39 replies to this topic

[Grechy]

I know this is a long way off but I am considering using this as my goal race for this year.

I have never done it before and never been anywhere near Portland but it seems like an interesting race. The 5 hour car ride each way is not ideal but it might make a nice weekend away.

I know its a very hilly course which in some ways is why I want to do it. Being in November has advantages and disadvantages. It means a good break in between marathons if you do Canberrra/Gold Coast but then there is a risk of warm weather. With the 8am start, it could turn out to be a nightmare if it is a warm day.

I suppose there is 10 months between now and then so it might be a bit crazy to be planning this far in advance but is anyone else thinking of doing this one in 2012?

[realmenrun]

Hi Grechy,

I just spent 4 days in Portland, and it is truely a beautiful place, the views over the cliffs are fantastic, i did a 25k L.R. while i was there and loved every minute of it.

I was going to do Melb Marathon again this year but have decided to change my schedule to do Portland 3 bays instead. Yes apparently it is a little more hilly than M.M but i believe it is only 3-4 minutes slower than M.M. course. Having just done Maysville and Two Bays trail races, i am no longer intimidated by a hilly course.


Hope to see you down there for this one as well as lots of other cool runners as well.

C.F

[Grechy]

realmenrun, on 26 January 2012 - 07:02 AM, said:

Hi Grechy,

I just spent 4 days in Portland, and it is truely a beautiful place, the views over the cliffs are fantastic, i did a 25k L.R. while i was there and loved every minute of it.

I was going to do Melb Marathon again this year but have decided to change my schedule to do Portland 3 bays instead. Yes apparently it is a little more hilly than M.M but i believe it is only 3-4 minutes slower than M.M. course. Having just done Maysville and Two Bays trail races, i am no longer intimidated by a hilly course.


Hope to see you down there for this one as well as lots of other cool runners as well.

C.F

Thanks for that. If all things go well I will be there. Hopefully a few others will also consider making the trip. Would be good to hear from anyone who is familiar with this event. I am sure Reefy's eyes will light up when he sees this thread.

[walker1st]

I was thinking for few years, but the 4 peaks on same date got the family vote.
this year I am more determined to do Portland, not decided if I start with walkers 2H early, or do it as a run,
training for either option anyway

[dingoonthetrot]

Being Portland, it is more likely to be cold and windy in November than it is hot.  Runners are sheltered from the wind by hills and trees.  It's a great run and well organised.  Check out their gallery if you're looking for inspiration.  Well worth the drive.

Dingo

[Reefy]

Thanks Grechy and sorry I'm very late to this thread - but wanted to jummp in to say that the 3 Bays Entries are now live and being taken!

http://www.portland3...rg.au/Entry.asp

This year's race is (as always) on the Sunday before the Melb Cup, which means our race is on the 4th November for 2012.

There are a couple of changes -

• first up, we'll be allowing race kits to be picked up from the 3-Bays booth at the Portland Upwelling Festival the day before the race. So if you like you can check in there and not need to worry about it on race morning - just head to the start line!
  
• Also, this year we'll have timing chips embedded into your race number, rather than an ankle strap. A small change, but if you're wondering why no ankle strap, that's why.

And some great news on the course. The direction is clockwise again meaning you'll be running UP the Shuffler, and then it's all (or mostly) downhill in Portland for the finish line.

Hope to see lots of Coolrunners again this year, and remember that a new category is a 4 person run relay to go with all our other relays.

So if you want to be part of a really great community-based mara or half mara race, or if you've got some mates that want to have a weekend away with a relay to cap it off, head down to Portland on Victoria's Discovery Coast.

From now till the race I'll try to check this thread at least once a week so if you've got any Qs either DM me or just ask in here.

Cheers,
Pete
http://www.portland3...marathon.org.au

[Grechy]

Reefy, great to hear the event is looking good however one or two major things have happened in my life since I began this thread and sadly I won't be able to make it this year. I am now looking to 2013 for my Portland debut.

I will be keeping an eye on this thread and will enjoy reading everyone's stories.

[luckyguy]

G'day Reefy. Can you tell me whether there is an entry date/time cutoff for the marathon?

