My Running Life: Race Report: 50th Rotorua Marathon 2014

Date: 3 May 2014 8:20 AM
Type: Run (Race)
Distance: 42.62 kilometers
Gun Time: 3 hr 03 min 38 secs
Average pace: 4:19 min/kilometers
Shoes: Asics Gel Lyte 33 2 (2nd pair)
Route: 50th Rotorua Marathon 2014
Route Map:

3rd May 14
430 a.m. - Wake up
500 a.m. - Breakfast (5 bread with peanuts butter, one cup hot chocolate)
600 a.m. - Rest & nap
700 a.m. - Changed
720 a.m. - Walk to race venue
745 a.m. - Warm up (5 min run, 10 min stretching, 5 min run)
805 a.m. - Toilet
810 a.m. - Get into starting line
820 a.m. - Race start

The marathon starting time is 820 a.m., 20 minutes after half marathon. Plans were playing in mind many times for the drill before the race, but it started in a way that far from perfect.

What I think it will be:
Arrived race venue, go to the loo, warm up for 20 minutes, finish warm up 15 min before race start, take off long pants and shirt, and went to start line stand behind sub-3 pacer, and wait for the race to start. Peace and calm plan.

All of this with the assumption that I will have no problem get through the crowd. It was then proven to be a bad assumption and bad planning, which cost me a lot for the race.

What it really was:
Arrived race venue but long queue at the toilet. Perhaps wait after half marathon start? So went for warm up first. After finishing warm up (while looking at 49 balloons happily flew into the sky and heard Maori performance from far), went to the toilet and the queue was moving slow. Then rushed to take off long sleeve and long pants - if was far more difficult to take off with all the running attire beneath together with the shoes. Rushed to starting line and the crowd were all ready. Squeezed through the gap together with some other nervous guys and only able to get to 4 hr mark that a group of runners from a club formed a tight wall that make crossing impossible. Indeed I was feeling very bad to say "excuse me, sorry, excuse me" to get in front of other people. I should have a better plan and come early if I would like to start from the front. Seeing the time war near, I gave up and stay there to start.

Looking back, my first race in Singapore also the same situation, that I unable to find the starting point, and upon arrival the gate for my enter already closed. Do it better next time, I told me myself.

So there I start. A start that out of my plan. It also mean I couldn't start behind the sub-3 pacer, which marked the fail of my another plan in setting the goal.

I have set 3 goals for this time, the first one was a "dream goal"-2h 55m when everything is perfect on the day. Followed by a "target goal"-2h 59m which is the time I've been training for, and a "minimum goal"-which is a personal best, a better time than my last Macau Marathon of 3h 18m.

Race pace with elevation graph

0 km -10 km (0:00 - 42:23)
Start the race while telling myself it's ok just start where you stay. Not excited much as nervous and worries occupied more. Following the crowd move forward slowly, cross the line, start the timer, started to run.
The first km was passing the town. Following the crowd, and tried to moving through the crowd as I can. 1st km-5:12, one minute slower that plan. I tried to be as ignorant as possible. It might be too early to worry about plan at the 1st km? Continue to overtake people and picked up the pace. 2nd km-4:10. Now the race really started for me. Started to get concentrate and I get into target pace. The weather was chilly but I'm feeling OK. I've got things covered, long compression pant, glove for the weather, cap for the sun. Thanks that there's no rain that day. The road was with a mix of moderate up and down hill, where pace get fluctuated in each km. However, the ups and downs is acceptable with some preparation during training. 3rd to 10th was paced between 4:03/km (a all drop at 8th km) and 4:17/km (an up at 6th km). I finish 10km at 42:23 with avg pace of 4:14km/min.

Note that the distance, pace and elevation is base on my Garmin watch. During the run, the distance marker were some 500 m late than my Garmin, which translate to about 2min 10s more than the time my watch report for each km.

11 km - 18 km (42.23 - 1:15:41)
At 11th km, I started to "feel" the climb. The road consisted of at least 2 small climb while starting to turn to the back of the lake. Although mixed with small drop, 11th km was done at 4:16/min. Followed by a drop at 12th and 13th km (4:04/min, 4:02/min) and another elevation at 14th that done at 4:23/min. The trend continued. However, with some fast paces mixed with lower end paces, the average pace was slowly pushing up (to say "up" could be misleading, if the race started with a target pace, the avg pace could have been "maintaining" or "drop"). At the end of 18th km, the Garmin avg pace was 4:12 km/min, which was in a sub-3 zone. I was feeling alright, actually controlling myself not to get carried away with the excitement. I had been consistently hydrating myself, taking in gel about every 5-km. I was all good. However, due to starting at the back and the marker came about 500 m late, I knew I am not officially in the target pace. I tried to be optimistic, take into account the big hill that going to come, telling myself that if I can keep it this way, achieving my goal is possible.

This could be the section that I enjoyed most. Started to gain back the pace, not feeling too exhausted. I had some time to pay attention to the surrounding. Although couldn't remember much, I can still picture there were people on and off all along the way. Be it in the housing area, where people standing in front of the their house cheering for the runners; or in the town, where spectators standing by the shops or gas stations clapping hands; or beside the highway where people parked their car, crossed the road, stand beside race land and call up names (no matter how odd my name was to them) on the bib and shouted "way to go!" I also noticed the "champagne corner" that later on knowing that they had been doing so for the past 17 years.

