761 replies to this topic

[PeterPlodder]

MrsBails, on 11 April 2011 - 08:09 PM, said:

I just want to say well done to all the Mara, HM and ultra virgins that got through this weekend. To all the CR's that I didn't have the breath to shout out to, great job. I especially noticed a gentleman with a beard and a full brimmed hat...

That was me. Although I need a better hat - that one gets very floppy when wet.

[runhard]

PeterPlodder, on 12 April 2011 - 09:17 PM, said:

That was me. Although I need a better hat - that one gets very floppy when wet.

Great work PeterPlodder!  I was the one cheering at the turn around taking photos.  It was always great to see you smiling as you ran past. Hope the cheers helped.  

RH

[Barefoot]

Another Canberra Marathon over, the best part for me was the hot coffee John was making for the runners in the SMC tent. I could not warm up in the rain, despite wearing a jacket, jogged most of the way except for a few km's about the 25km mark and the last 5km, when I knew I was nearing home.

Preparing for Gold Coast Marathon, hope to have a bit of sun.

[sammo72]

Barefoot, on 12 April 2011 - 09:24 PM, said:

Preparing for Gold Coast Marathon, hope to have a bit of sun.

Yeah pretty scary, I just printed out the marathon training guide for the GC and it is less then 12 weeks away.

I think I might have to join the SMC so I can get a hot coffee after such events.

[markmik]

Thanks for the great photos runhard!!!

[Moog]

PeterPlodder and I definitely got it right this year about choosing which event to volunteer in, and which event to run in.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the finish line for the 5 and 10k events,  which even included taking some bloke's photo (he'd carried the camera with him on the run).

I must get myself some CR gear for the next big event - which unfortunately is some time off - although I will give the Rex Foulkes 1/2 a go - as I'm off to Port Moresby for the winter.  

PS: Anyone know of good running clubs up there?

[SMCRoadRaceSeries]

MrD, on 12 April 2011 - 05:47 PM, said:

"For all of our events we use the net time placing for everything other than the 1st, 2nd, 3rd places. In our experience people would much prefer this information than their gun time places."

So this looks like a new direction Fairfax is taking with their results. I will point out though that the reply from them is actually incorrect... "For all of our events we use the net time placing" in that Fairfax events have always listed placings by gun times for the entire field an had a separate column for nett time (City2Surf and SMH half are examples from last year)

I have been part of a big marathon database project with Perseus amongst others, and all our data is in gun time. This will be the first time marathon placings has gone by nett time.

Thanks Brendan,

It is one thing giving people their nett time- for their own use- and listing the nett times, but quite another to do the placings on nett time---absolutely incorrect for an event that does not specifically have wave starts (eg 6Ft). Canberra is a mass start, everyone starts on the same gun time. You cannot , for arguments sake, start 30min later when a storm has passed, run a sub 3hr and claim it and also claim to have beaten other sub 3:30 runners....which is what they are implying can be done.

I will hopefully meet with the Canberra RD -not a race debrief, but completely separate invite to meeting amongst RD's with him- and I will certainly point out to him that he is incorrect.

This is unfortunately yet another problem of a disjointed system of road running with no leadership or coming under club owenership as I have argued for years (anbd how it is done in SA), and 'events managers' can just make up their own rules to suit their event.

cheers

Edited by SMCRoadRaceSeries, 12 April 2011 - 09:58 PM.

[GMan]

Just joined this Coolrunning website after a few weeks of observing the great advice given by many members to people of all levels and ability. I am a newbie to this distance running thing having just done last year's Blackmore's half marathon and my 1st marathon this week at Canberra. Managed to get a "PB" of 3hr 20 mins and have well and truly caught the running bug. While my legs are well shredded and I walk a bit funny, I am looking forward to the next one. Really, really tough for the last 7 k's. I take many positives out of all the things I didn't do right. Defo minutes to be shaved from the time. Hit a bit of a wall in last 5 k's and managed to pull my lead legs over the finish line. Well battered but strangely happy despite the pain.   Thanks to all for the advice etc. Well appreciated!!! Kepp up the great work and best of luck with all you want to achieve this running season. Cheers!!!

