The Run to Melbourne: 2021 Melbourne Marathon Recap
The dust has well and truly settled on the 2021 Melbourne Marathon, and I finally feel compelled to express my thoughts on a race which didn’t deliver the desired result.
Notwithstanding the satisfaction of competing in another official marathon following a COVID enforced 26 month layoff, it’s been nice to put daylight between the morning and reflecting about how it transpired.
It’s safe to say that I’ve been compensating for the aspects of my life which were sacrificed since knuckling down for a literal marathon marathon campaign that never seemed to end!
Having no guilt about missing a few days of running has been refreshing and equally necessary to avoid burnout, which will only ensure that I return hungrier than ever once the trigger is pulled.
Make no mistake, the Melbourne disappointment has only reinforced my appetite to work even harder to realise our objectives in 2022!
My coach Liam Delany (the one and only!) and I decided quite early in the piece following October 10’s Albert Park time trial that we’d have a crack at Melbourne, even if it constituted a tight turnaround - nine weeks, from what had been a big effort.
Those initial weeks recovering from a substantial PB (2:28) were rough and the form wasn’t coming too readily, so there were some reservations about whether it was a wise decision.
Once we emerged from lockdown in late October and resumed group training sessions, things clicked into place and the confidence was reinstilled, so the goal of 2:25 was firmly on the table.
The weekly recaps which you can access on the blog page recount the intervening training block.
On that note, time to recap the marathon that was…
Sunday, December 12
03:30. Awake following the first of three alarms set at fifteen minute intervals.
03:45. Reluctantly forced myself out of bed.
04:15. Almond butter on two pieces of white bread accompanied by a Sustagen Chocolate liquid breakfast. I forwent a coffee despite abstaining from caffeine for the previous fortnight to ensure maximum kick on the morning, opting to rely on a Maurten caffeine gel on the start line to do the job.
04:35. Out the door
05:00. Arrived at Alexandra Avenue parking opposite The Tan.
05:10. Having discovered that the bridge adjacent Rod Laver Arena was out of action, around an extra return kilometre of walking to the bag drop and back to the start line wasn’t ideal.
05:35. Made it to the start line following a hasty walk from the bag drop and checked into the priority start zone.
05:40. Spied Liam on his bike around 100 metres up the line from the start, where we managed a quick debrief.
05:45. ~ 1 km warm up comprising of some strides. My heart rate was quite elevated indicating that I was feeling the nerves.
05:55. I took my place on the line and soaked up the surreal feeling of being back in a place that felt so far away over the past few years. I was absolutely buzzing after devouring the Maurten caffeine gel, the layoff and sudden infusion definitely had an immediate and intended effect!
06:00. Racing!
With that, we were away and the familiar ascent up Batman Avenue witnessed the jostling for position before settling into a pacing group.
The thrill of taking the left hander at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston St is hard to top and this occasion was no exception, with the race finally opening up as everybody got down to business.
One aspect which slightly threw me was my decision on Saturday to switch my Garmin auto lap from the default 1 km notifications to every 5 km, so I did have a brief moment where I thought, “surely we can’t be going that slowly?”, before remembering!
The first split recorded 17:30 (3:30/km) flush (officially 17:26), perhaps a few seconds slower than goal pace for 2:25, though it was pleasing not to be cooking the legs and the group I was in - alongside the likes of Hugh McCarthy and Chris Rancie, was the place to be.
Before long, we were exiting St Kilda Road, making the brief sojourn onto Fitzroy St and into the right hand turn to commence the long run along Lakeside Drive around Albert Park.
Having lumbered around the lake so many times throughout the pandemic, it felt like another long run as we circulated and hit Aughtie Drive, where the time trial had concluded in the not too distant past.
The 10 km checkpoint was reached at what is a prominent COVID testing hub these days, and a slightly faster watch split of 17:17 (3:27/km) - with an official 10 km split of 34:58, seemed on the mark even if 2:25 appeared increasingly optimistic.
It was here that I deployed my first standard Maurten gel, accompanied by the Hydralyte infused pop top that I’d carried from the start line.
The long trek up and down ‘pit straight’ allowed the first real opportunity to gauge the leading pack already well on their way back towards Fitzroy St, and it was little surprise to see the likes of Thomas do Canto, Ed Goddard and eventual men’s winner, Brett Robinson, setting the pace.
It was encouraging to see Dion Finocchiaro matching it with Brady Threlfall, Michael Marantelli and others chasing sub 2:20, whilst looking very comfortable.
A 17:28 (~3:30/km) split to 15 km (official 52:34) after reaching Beaconsfield Parade signalled that there was work to do to keep things on track.
The race only truly commences around this point, with fortunes for the rest of the morning usually in the balance by the turnaround prior to Bay St and the beginning of the long journey towards Elwood.
It wasn’t too long after here that I began to experience stomach discomfort for the first time, and it was reflected in a signficantly slower 20 km split of 17:39 (3:32/km) - (official 1:10:38). Nevertheless, I attempted to push on with the established group.
I tucked into a second caffeine gel soon shortly prior to reaching the halfway point, which would prove to be my final of the morning such was the struggle that I was to endure.
Heading through 21 km in 1:14:09 indicated that sub 2:30 was still in the offing, though an official PB would be a reach with the stomach distress not abating.
Our group was promptly passed by eventual women’s victor, Milly Clark, before reaching 22 km, and despite our best efforts, there was no keeping up with her from there - with the exception of Chris Rancie.