I will be running MM as my goal marathon for this year, however Portland's has been on my radar for many years and simply put I'm tired of procrastinating about this event. I'm 'spiritual' keen to enter, whether I'll be physically able is another. So later the entry the better to best adjudged my marathon running condition.

Cheers, Michael.

[Reefy]

Sorry to hear it Grechy - all the best!

And Michael as anyone who's done our race will agree, we do our best for all competitors - and that means no cut-off times whatsoever. If you can get aorund the marathon course either running, walking, or crawling then you're a finisher in our books and will get a finishers medal no matter what time you do.

Havig said that, we're required by our road permits to reopen the roads at 2pm which gives 6 hours from the 8am start time - but we do have some ways around that.

We allow people to start earlier in the morning if they feel they can't get around in less than 6 hours. It's typical for those people to start with our walk competitors who start at 6am, which gives 8 hours.

And for some people who still do need more time - we do is ask them to take to the footpaths, etc and follow regular road laws to get to the finish line.

How's that? No excuses as far as I can see to give in to your spiritual side and sign up!

Cheers,
Pete

[rohan]

hey reefmanburger,
they link to the 3 bays site isn't currently working?
or is it typed incorrectly?

[Reefy]

Thanks Rohan - that's weird. It's not picking up the default file (index.asp). Thanks for that.

This is the correct link - http://www.portland3...rg.au/index.asp

I'll get the problem sorted tomorrow.

Cheers,
Pete

[luckyguy]

Thanks for your reply Peter but you misread my question {I've sent you a pm}. Of no concern as I will decide a week after MM whether I will enter this one or not. 3 weeks isn't a lot of recovery time but hopefully I'll bounce back relatively fresh.

[rohan]

Entered, and wanting to know if anyone has a prediction ratio to figure a 3Bays time from.
eg. take your MelbMara time and multiply by 1.XX...

Just figure those hill have to slow you down somewhat.

[crowpower]

From my 1985 times, I ran Melbourne on Oct 13 (8895 seconds) and Three Bays on Nov 17 (9213 seconds) , both as fast as I could. Ratio is 1.03575. Neither day was affected by the weather, so that's probably a good indication. If you want to get really scientific you can take off an extra 30 seconds for a Melbourne pit stop.

edit: PS - I may possibly run this year's Three Bays myself seeing as I bombed out in Adelaide on the weekend.

Edited by crowpower, 21 August 2012 - 11:59 AM.

[rohan]

thanks Crowpower for your actual figures... starts to form a picture.

edit: to add... 8895seconds is 2:28:15!!

Edited by rohan, 21 August 2012 - 02:02 PM.

[Reefy]

By the way - we have 19 entries now. Split pretty even between half and full marathon.

[rohan]

good. so pretty much guaranteed a top 10 finish right now...

[Reefy]

Gotta finish first... ;O)

[luckyguy]

OK. Accommodation booked and entry for the marathon paid up.

I wouldn't normally run two marathons this close together (though plenty do), with MM 3 weeks earlier but I'll now have the opportunity to see what a 53 y.o. body can do. Pretty exciting challenge really.... Looking forward to it and the visit to Portland as well.

[Reefy]

Well done Luckyguy - see you in 66 days!

By the way, we now have 30 entries spread across full and half marathon catagories

[DiscoStu]

rohan, on 21 August 2012 - 10:35 PM, said:

good. so pretty much guaranteed a top 10 finish right now...

Hey rohan, rumour has it that you are using this as a business research trip.  You will be looking for ideas for how to create a 4 bays run, to one-up them!

[sunburnt]

I'm in for the half, my first in five years. Would have been nice if i has run lots in that 5 years but I haven't. Still I'm aiming to have fun.

[rohan]

DiscoStu, on 29 August 2012 - 08:47 PM, said:

Hey rohan, rumour has it that you are using this as a business research trip.  You will be looking for ideas for how to create a 4 bays run, to one-up them!

... a case of bay envy?

you running Stu?

[DiscoStu]

rohan, on 31 August 2012 - 03:09 PM, said:

DiscoStu, on 29 August 2012 - 08:47 PM, said:

Hey rohan, rumour has it that you are using this as a business research trip.  You will be looking for ideas for how to create a 4 bays run, to one-up them!

