. 

Kids results:

500m

1. Ava Bembrick 3.40

2. Olivia Tan 3.51

3. Chloe Bembrick 4.02

4. Lucy Ballesty 4.09

5. Alex Tan 4.13

6. Alice Ballesty 4.52

1. Harry Ballesty 5.13 (1k) 

2. Jaden Truscott 5.10 (900m) 

Valentines Day WFTC #4 14th Feb 2018

Valentines Day WFTC #4 14th Feb 2018

 

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A Christmas themed WFTC series #3 on Wed evening 6th Dec was our biggest night yet, thanks so much everyone for coming along. We were lucky the storm passed a couple hours beforehand, leaving us with beautiful sunny conditions, a fun warm up together, the white fence shenanigans & post race picnic & drinks. 

Top 3 males: 

1. Chris Truscott in santa hat 11.24 new WFTC record taken from Ali Najeem’s 11.27 from series #2

2. 12.42 Mark Higgs (debut)

3. 13.06 Johnny MacCormack

Top 3 females:  

  1. 14.25 Maya Borthwick

  2. 14.29 Rachel Birds

  3. 14.47 Rachael Honeywood

WFTC #3 Dec 2017 gp start.jpg

A big thanks for our lucky door prizes - 2 bottles of fine wine from Taylors Wines and Revvies for 2 x packs caffeine strips & chamois perfect for towelling down after a hard run! Winners: Zac Smith, Sarah Bembrick, Rachael Honeywood & Haley Kain. 

WFTC #3 Zac Taylors winner.jpg

Host Adam Ballesty & Diagio work team. Time Keepers Rejoov coach Greta, Catrina Henderson (a big love mercy fan) & Zoolander/rejoover Olivia Burton. Xmas tunes by Love Mercy CEO Caitlin Barrett. Thanks to all the cheer squad that simply came to watch and hang out. Thanks everyone from various clubs - Rejoov Runners, Hurt Squad, Sydney Striders, Zoolanders, TriZone, Sweat, JORG, Run Crew, Jock Athletic, Love Mercy Foundation, Out Run Cancer & Running for Premature Babies. 

Full WFTC 3.6k results: 

  1. Chris Truscott in santa hat 11.24 new WFTC record

  2. 12.42 Mark Higgs (debut)

  3. 13.06 Johnny MacCormack

  4. 13.15 Luke Barrett (debut)

  5. 13.54 Darren MacGregor

  6. 13.58 Matt Wacher (debut)

  7. 14.25 Maya Borthwick

  8. 14.29 Rachel Birds

  9. 14.31 Jack Basil-Jones Diagio (debut)

  10. 14.41 David Cross

  11. 14.45 Josh Kolo

  12. 14.47 Rachael Honeywood

  13. 14.49 Zac Smith

  14. 14.57 Haley Kain

  15. 14.59 Tommy Callachor

  16. 15.18 Aiden Karaman PB

  17. 15.20 Alia Karaman

  18. 15.27 Darryl Chrisp

  19. 15.28 Karl Hayes

  20. 15.30 Dan Forgette

  21. 15.33 Hayden Abercrombie (debut)

  22. 15.46 Sarah Bembrick

  23. 16.10 Alex McCulloch (debut)

  24. 16.19 Andrew Boulton (debut)

  25. 17.04 Calvin Jacob (debut)

  26. 17.06 ?

  27. 17.24 Warren Aronstan (debut)

  28. 17.35 Daniel Hill

  29. 18.06 Polina Tan

  30. 18.15 Nick Havers

  31. 18.31 Emma Trehy

  32. 18.36 Hannah Cunliffe

  33. 18.37 Sarah Collins

  34. 19.29 Rey Reodica

  35. 20.02 Lesley Mason

  36. 20.09 Cathy Rowney & dog Jake

  37. 20.13 Lisa Studenki

  38. 21.05 Lidia Scotto di Vetta pushing pram

  39. 21.05 Robin Ball

  40. 21.05 Fiona McDonald

  41. 21.58 ?