[Whippet gal]

SMCRoadRaceSeries, on 12 April 2011 - 09:57 PM, said:

I will hopefully meet with the Canberra RD -not a race debrief, but completely separate invite to meeting amongst RD's with him- and I will certainly point out to him that he is incorrect.

I hope the Canberra RD takes the comments and feedback on board.

Please note, the following comment isn't made from a greed or self-centred point of view. Please don't take it that way...
Another thing I found disappointing was the lack of recognition for the people who finished in fourth and fifth place. Previous Canberra Marathons paid prize money down to fifth spot and I think this is a great way of encouraging and rewarding runners who just miss out on the podium. For an event sponsored by a major company like Fairfax, and for the entry fee, you would think prize money could be a little more substantial - that's one way to attract the faster runners and make for a more exciting race.

I know Canberra will never rival the (fast and flat) Gold Coast in terms of attracting the elites who are after a super time, but I think it's a good course that's certainly very marketable to international and Australian elites if the prize money is there as an incentive.

[Slunnie]

I've got to say that I thoroughly enjoyed running at the Australian Running Festival and was pleased to have achieved a PB by a few minutes in the half marathon.

My opinion of the event was that it was overwhelmingly a positive experience for my self and the rest of the family who also participated over the weekend, despite the problems and differences of opinion as read on here.

I look forward to the 2012 event and hope to be running in it again.

[MrD]

SMCRoadRaceSeries, on 12 April 2011 - 09:57 PM, said:

Thanks Brendan,

It is one thing giving people their nett time- for their own use- and listing the nett times, but quite another to do the placings on nett time---absolutely incorrect for an event that does not specifically have wave starts (eg 6Ft). Canberra is a mass start, everyone starts on the same gun time. You cannot , for arguments sake, start 30min later when a storm has passed, run a sub 3hr and claim it and also claim to have beaten other sub 3:30 runners....which is what they are implying can be done.

I will hopefully meet with the Canberra RD -not a race debrief, but completely separate invite to meeting amongst RD's with him- and I will certainly point out to him that he is incorrect.

This is unfortunately yet another problem of a disjointed system of road running with no leadership or coming under club owenership as I have argued for years (anbd how it is done in SA), and 'events managers' can just make up their own rules to suit their event.

cheers

Agree 100%. It's a race, not a 42.2km TT.

Also agree with Whippet gal too. But their philosphy is all take and no give so to be expected really.

Edited by MrD, 12 April 2011 - 11:55 PM.

[TheRuns]

Moog, on 12 April 2011 - 09:48 PM, said:

I must get myself some CR gear for the next big event - which unfortunately is some time off - although I will give the Rex Foulkes 1/2 a go - as I'm off to Port Moresby for the winter.

I too need to buy some. I don't think I'll do the full at GC if I get leave from work, probably the HM. I hope to be ok to do the FM at Sydney in September.
Speaking of running clubs in the ACT. The only one I am familiar with is  Speedy Geese. I know they welcome new members, but my concern is that my work hours are sufficiently inconsistent that I fear I'll be unable to attend regularly. Is anyone here a member and would irregular attendance be a problem?

[Barefoot]

sammo72, on 12 April 2011 - 09:27 PM, said:

Yeah pretty scary, I just printed out the marathon training guide for the GC and it is less then 12 weeks away.

I think I might have to join the SMC so I can get a hot coffee after such events.

What a good idea about the GC training guide, just printed from 12 weeks to go. SMC are hoping to have a tent at Gold Coast, Hunter Valley and M7 "Cities", hope to see you at one of those Marathons.

[ChickenRun]

Just in case anyone's interested, the new(ish) Runner's World "Coach" (marathon edition) has 12 week training plans in the back for times from 5+hrs to 2:45.