That said, the watch split to 25 km wasn’t tardy at 17:27 (3:29/km) - (official 1:27:45), but it was a losing battle from my perspective as I was fast being overcome by the stomach cramping.
The long march home from the Elwood turnaround set in as I attempted to ignore the familiar alarm bells going off, and whilst I wasn’t falling off a cliff pace wise, my demise was terminal in a competitive sense.
Women’s second place getter, Eloise Wellings, passed me around 28 km approaching Luna Park, and once more, I had nothing to try and remain on her tail.
Despite my struggles, I took on another Hydralyte pop top at Liam’s insistence as I passed him for a final time prior to the climb up Fitzroy St.
An 18:20 (3:40/km) split through 30 km (official 1:46:13), was a pronounced drop without being a disaster, though I knew my prospects of going under 2:30 were slim to none at this point without not only arresting but reversing the slide.
Having Liam and Zoe’s prospective cousin in law, Tom, on the bike, once I reached the awkward fork in St Kilda Road, contending with the half marathon runners (who sometimes forget there’s also a marathon taking place…), for reassurance was a blessing, as there wasn’t much to like about the state of play by then!
Somehow, I reached 35 km after the left/right hander Southbank Blvd onto Sturt St surrounding the Arts Centre without giving in to the temptation to ease right up.
I’d bled a further ten seconds per km for that split in 19:14 (3:51/km) - (official 2:05:54), but leg fatigue wasn’t a real issue so I knew I had it in me to bring it home even if under duress.
The emergence from the tunnel and the right turn onto The Tan death valley stretch up Linlithgow Ave was as sobering as ever, the bite point where many a runner has fallen to pieces in a flaming heap.
I was surprised to come across Hugh McCarthy, who had placed the foot down around 25 km and given it everything as is his trademark, but considering my own plight I could see he’d hit the dreaded wall, shortly before reaching The Shrine.
The pinch of the climb up Birdwood Avenue is the final psychological test of the run, and even operating on about four and a half cylinders, it was satisfying to scale it before commencing the descent down Domain Rd.
The bi effect of the ongoing rail works along St Kilda Rd meant that the dodgy dog leg up Dallas Brooks Drive remained, with just enough juice in the tank to tip over and roll back past The Shrine in first gear as I gathered my now weary legs.
A 19:48 (3:58/km) split through 40 km - (official 2:26:06) wasn’t the end of the world in the circumstances, as the adrenaline of the crowd support kicked in after returning to St Kilda Rd.
Making the mirror right turn from the start at Swanston onto Flinders St was when I knew I was home, even if it was - again, with a whimper instead of a bang.
I managed to roll my ankle on a pothole a few moments later, though it wasn’t damaging so I recomposed myself for the final flight.
Shortly after turning onto Batman Avenue and approaching the final kilometre, I was passed by Port Adelaide premiership player, Kane Cornes, and again my attempted rally to keep up was futile.
The seemingly endless crawl off Jolimont Road into Brunton Avenue finally ceased and the the MCG entrance was a sight for sore eyes.
After two years, the satisfaction of making the right turn onto the final lap of the ground to bring it home was considerable.
Even if I was confused by the lack of a place mat on the marathon lane, which meant I jumped onto the half marathon lane - as I discovered many others did, before jumping back onto the outer turf without knowing if I was meant to.
I didn’t really care at that point!
With the clock entering into my sight and counting rapidly counting upwards in the 2:34:5X’s, I made a final desperate lunge to cross the line before it struck 2:35.
As it was, I passed it in smack on 2:35:00, though I snuck in under by three seconds on net time for an official return of 2:34:57.
A four minute course PB and in one sense, also an official PB at a major event, even if the goal had been around ten minutes faster and six minutes adrift of my unofficial PB, so it wasn’t all bad despite being neutralised by the stomach.
Immediately after stopping the watch and taking stock of the occasion, I felt like there was plenty in the tank despite the gut issues, I wasn’t disoriented or struggling to stand, so I know we have lots to work with if we can resolve the fuelling strategy.
Even so, with my stomach cactus, my first priority after exiting the baggage collection area was to find a portaloo!
Any disappointment in my own haul was rapidly tempered upon the discovery that Dion Finocchiaro had come home in 2:19 and fifth place to boot.
I was ecstatic for him following so many heartbreaking experiences at Melbourne, and if anything it reinforced my own conviction to continue fronting up even if you don’t always land the result your training warrants.
In the absence of achieving the goal time, this was cathartic closure on the tumultuous chapter of the past two years which sometimes felt like it would deprive another marathon from ever occurring.
Who knows what or when my next major race will be, but for now there’s no great urgency to set to work, it’s been a long year.
It’s about enjoying the time with friends and family with the freedoms we’ve struggled to earn and when the moment comes to knuckle down again, the fire will be there.
What is certain is that next time I line up at Melbourne will be as a Spartan, which will be a proud moment. I never could have imagined that when I ran my debut marathon there in 2012 that I’d be contemplating my tenth - and over 20 altogether!
Well done to everybody who ran their first marathon at Melbourne, hopefully it’s the start of a rewarding journey even if it didn’t feel that way on the morning, you’ve got to start somewhere!
Thanks to Liam and everyone at Vigor, alongside my family and friends for their support in my pursuits amidst the backdrop of some uncertain times, I’m unsure how I’d have endured it without having the drive to tie up the laces and head out the door each day.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, let’s do it all again (not the lockdown part) in 2022!