  42. 23.05 Siobhan Cunliffe

  43. 23.12 Luca Turrini pushing pram

  44. 30.30 Marguerite

WFTC #3 kids start.jpg

Kids run (20 kids - thanks partners for helping out - Vets, Chris Tan & Jason Bembrick & gang): 

Boys 1k

  1. Harry Ballesty

  2. Jack Honeywood

  3. Jaden Truscott

Girls 1k 

  1. Neve Corgette

  2. Eden MacGregor

  3. Isla MacGregor

Kids 1k/500m (not listed in order of finishing as it got chaotic with kids going everywhere haha - we need more marshalls, but the kids had a ball which was awesome to see) : 

Alex & Oliva Tan, Ava & Chloe Bembrick, Olivia & Zara Borthwick, Lucas & Noah Kain, Lucy Forgette, Alice & Lucy Ballesty, Bridey MacGregor, Seb Higgs, Hadley Barrett 

WFTC #3 kids cheered on by mum.jpg

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White Fence Track Club series #2 on 8/11/17 hosted, drinks, race briefing & music by AB. Photography Carolyn. Lucky door prizes by the Running Club Bondi Beach. Time Keepers G, Caitlin Barrett, Oliver Gissing. Supporters Fein family Peter, Paul, Nicole & baby. Alia’s daughter Alyssa. Jo Mawson & Finley, Naomi Tancred. Thanks everyone for going from various clubs (listed below) with most from rejoov. 

Results: 

WF 3.6k (no cutting the mckay corner):  

1 Ali Najeem 11.27 Jock athletic, new WFTC record from Chris Truscott in race #1 11.28 

2 Johnny MacCormack 12.59 

3 Maya Borthwick 14.01 new record off Rachel Birds in race #1 14.26

4 Darren MacGregor 14.02

5 Melissa Campbell 14.44 jock athletic 

6 Patrick Molloy 14.50

7 David Cross 14.53

8 Damian Tancred 14.54 Athletics east

9 Rachael Honeywood 15.00

10 Hayley Kain 15.00 (Rach & Hayley another tied finish)

11 Karl Hayes 15.07 TriZone

12 Mary Stringer 15.11 

13 Darren Bagnall 15.14

14 Georgina Eden 15.19

15 Sammie Feeley 15.28 WF PB 

16 Darryl Chrisp 15.33 Sydney strider 

17 Alia Karaman 15.49 JORG & run crew 

18 Aidan Karaman 15.50 (Alia’s son) 

19 Liz Comber 16.18

20 Emily Bassett 16.21

21 Daniel Hill 17. 39 

22 Emma Trehy 17.58 WF PB

23 Lesley Mason 20.04

24 Anne Cumming 20.49 

25 Lisa Studencki 20.50

26 Aofi Suttle 23.36

27 Noel 23.56 dog chasing Aofi for a WF PB

WFTC #3 group hands up start.jpg

 

Kids 1k:

Josh Tancred 4.49 

Harry Ballesty 5.10

Eden MacGregor 5.42

Jaden Truscott 5.52

Bridie MacGregor 5.58 

 

Kids 500m:

Jonno Tancred 3.15 

Lucas Kain 3.20

Noah Kain 3.30 

Isla MacGregor 3.32

Alice Ballesty 3.34

Lucy Ballesty 3.40 

Charlie Fein 3.42  sweat

 

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WFTC #1  launch results 4/10/17

 

WF 3.6k males top 3:

Chris Truscott 11.28

Chris Strom 12.32

Darren MacGregor 13.30

 

WF 3.6k females top 3:

Rachel Kay 14.26

Lisa Sherman 15.06

Rachael Honeywood & Hayley Kain 15.20

 

Full list WF: 

Chris Truscott 11.28

Chris Strom 12.32

Darren MacGregor 13.30

Alex Foster 13.39

Rachel Kay 14.26

Darren Bagnall 15.01

Lisa Sherman 15.06

Karl Hayes 15.09

Dave Stewart 15.15

Rachael Honeywood 15.20

Hayley Kain 15.20

Lisa Gibson 15.41

Sammie Feeley 15.50

Emma Starritt 16.15

Bronwyn Armytage 16.38

Paul Wilson 17.15

Rebecca Dixon 17.23

Emma Trehy 19.18

Kim Colville .. 19.38 

Lesley Mason 19.52

Susan McCallum 19.52

Trish Grant (Hyslop) 20.21

Peter Fein 21

Paul Fein 21 father & son running together 

Siobhan Cunliffe .. 