12 weeks to Gold Coast...how convenient

[1409th]

Hi y’all

Great to read the race reports and see how everyone went.

For my part I was struggling with an Achilles injury and was tempted not to run. Good sense got the better of me and I decided to hell with it, I’d try anyway. The injury was playing up in the first few k’s but I thought I could push onto half way and reassess then. I didn’t realise the turn for the half was at 16k’s and got caught out a bit by that. The lady I was running with said “good - that’s all the riff raff gone – that just leaves us” her words not mine, although admittedly I laughed along with her.  

So I trundled on and on and on and figured if I could get to 30k’s - cool - as I could walk from there if need be. I hit 30k’s without any great issue and every k from there was a bonus really. I hadn’t been able to run beyond about 15k’s in the past 3 months (although have hit the gym like a mad man) and so was pretty surprised to finish in an utterly dominate 4.19 or something like 732 place. Funny how things work out.

I though the event itself was well organised: 1) the half marathoners added numbers heightening the anticipation at the start 2) there was plenty of water / I can’t get excited about there not being water sachets 3) my bag was there when I got back 4) the marshal’s stayed until the bitter end and 5) no one went nuts about me flouting the generally direction in wearing an IPOD (have you ever tried talking to a half marathoner??).

Perhaps the race has lost some of the informality from the Cundy days but Fairfax have got to make a few bucks don’t they?  

Anyway my humble opinion is that the natural order has been restored, there’s a big marathon in Canberra in April, beneath trees that are wearily putting on their winter cloaks.

Well done all.

Over and out.

1409th

[Bunyip]

PeterPlodder, on 12 April 2011 - 09:06 PM, said:

A bit slower this year. I could blame the weather or similar, but it's probably something boring like "inadequate preparation".

It was still a good weekend. Saturday, conditions were excellent (typical Canberra Autumn weather). I was marshalling and was able to connect some faces to names. Sunday was actually not too bad for running, despite the nearly continuous rain - it's a lot better than heat. I have a lot of respect for the volunteers that day - at least us runners were keeping warm, but they were standing in the cold and wet for hours. But they still had lots of smiles - great stuff!

As for my marathon, halfway in 2 hours without much worry, but I knew at that point that sub 4 was not going to happen. So I reset my goal to a sub 5 ultra. Although that turned out to be way too optimistic. From around 30k onwards I was living up to my name. Reached the finish line in 4:19 feeling pretty worn out. But headed straight on through anyway. I was told I was the 100th person to set off on the ultra. My final place was 99th - a bit surprising, as I don't remember passing anyone. Did a fair bit of walking on that extra bit - I found that my speed walk was a similar pace to my "run". Managed to reasonably run the final kilometre, and pulled of a reasonable sprint finish, although there were not many there to see it. Finished in 5:23, so both times were about 20 minutes slower than last year. It's interesting that the extra 7.8k took the same time both times.

Saw lots of coolrunners - Moog, NKOTB, Lotsahare, PinkLady, and lots of others who I names I don't know. So, despite the saying, I can tell you that long distance running is not lonely!

I prefer to blame the weather and very slow course. Not to mention my inadequate time keeping. And the rain and what ever else I can think off.

[SMCRoadRaceSeries]

Isthisnametaken, on 12 April 2011 - 10:26 AM, said:

Thanks very much Sammo. Makes it easier to know what people are on about and sounds like that they are perfect to use. Can see an issue with the cost though.

The difference between purchasing empty cups vs sachets is less than 20c per runner for the whole race usage....and that is without taking into account all the hassle of filling, extra volunteers, unhygienic water in buckets etc.
It is something the volunteers should "get excited about"

Barefoot, on 13 April 2011 - 07:24 AM, said:

What a good idea about the GC training guide, just printed from 12 weeks to go. SMC are hoping to have a tent at Gold Coast, Hunter Valley and M7 "Cities", hope to see you at one of those Marathons.

Definitely "M7/Cities" , but I doubt we will be at Gold Coast this year- too expensive and too much logistics. Hunter Valley is possible, but someone needs to do it.