... a case of bay envy?

you running Stu?

No probably not, I traditionally do 4 peaks that weekend.

[Reefy]

Hi all - Thought I might post this year's "Training Tips" for our race, which is normally only run in our local paper. Here's today's. Let me know if you'd like them posted on a weekly basis. Cheers, Peter
2012 Port of Portland 3-Bays Marathon


Welcome to the 29^th running of the Port of Portland 3-Bays Marathon!

Okay, first off - the race will be held on the 4th of November, so right now there’s just over eight weeks to go before the big dance.

This column is all about info about the race this year, and some training tips for all categories to get you to the start AND finish line. Stay tuned for week by week updates.

Okay - hope you’ve been out there walking and/or running for a little while now, as what you’re doing right now will really make a difference on the day. Remember, it’s not what you do days or weeks before, but what you do months before that convert to having a great experience on the day itself. This next month is really your best chance to add real endurance for the 3-Bays, so get out there and clock up some good solid K’s.

Here’s a very quick look at what you should be doing right now. By the way this is THE perfect time to start training for the relay or the half marathon events. There’s even time to train up for the full marathon from here if you’ve been doing regular running/walking. But to have a good race you’d better get out on the road now now now!
Relay run/walk

A run of 5k or 10k; or a walk of 10k is basically a high intensity endurance event. You’ll be pushing hard. While speed and strength are important for a good time, you still need a decent level of base endurance to keep going right up to the baton changeover. For this you should be doing at least 2-3 sessions a week of 3-6km for 5k runners and 5-8km for 10k runners/walkers and mix them up with steady, hill and speed sessions.
Half marathon run/walk

The half marathon is essentially a mid intensity endurance event and as such, you should now be working on your endurance fitness. Forget sprints and other intense sessions right now. Low to mid intensity is all you need. Just remember that if you can’t comfortably talk while training, you’re going too hard.

Ideally right now you’re training around 3-4 times a week and clocking up about 25-35kms. Your longest session is around 8-10km. If this sounds like you, great! If not, well keep at it. Keep increasing distances by no more than 10% a week, and try to have a good night’s sleep and a well balanced diet.
Full marathon run/walk

Full marathoners should be in the build stage of their program. That is, lots of low intensity K’s with limited hills. Six sessions a week averaging about 10km with a weekly long session of about 25km is a good target right now. There’s lots of (fun) work ahead! As with the half, don’t increase by more than 10% per week and also focus on rest and nutrition.
Other tips

Try to allow 48 hours between hard sessions to allow the body to rebuild itself before restressing. Remember to stretch thoroughly before and after any session. Also, after a session (especially a long or intense session) try to ‘refuel’ as soon as possible. Best option is a mix of carbohydrates and proteins.

Of course if you’re doing all of this and more then you can look forward to having a great day come November 4^th. Enjoy the journey!

[crowpower]

I've entered the Three Bays Marathon, looking forward to my third running of it. I last did it in 1991.

[luckyguy]

How's the entries looking Reefy?

Went for my 1st post MM run today - a nice and easy 10. Pulled up well and so a case of sensible management and getting in the best shape I can.

Looking forward to this marathon and having a laid back 'cruisey' run.

[Reefy]

Nice one CP - see you here in a couple of weeks!

LG we're down slightly on last year's big field (for us). Up to 88 in all categories as of today. The mad rush to enter starts now though...

But everything is in place and ready to go!

Cheers

[Thebes]

It looks like perfect weather for this Sunday's Portland Marathon - Max 19 degrees, Min 9 degrees

[Reefy]

Of course!...

[rohan]

Results are hidden here...
http://my2.raceresul...rtificateLink=1
(hoping that link works)
That is one tough marathon course.
I neglected the long runs and paid for it.

[Reefy]

Thanks Rohan, and it was great to meet you on the finish line today. It really was another great day down here with some awesome runs & times. Well done and thank you to all who took part!

[crowpower]

What a great event, if anyone wants scenery this is it! And ... they even had SPONGES!! I thought those were now a no-no, but there they were, and very welcome. Not to mention getting your own bottled water at many of the stops.