Olivia Burton .. 

Aoife Suttle & dog Noel 🐶 25.36

Alex Burton 30.20 11yrs old 

Dan Forgette friend running with Alex 30.21

Total 30 🙌🏼 

 

Kids 1k: 

Boys:

1. Jack Hyslop 4.54

2. Shamus Hyslop 5.06

3. Oliver Hyslop 5.35

4. Jack Honeywood 6.15

5. Ben Dixon 6.50

6. Lucas Kain 7.15

7. Noah Kain 7.16

 

Girls:

1. Samantha O'Shannassy 6.30

2. Eden MacGregor 6.33

3. Isla MacGregor 7.12

4. Danika Stewart 7.13

5. Lucy Dixon 8.25

6. Bridie MacGregor 8.30

7. Lucy Ballesty 8.41

Total 14 kids 🙌🏼

 

Cheer squad x 20: 

Adults 

Toni Calvert 

James Dixon 

Lisa Studencki 

Nicole Fein

Rowan Gibson

Deirdre Hopkins 

Jennifer Lowry

Grant Sherman

Caroline Ballesty

Sue Gerty

Melissa MacGregor

Andrea O'Shannassy

 

Kids

Luke Sherman

Jos Bagnall 

Hunter Calvert

Jaden Truscott 

Jasper Burton 

Lucy Stewart

Rollo Strom 

Isaac O'Shannassy 

 

 

First time marathoner by Megs Doyle

A First Time Marathoner

by Rejoover, Megan Doyle

At the start of 2019 I decided that my goal was to run my first marathon and to do it in under 4hrs. But going from a casual infrequent jogger to training for a marathon seemed so daunting - that is where Rejoov came into play at the beginning of 2019. I started the sessions and entered my first event - Canberra half marathon. I remember finishing the Canberra half marathon in April and thinking I would never be able to double the distance, but here I am after completing my first marathon - Blackmores Sydney - in 3hrs 51.

Congrats Emily Bassett 3.58 and Megan Doyle 3.51 on their debut marathons

Congrats Emily Bassett 3.58 and Megan Doyle 3.51 on their debut marathons

Here are a few things I learnt along the way:

- Be prepared to commit. Not only giving up a Sunday morning for a long run, but also the alcohol on a Saturday night before (unless you are a crazy person who can run 30k with a hangover)

- Trust the process - Greta/Chris wrote that plan for a reason and I’m sure we’ll all agree they know what they’re talking about

- Don’t feel guilty for resting - without the rest days I never would have got through the training

- Experiment with what fuel works for you - I ended up with Torq gels and found they did the job for me but everybody is different

- Strength work - I did not do enough of this and found it hard to balance this with increased mileage. Something I need to work on!

- During the taper period I felt like I wasn’t doing enough and felt panicky about the pending big day - again trust the process

- Find training buddies - I was lucky enough to have Liz, Laura and Emily who kept me motivated during our long runs. The long runs would have been very lonely without them

- Your friends who don’t run think you are crazy

- Don’t go out too fast - although I really tried not to do this I faded during the last 8km’s, not only physically but mentally too. My mental state went from feeling fine and on track for 3:45, to being happy with under 4hrs, to just completing it and not caring about time. I guess knowing what to expect mentally the first time is difficult.

- Once the big day’s over you feel a bit lost - especially on weekends. After finishing the marathon my words were “Never f****ing again”. But I already know the competitive side of me will want to improve my time so I guess there will be another?