[Ezzy]

Just got back from Canberra and Goulburn. Marathon in Canberra and family holiday in Goulburn(they support me during my training and when I race, so we have a little holiday after the race). I have been reading many posts since the race, however haven't been able to post myself until today. By the way, I really enjoy reading people's stories about how their day/race went, its encouraging.

I would like to say that I am glad it was not a hot day, however my feet did not enjoy the water towards the end of the race.

It was great to see so many people racing and also cheering the runners, I like that atmosphere.

Someone mentioned in previous posts about a runner with a straw, I was carrying black straws and I can tell you it helped a lot during drinking stations. It is not as good as the water bags, but under the circumstances it did the job.

@Doddsy, great run mate, it was good to see you there and running so well, awesome run mate, your training is really paying off and you will do great at Comrads.

As for me, this was my second marathon, both have been in Canberra, I was hoping for a sub 3:45, however I was not able to make it, I was falling off the pace and by 39 km it was almost unrealistic that I would achieve that goal, 30 seconds later I started to cramp up, first my left calf and then my right. I guess I only have my training to blame. Nevevermind, I still ran a 7 min PB 3:51

My legs are just recovering and I am already looking at the racing calender to see when I can run my next marathon. My wife thinks I'm nuts  

Hope everyone is recovering well.

[allrounder]

TheRuns, on 13 April 2011 - 07:06 AM, said:

...The only one I am familiar with is  Speedy Geese. I know they welcome new members, but my concern is that my work hours are sufficiently inconsistent that I fear I'll be unable to attend regularly. Is anyone here a member and would irregular attendance be a problem?

I'm a member - irregular attendance is not a problem - you can attend whatever sessions suit your situation...speedygeoff runs the speedy geese - contact him through his blog if you have any questions...

[TheRuns]

Thanks for that. I am keen to join a group as I am finding it a bit boring doing everything alone. I was just reluctant to stuff Geoff etc around if I give an agreement that I will go but then don't.

[ALF]

My GPS watch showed the Canberra Marathon distance was 44.08km instead of 42.2.  I wonder anyone else felt the distance was a bit out.

[Action]

ALF, on 13 April 2011 - 11:12 PM, said:

My GPS watch showed the Canberra Marathon distance was 44.08km instead of 42.2.  I wonder anyone else felt the distance was a bit out.

Unless they have changed the course from what it has been for the past many many years, Canberra is one of the most accurately measured courses in the world.  Really, in the world.  What GPS model were you using, and can you upload the gpx file so we can check the course? Can't see it myself!

[Barefoot]

I overhread other runners say their GPS was out and the course was long, perhaps the rain they mentioned.

But they were not running the "runners line". Canberra is a very winding course, I picked up many runners by running the shorter inside of all the bends without increasing my pace. When the leaders came by you could see them almost run a straight line through the bends, while inexperenced runners were meandering on the outside of the bends in the course.

[Horrie]

I was running with the 310 and it went absolutely haywire when going through the tunnels. It measured 1km at around 1.5km after exiting the tunnel. This course is as accurate as they come. Dave Cundy did not do things in half measures. Pun intended.

[tejjyid]

By my calculations (based on Endomondo's reporting of the .gpx data) .4 km was added for each pass through the tunnel, so that's 1.6 km fictional additional distance overall. That + a wobbly "runner's line" will easily get you over 44km.

[SMCRoadRaceSeries]

Why do people always think their Garmins are more accurate than the course measurer?

tejjyid, on 14 April 2011 - 08:53 AM, said:

By my calculations (based on Endomondo's reporting of the .gpx data) .4 km was added for each pass through the tunnel, so that's 1.6 km fictional additional distance overall. That + a wobbly "runner's line" will easily get you over 44km.

That's not how it works. The garmin will probably 'under measure' in tunnel and any good correction software will bring it back to close to the actual measured distance if you also straighten the wobbly bits (sporttracks does)

[Slunnie]

SMCRoadRaceSeries, on 14 April 2011 - 10:27 AM, said:

Why do people always think their Garmins are more accurate than the course measurer?

