26 replies to this topic

[ChrisMac]

I enjoy running socially, so would like to identify just one race a year to really centre my training around, and make that my PB heaven.  Which Australian marathon event would you choose to target a PB?

[wombatoutofhell]

Gold Coast. Fast, flat and the best crowd support going. I've run 2 pb's there. 2 problems though- firstly the route is very narrow and crowded for the first 8 km or so which means you need to self seed properly otherwise you might get slowed up. The other is you pass the start finish area at about 31km- the exact time you're at your mental worse. Minor issues in the greater scheme of things though. Good luck!

[runhard]

GC!

[TropicThunder]

runhard, on 03 May 2012 - 10:25 AM, said:

GC!

so how much faster is GC compared to other courses? Especially those in Sydney....

[runhard]

I guess it depends how good you are with hills.  I found m7 harder than Sydney and prefer GC as it is flat.  I suck on hills. Melbourne was pretty good though.

As far as how much faster,  How long is a piece of string?   my PB is on GC and havent been close since. Although I havent raced many but have done a few as training runs.

RH

[wombatoutofhell]

I always suck in Melbourne so I guess I'm biased that way. For some reason I can't get my home marathon right. Gold Coast has a huge advantage though with the way they organise the support races. No matter how fast you are you won't have issues with being caught behind slower 1/2 marathon runners-a big problem in Melbourne. Can't say how much faster it is but my best in GC is over 30 minutes better than my best in Melbourne but only 10 minutes faster than my debut in Canberra. On the debit side, GC can be hot and/or humid which I deal badly with. Not sure if that affects you at all though.

[Jimmy4990]

For me, it's Canberra for 6 reasons

*Perfect post Christmas Training Block with event Mid April

*Great chance of the right whether. Very unlikely to pass 17

*10k 16k 16k loop format sits really well with me

*Very relaxed atmosphere but still plenty of runners to pace with

*Long rolling inclines & nothing steep. I did'nt even notice a hill untill about 34k, just after the turn around for the 2nd time & on the way home. That is the best part for me. The last 8k is the run home so to speak.

*Very spectator friendly. You see your "fan club" often

Ohhhh & the expo is awesome!!! NOT

[TropicThunder]

As stated in an above post - congestion and crowding are an issue no matter how flat the course. Was looking at M7 due to lower #'s compared to the big city marathons. Hills are not too much an issue as long as you get some relief on the other side

Plus everyone seems to run a PB at GC - does that mean the PB loses it's credence???..............

[wombatoutofhell]

PB is always a PB no matter where it is! My marathons and rough times below:
Canberra 2008 3:57
Gold Coast 2008 3:54 (PB)
Melbourne 2008 4:43 (still my PW)
Auckland 2008 3:52 (PB)
Gold Coast 2009 4;41
Melbourne 2009 4:22
Williamstown 2010 3:59
Gold Coast 2010 3:48 (PB)
Adelaide 2010 3:50
Melbourne 2010 4:20
Gold Coast 2011 4:22 ( on no training)
Melbourne 2011 manned the CR icy pole stand-my best Melbourne Marathon ever!
Read into it what you will. Canberra is a good place for a debut but Gold Coast is faster and has a great expo. Melbourne is probably the nicest course though. Having said that if I was out to run a good PB I think I'd go williamstown. I think it's been cancelled this year though.

[ChrisMac]

wombatoutofhell, on 03 May 2012 - 02:55 PM, said:

PB is always a PB no matter where it is! My marathons and rough times below:
Canberra 2008 3:57
Gold Coast 2008 3:54 (PB)
Melbourne 2008 4:43 (still my PW)
Auckland 2008 3:52 (PB)
Gold Coast 2009 4;41
Melbourne 2009 4:22
Williamstown 2010 3:59
Gold Coast 2010 3:48 (PB)
Adelaide 2010 3:50
Melbourne 2010 4:20
Gold Coast 2011 4:22 ( on no training)
Melbourne 2011 manned the CR icy pole stand-my best Melbourne Marathon ever!
Read into it what you will. Canberra is a good place for a debut but Gold Coast is faster and has a great expo. Melbourne is probably the nicest course though. Having said that if I was out to run a good PB I think I'd go williamstown. I think it's been cancelled this year though.