Debut marathons Laura 3.37 and Megs 3.51 awesome!!

Debut marathons Laura 3.37 and Megs 3.51 awesome!!

For those of you who are considering doing your first marathon, do it! The feeling once you have completed it is the best; you will soon forget about all the pain from the last 42k’s...

Post blackmores drinks at the Sheaf - Liz Megs Laura Emily (great teamwork gang) and coach Greta

Post blackmores drinks at the Sheaf - Liz Megs Laura Emily (great teamwork gang) and coach Greta

Congratulations Megs on her 5 PBs this year, she had awesome dedication and Rejoov loved having her on board the group training & online programming:

Park run 5k: 23.06 centennial off road park run

SMH half marathon: 1.43.50 on a tough course, 5min PB

Sydney Harbour 10k: 45.28 a 5min PB

City to Surf: 65mins a 12min PB

Blackmores marathon: 3.51 debut









Sydney Marathon 2019 by Jamie Broom

Sydney Marathon – The 9 Things I Learnt Running in 2019

by Jamie Broom (shout out to Jamie for scoring a sub 3.10 marathon nearly and hour pb, through sheer hard work)



This year was building up to the conspicuously absent marathon distance in my Rejoov race line-up. After watching some legendary marathon+ exertions by other Rejoovers, I hesitantly signed up to the Blackmores Sydney Marathon at the start of 2019.

Race day finally landed after several months of progress but against the final few weeks of niggles and travel to disrupt training. Anyhow, marathons don’t care, it was now or never! Up at 4:30am and the nerves struck as I munched on my toast and banana. As the sun rose I boarded the train to Milson’s Point with the excited chatter of other runners in the background. I will not forget the mesmerising panorama as the train rose up over the Harbour Bridge with the half marathoners making their way in front of the Sydney CBD backdrop. Soon enough it was my turn to make that famous dart over the Bridge. I had absolutely no idea what time to aim for, but after deliberations with Greta, I landed on a target of 3:10 for my first proper marathon.

Running through Centennial Park and a tiny bit of shade on a hot day! (Jamie in the stand out orange singlet)

Running through Centennial Park and a tiny bit of shade on a hot day! (Jamie in the stand out orange singlet)

 

4km down and I had to double-take my watch. Time had zoomed along and I was feeling tremendous as we made our way over Circular Quay and up Macquarie St, as eerily quiet there as in the SMH Half a couple of months back. After trampolining my way over the Hyde Park scaffolding footbridge, I was on my way up Oxford St and it was feeling like a commute run I’ve done time and again.

 

Next up was ‘home turf’ Centennial Park where we traversed just about every road. I was feeling relaxed and buoyed by cheers from Rejoovers both racing and training. I could picture Greta standing on the corner by the Homestead willing me on. This was the perfect moment for reflection on the last year of running against the background melody of the faint thuds of running shoes slapping the road all around. So what have I learnt this year?

 

1)     Mixing up the running with varied core-focussed exercise made a huge difference. The times when I was able to shave the most time off PBs were when I was consistently doing strength, core bootcamp or rowing classes on top of my weekly mileage.

2)     Practising mindfulness whilst running got me through the long runs. If you haven’t experienced mindfulness, you’ll think I sound crazy. However, I promise you it’s worth a try. After reading some pertinent books, I’ve progressively developed a routine of 1) reviewing the environment I’m running in to notice the heat / cold / rain / wind / rough surface / etc, 2) scanning my own body and mind to think about how I feel including accepting, yet letting go of pain or negativity, 3) centring on my stride as I recurrently count to ten. I devoted extensive periods doing this in the long training runs and during the marathon itself.

3)     Sydney is the most beautiful city in the world to run. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to run in something like 18 countries and plenty more cities but I still have never come across a finer city to jog in than Sydney. Pleasant conditions, parks, beaches, harbour, rivers, national parks, mountains, and just about everything else. We’re lucky to run here!