Yeah, my Nike Running chippy came up at 22.5km, probably 22.3km when removing the start/finish. I was going to recalibrate it yesterday until it came up short for a 3km run... hmmm, it's not too accurate.

[sammo72]

my garmin also lost signal in the tunnels and i ended up with 50.9km for the ultra event. not too bad.

[Bellthorpe]

SMCRoadRaceSeries, on 14 April 2011 - 10:27 AM, said:

Why do people always think their Garmins are more accurate than the course measurer?

For the same reason that when digital watches became common, when asked the time folks would reply with confidence "it's 9:13" instead of "it's a quarter past nine".

It's the presence of numbers, and when you add the implied precision of decimal points, well then, they must be correct!

[Supersam1979]

Yep the Garmin should only be used as a guide and as pointed out above, some are better than others.

We know the course is 42.195K as that is how it has been certified. If you tend to track all over the path and weave in and out of drinks stations and at the start, then this will obviously add a little distance.

I have shared this before, but will share it again for a laugh. I showed my Garmin to a local runner at Comrades last year (he is a mine labourer so used to hard work and has run nothing but silver medals in all his attempts). He seemed a little interested at first, but then just started laughing and pointed at his head and then his heart and said 'My Garmin' - I felt a complete fraud.

Later that same man ran another silver medal wearing no watch at all. I think there is something to be said for those that just run according to how they feel on the day. As someone was saying to me last night - pretty soon you know your own pace and don't even have to look at the watch anymore.

Edited by Supersam1979, 14 April 2011 - 03:19 PM.

[SMCRoadRaceSeries]

Supersam1979, on 14 April 2011 - 03:17 PM, said:

I have shared this before, but will share it again for a laugh. I showed my Garmin to a local runner at Comrades last year (he is a mine labourer so used to hard work and has run nothing but silver medals in all his attempts). He seemed a little interested at first, but then just started laughing and pointed at his head and then his heart and said 'My Garmin' - I felt a complete fraud.

Later that same man ran another silver medal wearing no watch at all. I think there is something to be said for those that just run according to how they feel on the day. As someone was saying to me last night - pretty soon you know your own pace and don't even have to look at the watch anymore.

Great story Sean. Something we all should remember

[rachinaus]

I bet the guy in the thongs and the bucket hat who started late and finished with a sub three (2:40 something) wasn't wearing a Garmin....he probably just went back to his fishing.

[Moog]

Supersam1979, on 14 April 2011 - 03:17 PM, said:

Yep the Garmin should only be used as a guide and as pointed out above, some are better than others.

We know the course is 42.195K as that is how it has been certified. If you tend to track all over the path and weave in and out of drinks stations and at the start, then this will obviously add a little distance.

I have shared this before, but will share it again for a laugh. I showed my Garmin to a local runner at Comrades last year (he is a mine labourer so used to hard work and has run nothing but silver medals in all his attempts). He seemed a little interested at first, but then just started laughing and pointed at his head and then his heart and said 'My Garmin' - I felt a complete fraud.

Later that same man ran another silver medal wearing no watch at all. I think there is something to be said for those that just run according to how they feel on the day. As someone was saying to me last night - pretty soon you know your own pace and don't even have to look at the watch anymore.

Garmins are training aids only and shouldn't be relied upon for accuracy.  Mine (a 230) gave me 42.59kms - although that suggests that it is accurate to 1%.  That being said, I  am going to rely on my garmin as it said I averaged 4.53m/k whereas the official result gives me 4.55m/k and I will do anything to pretend I run faster than I really do  

[Rico]

Mine gave me 50.5km.

The tunnel messed it around a bit, but it wouldn't surprise me if I added 500m by dodging other people, dodging puddles, looking for smoother bits of road, and at times just generally wandering aimlessly around.