That's a rough endorsement of the Melbourne Marathon, but I like it!  It sounds like Gold Coast or Canberra are the ones to go for.  I have free accomodation in Canberra, so that will be the goer.  I did the Half there this year and loved it.

[Leaf]

TropicThunder, on 03 May 2012 - 01:46 PM, said:

Plus everyone seems to run a PB at GC - does that mean the PB loses it's credence???..............

It would be an issue only if it was not an accredited course...

[walshy2]

Gold Coast, followed by Canberra for me.

I give Gold Coast the edge due to the vibe of the event, including excellent crowd support.

[DonBob]

Gold Coast for me although Melbourne is my PB course, I hate the merge issues at Melbourne and the hill around the Tan at the 35-36k mark.
I also agree with others GC crowd support is great, fantastic expo and best of all you get to have a holiday before and afterwards :-)

[Tapatia32]

Has anyone run Traralgon and Goldcoast? Any thoughts?

[Mick]

It would be interesting if someone posted the course records for Aussie marathons.

I thought Sydney had the record ?

[TropicThunder]

Sydney may have the record as the big city marathons would attract the serious talent and i guess in some cases cough up some appearance money.

doesn't mean Sydney is a "fast" course though.

[Pom]

Jimmy4990, on 03 May 2012 - 01:45 PM, said:

For me, it's Canberra for 6 reasons

*Perfect post Christmas Training Block with event Mid April

*Great chance of the right whether. Very unlikely to pass 17

*10k 16k 16k loop format sits really well with me

*Very relaxed atmosphere but still plenty of runners to pace with

*Long rolling inclines & nothing steep. I did'nt even notice a hill untill about 34k, just after the turn around for the 2nd time & on the way home. That is the best part for me. The last 8k is the run home so to speak.

*Very spectator friendly. You see your "fan club" often

Ohhhh & the expo is awesome!!! NOT

So you enjoyed the legendary "table" at Canberra too then Jimmy?

I have run Sydney (last year) and Canberra last month. Canberra definitely has the edge because of the basically flat course, and low temperatures.

[crowpower]

Mick, on 04 May 2012 - 08:38 AM, said:

It would be interesting if someone posted the course records for Aussie marathons.

I thought Sydney had the record ?

The fastest marathon ever run in Australia is Deek's 2:09:18 in the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. That course was supposed to be slow. After the CG trials, which Deek didn't have to run, the talk was of a 2:12 winning time at the Games. Obviously Ikangaa and Shahanga didn't hear that!

You can find the course record for any Australian marathon going for 20 years or more amongst this list at:  http://www.arrs.net/LongRunM.htm

[Running Angel]

If you want a smaller more intimate race then Macleay river marathon is also worth a look. This is my PB course, I always seem to struggle more in the bigger events, especially GC. I actually prefer ndulations to dead flat, and the camber at GC can play havoc with your ITB. Off the big city ones I prefer Melbourne

[Mick]

crowpower, on 05 May 2012 - 07:58 AM, said:

You can find the course record for any Australian marathon going for 20 years or more amongst this list at: http://www.arrs.net/LongRunM.htm

Thank you

[crowpower]

One to avoid:

"40 Victorians and 3 New South Welshmen faced the starter on a blowy, but mild afternoon to wend their way past the smells of refuse, slagheaps, oil refineries, rotting seaweed and car exhausts to lay claim to the premier long distance title of the state."

The opening paragraph of the Victorian State Marathon report of 1966, written by Fred Lester.

This event, held on 8 October 1966, was won by Geoff Noble in 2:24:59, from Norm Duff (2:29:06) and Barry Tregenza (2:32:21).

Thanks to Ausrunning for digging this up from the library.

PS: would make an interesting thread - the worst course you ever experienced.

Edited by crowpower, 11 May 2012 - 04:46 PM.

[yeti]

ChrisMac, on 03 May 2012 - 09:53 AM, said:

I enjoy running socially, so would like to identify just one race a year to really centre my training around, and make that my PB heaven.  Which Australian marathon event would you choose to target a PB?