18 km - 25 km (1:15:41 - 1:46:01)
The section that I've waited for. It ran at the back of the lake and part of the section was closed to traffic. This was where the big hill with a dip come. It started with mild elevation around 18th and get into a sharp climb at around 20 km.. I managed to take in one gel and hydrated at the water station before 20 km. I was relieved that I was still feeling good at this stage. After this, everything will be alright, I told myself (wrong!).

After mild uphill on 19th km (pace: 4:16 min), there's a 50 m elevation in about 700 m, then a 20 m drop for about 400 m, continue with a 20 m climb for about 500 m and all the way a 55 m drop for about 1 km. All this happen between 20 km to 23 km (pace: 4:30, 4:45, 4:14). There were runners who ran at a relatively slower pace before this section, now passing me and heading above and beyond. Couldn't be seen. There were some runners that climb the hill patiently. Few tried to overtook but most people were not too aggressive here.

I was one of the patient one. I was relieved finally I reached here and I'm good to go, without knowing what's waiting ahead.

26 km - 32 km (1:46:01 - 2:16:31)
A water station strategically located after the hill (after 23 km) that allowed me to replenish fluid and took another gel. At 25th km, Garmin recorded a drop of avg pace to 4:15/min. However, considering the most difficult part of the route past, I thought the route can only be better not worse.

At 26th km, a turn into State Highway put me into totally opposite situation. The wind, there's wind ahead. I feel it significantly. It was big opening around, car passing by, sun started to shine. I felt that I was running against the wind. With every step forward, the wind pushed me a little bit. I didn't expect for this. Furthermore, it was actually another hill number third of about 40 m elevation for 26th and 27th km. I finished it with 4:23 min and 4:45 min respectively. What should I do? How long will this wind last? As I ran, I was out of plan. I shouldn't push more at this section, that's my preset strategy. At this distance it is better focusing, stay, hold back if feel good, I read somewhere before. I would like to run with a group, but the group were distance in front and going strong, everyone stick together that no one would like to be left behind. A few km I was following behind a big and tall guy. And I thought, may be after 32 km I can use what's left to gain back.

32 km - 40 km (2:16:31 - 2:51:28)
When I saw the 32 km marker, it was around 2h 19m on my watch. Unless I made a 4:00/min pace, I would be officially not achieve the target. But I was still feeling alright, although there's blister below ball of right foot, and some soreness of legs, but with 10 km to go I felt the fuel is enough. I would still like to try my luck.

I broke away from the guy I followed and started to run on my own. I thought I could do this after 32 km. But the wind still there. And suddenly I remember the map that I was running on the other side of the lake, and this stretch of the road extend to about 40th km. I might be facing the wind all the way. If so, could it be the first section done was wind assisted? My mind was disturbed. The sun became so hot and strong, the road condition became difficult for running with uneven surface, the blister became so annoying, I lost attention to the people cheering. Suddenly everything was to be blamed.

I couldn't concentrate on the pace anymore. Sometimes it was faster, sometimes it was slower. Sometimes there were uphill, sometimes there were downhill. When.is.the.next.turn? That's all I wanted to know.

I knew I reached the airport. I knew the I started to see shops, houses and more and more people. I was still waiting and trying. I tried to pay attention to pacing with people. At 40th km, the cumulative time was 2:51:28, avg pace 4:17/min. The pace at this section range mostly around 4:20/km.

41 km - finish (2:51:28 - 3:02:15)
The finishing line was approaching. I knew I was out of the target. After a few turn, the wind disappear. I was still pacing a runner from far. I picked up the pace. The leg was tired but was far better than my previous two marathon.

From the road, weirdly we were directed into a garden path together with walker. Using what I left do my best for the last fight. I was pushing myself with every meter left. I remember when I saw Government Garden, the road that I just learnt to recognize, and when I made the turn into the gate the guided man whispered to me "keep to you left". A low and calm voice. I ran all I could although the road was not much of runners yet. And I heard the announcement, that the commentator unable to pronounce the city I came from but mentioned something like "that's it people from around the world participate". I saw the finishing point, I saw the time was 3:03:xx, I raised my hand up high and crossed the mat to finish it.

That's it.

A photographer came to take a photo of mine, volunteer helped me put on the finishing medal, I got a banana and a 600 ml Powerade.

Somewhere near finishing - Old bathhouse, outdoor big screen replaying elites racing, spectators, and runners.

Post-race
I continued a slow jog. Cough a bit. People all wandering behind the finishing point. Hydrate hydrate and hydrate. Took a few more Powerade and also there's water dispenser for drinking. People was standing, sitting, lying, etc. I took a few photos of the scene, and asked people help for a portrait of myself. Surprisingly the long pants and long sleeve I left before the race were still there so I collected it back as souvenir. I was trying to look for a Malaysian runner that I thought I spotted before the start but failed. May be I was wrong. I walked around, watching the big screen replaying race, and became spectator for a while before finally went back for rest.

Gun time: 3:03:38, Mat time 3:02:06.

Where the memory begin and end

Attentive race judge (I guess) and helpful volunteers handing out Powerade at the finishing point

Although I didn't achieve my target goal, but it's still a personal best. I feel contented indeed. I feel some confident has gained, from how the training was done, to how it translated during the race in all different kind of situation. Hills and wind. Thinking back, every section of the race is so unique and special. Although, I should improved my timing of getting to start line in the future.