[ALF]

I started the query about the distance.  after all the comments, I looked at the data in great details with Google Earth.  I agreed that the Loss of Signals in the Tunnel areas probably contributed the most apparent addition of mileage to the overall distance.  I recalled now similiar problems when I was overseas running trails where my Garmin 310 simply "estimated" mileage when signals were lost under cliffs and in deep valleys.  Normally I found the GPS extremely accurate (c.f. car and bike odometers) in open space.

[Tash28]

I must say that I did really enjoy the experience of running Canberra, the crowds were wonderfully supportive. The only issue I had was that there was no way to tell who was running the Ultra and that it was a very slow start for those stuck behind. I'm pretty new to running long distances and can find it hard to pace myself correctly , it would have been nice to have an idea of who else was running the same event. I also found it a bit unfair that places were awarded on gun time and not the time registered by your race chip (I ended up third in the Ultra even though I ran faster than the second place getter). As I'm still pretty new to these type of event I can't really help but be a little bitter even though I understand why it is done like this, I think maybe that having the Half Marathon starting at the same time as well might have made that little narrow street a little bit too crowded?

[Shredder1]

My Garmin 405 read 42.6km. The tunnels mucked it up a bit but overall I can't complain.

[AaronR]

My Garmin was perfect, It told me the time when I started and when i finished. AND it had a great big number display for my wet weary eyes to read.

[sharpie]

rachinaus, on 14 April 2011 - 04:11 PM, said:

I bet the guy in the thongs and the bucket hat who started late and finished with a sub three (2:40 something) wasn't wearing a Garmin....he probably just went back to his fishing.

Correct Rach.

Philip Balnave wearing bucket hat, scuffs and no Garmin (or watch for that matter) finished 10th overall in 2:43:00 and 3rd in his age group. I had to pick my jaw up off the road when he sprinted past me but it put a smile on my face at the time.

[Perseus]

Tash28, on 14 April 2011 - 09:06 PM, said:

I must say that I did really enjoy the experience of running Canberra, the crowds were wonderfully supportive. The only issue I had was that there was no way to tell who was running the Ultra and that it was a very slow start for those stuck behind. I'm pretty new to running long distances and can find it hard to pace myself correctly , it would have been nice to have an idea of who else was running the same event. I also found it a bit unfair that places were awarded on gun time and not the time registered by your race chip (I ended up third in the Ultra even though I ran faster than the second place getter). As I'm still pretty new to these type of event I can't really help but be a little bitter even though I understand why it is done like this, I think maybe that having the Half Marathon starting at the same time as well might have made that little narrow street a little bit too crowded?

As Mr D posted it's a race and not a time trial. You crossed the line third and were awarded third. Congratulations and welcome to CR.

sharpie, on 14 April 2011 - 09:29 PM, said:

Philip Balnave wearing bucket hat, scuffs and no Garmin (or watch for that matter) finished 10th overall in 2:43:00 and 3rd in his age group. I had to pick my jaw up off the road when he sprinted past me but it put a smile on my face at the time.

Actually he was 11th overall...by gun time.  Fairfax are insisting that positions be based on nett time whcih means overall, gender and age positions given in their results are completely wrong.

[The Sloth]

My report - a little long but thought those who are targeting some quick times would get some insight as I aimed to go under 2:48:48 (4 min/k) for the first time.

Race Report - Canberra 2011
Background
2:48:53 at Sydney last September aiming for sub 4 min ks (5 seconds too slow). Ran fairly even pace 1:24:10ish to 1:24:53ish.
Training for Sydney was 9 weeks of 70-80k avg running in 9 weeks leading up to 2 week  taper, but off a base of 90-100+ k weeks in first half of year.