4)     Listen to your body and hold off when you don’t feel right. Cliché maybe but I thought I knew better by trying to power through twinges and tiredness. However, I’ve learnt that this really is true. If I hadn’t accepted this in recent weeks, I would never have made it to the start line.

5)     Doing track speed sessions is fun and helps speed up the longer runs. For some reason I didn’t have a high outlook before I tentatively attended my first track session earlier in the year. However, not only has it been awesome training, it’s also an exhilarating way to run in optimal conditions.

 

Back to the marathon, and as I descended Oxford Street just after half-way, the running herd was spreading out and I was channelling Greta’s strategy by fighting the urge to run quicker. I was buoyed by more familiar faces as we snaked back through the CBD and circled out to Barangaroo. The day was warm like one of the handful of summer days back in the UK and as we approached 9am I could feel the temperature rising. Sweat dripping from the forehead became a constant aide-mémoire to remain hydrated and I executed poorly the awkward cup sipping whilst running technique at almost every drinks station.

 

As we wound our way into Pyrmont around the 30km mark, I could tell I was into the business end of the battle. My pacing bounced around the 4:25m/km mark and agreeably inside my 4:30 plan but my legs were tiring, and each step was feeling increasingly like scampering on soft sand. The Pyrmont streets were quieter than others so it was time to ramp up the music to push me along!

 

The u-turn under the ANZAC Bridge was a testing moment at around 34/35km being the end point of prior runs and knowing exactly how much further was to go. However, with a focus on repeated counting to 10 of my right foot striking the ground, I wiggled my way around the Pyrmont wharves like a game of Snake on my old Nokia 3310.

 

The 5km run to the end was similar to the Sydney Harbour 10k course so I knew it well but I was struggling to cling onto the pace with the average time pushing above the 4:30 target.

 

Time for another point of reflection as I ran through Barangaroo Reserve, one of my favourite spots in Sydney to run. What else had I learnt?

What a course and finish line!

What a course and finish line!

 

6)     However great you feel in the first half of the marathon, hold even more back. Both Greta’s race plan and my last-minute tips from Sammie focussed on not going out too swiftly. Of course I still went a bit quick in the first half, but without this advice, I would have gone even more rapidly.

7)     The training is the real test. When I look back, it’s the dark, wet Tuesday mornings, the Weds evening when you struggle to get out of work in time for track, and the lonely 36km Sunday runs somewhere humid and hilly which were the real test of 2019. Yes, you have to run to a plan on the day and hope nothing goes wrong, but it’s ALL about the lead-up work. 

8)     You can do more than you think. When I signed up for the marathon at the start of 2019 I thought it would be nice to do a sub-4hr marathon. My 5k was around 20min, my 10k closer to 45min and my half marathon around 100mins. All of these came down around 15-20% this year. Who knew!?

 

Finally, I hit the 40km mark and I believed that I was going to succeed with my marathon plan. I looked at my watch and I had to run the last couple of kms just under the 4:30 mark to hit my 3:10 target. I’m not sure where the energy came from but a magical boost seemed to kick in! The pace went up as I ran along Hickson Road, under the Bridge and past the ferry wharves of Circular Quay. I probably looked more like a lolloping deer than a smooth cheetah but the shouts coming in from Rejoovers all around meant that I didn’t care! The fences narrowed and it felt like the cheering crowd was almost able to reach out and push me on. Adrenaline coursing through my veins as the Blackmores finish arch loomed and boom! 3hrs 9min and 46 second! 14 seconds inside my target time and I was ecstatic.

 

I’m sure all of my reflections are all well-known by the Rejoov crew as is the final thought I had whilst slumped on the orange pavement in the finish area under the Opera House trying to keep a banana down, grasping my water bottle and looking up at the Harbour Bridge where we set out earlier that morning.

 

9)     42.195km is a long way. Never again.

 

Well, maybe not until next year’s sub-3 attempt. Oh dear.

After party at the Golden Sheaf with the Rejoov gang

After party at the Golden Sheaf with the Rejoov gang