Well done to Reefy and your crew. The pasta party on Saturday night was the best I'd been to. The food after the marathon was the best I'd had. I even got to park my car right next to the finish line - how rare is that?? (OK, you had to be there).

There was a bit of drama, at the top of the shuffler. Thanks to those who asked me if I was OK when I suddenly had to stop, with breathing problems. I was able to get going again and to my surprise was able to run my previous pace, so only lost a few minutes and got home comfortably under four hours.

There were many funny moments but my favourite was the guy who shouted at me around the 33km mark "the marathon starts here" and I just said "no, the marathon started in Portland" with a big grin. He laughed!

The kids doing their relay were marvellous.

[Reefy]

Thanks CP, really glad you enjoyed your 3-Bays! I've gotta say the funniest bit for me was with Peter Gray (many here will know Peter I'm sure).

I was congratulating finishers over the line and Peter came over at 12.30pm (he started at 4.30am). I said "Well done Peter!" and he just said "Where's the food". I laughed a little and said "Okay, the water is there, the massage is over there, and the food is over there in the pub" while pointing at the three locations. He just turned and went straight to the pub!

We lost him for awhile in there, and later when I was telling the story to another committee member he said that he saw Peter riding in the front of our local tourist cable tram with two handfulls of food! It cracked us up!

And yeah the kids were absolutely amazing. We love that the event gets virtually every school in the area out running from 6 year old's doing 300m runs just to be "out there" with the bigger kids doing 5k relay legs and grown-ups doing 5 & 10k relays, and half & full marathons.

I'm as proud now of the race as ever, and it's great to hear that people like yourself also enjoy our little town's day of running. Cheers!

PS - next year is our 30th anniversary, and there will be lots to mark the occasion and history of the race. Don't miss it!

[luckyguy]

Well done Reefy and all your fantastic helpers. And rightly you should be proud of your efforts and the faultless running of this event.

Even though I had a fair idea of the 'undulations' in this course, the 'shuffler' still caught me by surprise but I managed to run the whole of it and particularly loved the applause from the 1/2ers as I struggled my way up - despite the effort I managed a big smile.

I was hoping to get under 3:30 thinking a +10 minutes on this course would be reasonable. Couldn't quite find the legs to push through in the last stages but still very happy with 3:33.

Drink stations were great and appreciated the bottled water in the final 10 k's as the weather got warmer. Great to see so many kids running the relays. I had to laugh how they took off 'hell for leather' only to fade later. But this is a great incentive for them and hopefully steers them into a healthy lifestyle.

Certainly one to recommend (and have).

[rohan]

Kids relay was excellent... and competitive.  Good to have some action out there when you're often running by yourself.

Also liked the signs... "so you think this is a hill." and "cashmore straight. switch to autopilot".

as far as scenery. there was some, but I really didn't go looking around much.

hillls. yep. you'd have to have a soft PB to be able to break it on that course.

[realmenrun]

To all involved with the Event, a massive thanks for such a well organised day.
Truly a memorable day,I  didn't come up quite as fresh as I would have liked after Melb Marathon but the hurt made crossing the finish line just as rewarding as a PB.
I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere that the school relay runners added, some tried to outrun me which was a bit of fun. Many of them yelled encouragement.
A big thanks to the fella at the 33 ish km mark with the hat full of jelly beans, he could see I was suffering, and his pat on the back gave me the strength to overcome that little voice inside my head telling me to stop.
Again many thanks to all involved, I would definitely recommend this race as a must do.
CF

[Thebes]

I managed to get to Portland this year after my first visit in 2007.  This was such a great event but tough.  I was keen to get under 3h30mins and was doing ok until the halfway mark and then the wheels fell off.

A big thankyou to the half marathoners who cheered me all the way up the shuffler and the enthusiastic young fella (from the kids marathon relay) who patted me on the back and gave words of encouragement.

[THE LONE RUNNER]

the best part for me was the cheering by the town folk at the finish,that last 2 km or so was tops. its as good as any finish you can have. well done to all involved.

[Grechy]

Glad to hear it was a great day. Luckyguy has assured me that it is one marathon that we should all do so I am hoping to make it next year.