Preparation
Had 2 months v. low ks after Sydney due to other work/life priorities
OK Nov/Dec and ran or rode every day this year until race day.
9 weeks of 80-90k avg running + bike ks in 9 weeks leading up to 2 week taper, however coming off lower base than for Syd.
Mainly solo running, so speedwork was limited in quantity and quality. Made sure I got the long runs in. Not as much marathon pace running as I would like. Not as many lead up races as I'd like.
Ran a 25min 7k about 6-7 weeks prior to race day.
Ran 6ft track in 4:32:40 four weeks out.
Running between 6ft and Canberra - Recovery ~1wk, peak ~1wk before 2wk taper.

Race Plan
Going for sub 4 min ks again
Plan to tag along with friend from JORG in Sydney, JP until being spat out at about 30k - anticipate he's running about 2:45 pace.
Probably a bit quick for my prep, but never know until you give it a shot.

Pre Race
Reasonably good carbo load Wed-Fri.
Highly hydrated judging by the number of times I've been going to the loo.
Race morning - small bowl of Nutrigrain, 250ml overstrength sports drink ~ 2hrs prior.
3 nervous trips to the amenities once at the start.
Light warmup - 4 reps across the school oval + strides.
1 small can of de-fizzed V 5 minutes prior to gun.
Rain started ~1/2 hour prior to start and would continue for whole race. Not to heavy, but fairly constant.

Running kit
Blue Nike lightweight singlet. Black Nike lightweight shorts. Blue 'Sydney Running Centre' cap (Decided to wear cap to keep rain out - chose this one for extra light weight head cover, and unlike CR cap has a stiff peak that would not flop in rain). White 2xu Compression race Sox. Asics DS Racers (~2yrs old, ~40k on them). Garmin 305+HR strap. Bib, pinned high on shirt, Timing chip right shoe. Bandaids on nipples. Liberal amounts of anti-chafe. Carried toilet paper in plastic bag in zip pocket of shorts - just in case!

Race
Ran with home mixed sports drink to minimise reliance on aid stations in first half.
Tagged onto JP after a k or so.
(Splits from Garmin, so not 100% accurate).
Pace a little hot 5k in 18:59 and 10k in 37:45, but stuck with JP.
Never felt that springy, comfortable running like I usually do in a marathon that comes because you are running at a comfortable margin under threshold.
~15k in 56:59. Started to struggle to hang onto JP and he gradually and relentlessly pulled away starting about 18k, co-inciding roughly with a stitch. Starting to which I'd entered the half.
~20k in 1:16:43. Fought hard to keep the pace without my rabbit. Halfway in approx 1:21:30 (didn't see halfway sign, no halfway splits from chip).
~25k in 1:36:31 (5k split still < 4min ks).
~30k in 1:56:48 (5k split > 4min ks).
~35k in 2:18:13 - Really bad 5k. Plenty of ticker, but the legs feeling incredibly smashed, however knew I was now definitely in contention for sub 4 min ks. Had plenty of positive self talk.
~40k in 2:39:07 - Not a great 5k, but stopped the bleeding. Still feeling like I have energy to spare (HR in low 150s), but having real trouble making the legs go quicker as they are hurting a lot. At this point the Garmin was 200m in front of the k markers. Just need to hold it together for another 2.4!!
2nd last k - Concentrating on good form and trying to lift HR. Thought this must be a sub 4 min k, but later Garmin would show 4:06. Every step is adding an extra dimension to the pain in my legs.
Last k - Really trying to lift it, but not responding as I'd hoped. All thoughts of 50k well and truly set aside as it will take everything just to make it under 2:48:48. Garmin showed a 4:05 minute k.
Last 400m - Wife and kids cheer me on. Dig deep for the big sprint - do not want to repeat Sydney's near miss.
Finally see the clock 2:48:3x. Run you Sloth!!!! Stop the clock in 2:48:42. Yaahhooooo!!!!! Jump up and down. I got a little excited. 11 second PB and 5 seconds quicker than 2:48:47.
18th across line, 17th on net time. My second half was ~1:27:12.
Garmin read 42.4k
JP came in sub 2:45 - nice effort.