Of the ones I've done in Australia (GC, Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Toowomba, Adelaide, Portland) the fastest course would be GC, followed by Adelaide. GC is dead flat except the one bridge. However, it has a few drawbacks, i.e.  due to the late starting time (9AM, IIRC) it can get relatively warm and the course is very exposed to wind. The potential issues with Adelaide are a very small field and the possibility for absolute sh?t weather (7°C, rain and wind in 2001). OTOH - I ran my PB in exactly those conditions. Yeti

[Paul Every]

ChrisMac, on 03 May 2012 - 09:53 AM, said:

I enjoy running socially, so would like to identify just one race a year to really centre my training around, and make that my PB heaven. Which Australian marathon event would you choose to target a PB?

You may only wish to race one, but it's best not to place all your training eggs in one marathon basket.

Canberra in April is a good option, as if things go pear-shaped (injury, blow-up or illness), you will still have other options such as GC to which to retarget your training. Likewise GC with Melb as a contingency could be a fast pair.

If you target Melb then don't start, you will probably be left with few, if any, fast options until the following year.

[42junkie]

Traralgon can be fast. I did my second fastest time there. Some years there is too much wind for a PB; last year the wind came up after I turned for home.

I have generally thought the Williamstown marathon in late May is the fastest in Australia. Multiple loops meant you could pace yourself well and it was dead flat. But this year it was cancelled. BTW why was that?

[ChrisMac]

Paul Every, on 11 May 2012 - 05:49 PM, said:

ChrisMac, on 03 May 2012 - 09:53 AM, said:

I enjoy running socially, so would like to identify just one race a year to really centre my training around, and make that my PB heaven. Which Australian marathon event would you choose to target a PB?

You may only wish to race one, but it's best not to place all your training eggs in one marathon basket.

Canberra in April is a good option, as if things go pear-shaped (injury, blow-up or illness), you will still have other options such as GC to which to retarget your training. Likewise GC with Melb as a contingency could be a fast pair.

If you target Melb then don't start, you will probably be left with few, if any, fast options until the following year.

Thanks Paul, good advice, 2 marathons a year would be my preference as well.  I wouldn't miss Melbourne for the world, but it's proximity to my favorite bike ride (BUPA round the bay) means I will not exert myself on that event.  Canberra seems perfectly positioned 6 months later to be the "serious" run of the year.

[Runjohnyrun]

42junkie, on 12 May 2012 - 01:57 PM, said:

I have generally thought the Williamstown marathon in late May is the fastest in Australia. Multiple loops meant you could pace yourself well and it was dead flat. But this year it was cancelled. BTW why was that?

This was posted in the Williamstown Marathon thread

From http://au.srichinmoyraces.org/events :

This is a note to clarify 'speculation' on various running blogs regarding the cancellation of the Festival.

The Festival race director resigned two weeks ago. As a result of this and other impending changes to key staff, it was felt that the staffing resources were no longer at a level to stage the event to our high standards.

Interstate entrants may contact us (melbourne@srichinmoyraces.org) and we will be happy to discuss how we might be able to assist if changes to travel arrangements cannot be made or if fees are incurred for changes to travel arrangements to this event.
Edited by lyricnz, 27 February 2012 - 04:36 PM.

[ausrunning]

crowpower, on 11 May 2012 - 04:45 PM, said:

"40 Victorians and 3 New South Welshmen faced the starter on a blowy, but mild afternoon to wend their way past the smells of refuse, slagheaps, oil refineries, rotting seaweed and car exhausts to lay claim to the premier long distance title of the state."

The opening paragraph of the Victorian State Marathon report of 1966, written by Fred Lester.

Classic Fred Lester. I can't remember the last time I read an independently written race report.

Quote

PS: would make an interesting thread - the worst course you ever experienced.

Brisbane 2001 busway. Hunter Valley 2006 was shorter than the West Wyoming marathon. Victorian Championship 1956 (before my time) was called "most disorganised championship ever" after the chalk that marked the finish wore off.