Recovery
Stood around a lot, legs more smashed than in any other Marathon I've run, including when I pulled an abductor muscle in 6ft. In an enormous amount of pain to even walk at all.
Some water + fruit cups.
Started to get really cold. Eventually struggled my way to get jacket from bag drop. Went into hall while wife went to get clothes, etc.
Sat in seat in the hall and began to wonder if I would be able to drive the car home. Rubbing legs to warm up and ease pain. Felt a little better.
Hot shower in change rooms behind the hall. Felt absolutely fantastic. Skins on, feeling warm and able to walk OK.
Chafed Nipples - bandaids came off. Bad rub line from waist elastic on front of shorts (didn't lube there).

Hindsight
Very happy with result, but definitely went about it the hard/painful way with a big positive split.
Maybe could have gone 2:46 or 2:47 with a more evenly paced run and a dry track  but who knows?

EDIT: Wanted to note that although the legs were smashed, this was mainly upper leg - Hammy's, Quads + supporting muscles. Feet were shot too - Blisters on both feet just towards the middle of the foot from the ball started at ~10k and got progressively worse. Calves felt absolutely fantastic in comparison, which is odd because the only other time I recall running a marathon in the wet it was the Calves that were shot. Maybe these compression socks really work!

Edited by The Sloth, 15 April 2011 - 10:00 AM.

[Whippet gal]

The Sloth, on 14 April 2011 - 10:27 PM, said:

My report - a little long but thought those who are targeting some quick times would get some insight as I aimed to go under 2:48:48 (4 min/k) for the first time.

Brilliant run Sloth. Congratulations.

[Supersam1979]

Yeah folks here he is - what a LEGEND!!

Phillip Belnave - just jogged over the line like nothing had just happened - he was cruising it really. Made all bar a few in the top 10 look a bit silly really. Good on him I say!!!

http://www.marathon-...ch=1&match=A218

[jpol3692]

seriously, who IS this Phillip Belnave guy - how the hell did he manage a 3:51m/km pace wearing sandals??

[Supersam1979]

jpol3692, on 15 April 2011 - 08:59 AM, said:

seriously, who IS this Phillip Belnave guy - how the hell did he manage a 3:51m/km pace wearing sandals??

It is a good story. I love hearing stuff like this. Keeps one grounded.

As for the running in sandals, I believe that Barefoot Ted from 'Born to Run' has run a road marathon barefoot in 2.40 or just under.  Like Philip he is not a small bloke either which makes things more astounding. In short it is possible.

[The Sloth]

Supersam1979, on 15 April 2011 - 08:41 AM, said:

Yeah folks here he is - what a LEGEND!!

Phillip Belnave - just jogged over the line like nothing had just happened - he was cruising it really. Made all bar a few in the top 10 look a bit silly really. Good on him I say!!!

http://www.marathon-...ch=1&match=A218

Looks like he was on his way from the tent to the shower block and came across a marathon and thought hey, I'll give this a bash.
Couldn't believe it when he stormed past me and JP at around 8k. Squeak, squeak, squeak..all the way to 2:43:00!

[Supersam1979]

The Sloth, on 15 April 2011 - 10:05 AM, said:

Looks like he was on his way from the tent to the shower block and came across a marathon and thought hey, I'll give this a bash.
Couldn't believe it when he stormed past me and JP at around 8k. Squeak, squeak, squeak..all the way to 2:43:00!

Bang on the money mate! Great description!

It is just so uniquely Aussie!

[Pink Lady]

I was standing behind him at the start line.

It looked like he had attached his time chip to his left sandal with bluetak

What I would really like to know is how he kept them on his feet because they are just slip-ins with no back strap.

[Perseus]

He also ran last year's SMH Half and Sydney Marathon (2.57 with a shocker positive split) in those sandals. Reminds me of the life-be-in-it guy ...

Edited by Perseus, 15 April 2011 - 01:16 PM.

[wildcoyte]

I train with JP and he is a freaking machine!! I was looking after many people that I knew after the race. I was getting them drinks, the fruit cups etc and even with a couple of them I ran the last couple of k's with them. To keep them going!!