Before I moved to the dark side (ultra running) , as my friend Jon Pendse calls it, I use to be a real marathon show pony.  Lapping up the adulation of the crowd, enjoying racing and beating as many competitors as possible and always keeping an eye on my fellow runners who were in my sphere of ‘I know I can beat that guy‘. It wasn’t always this way though and it took quite a few years to go from the novice runner to the show pony you see in the image below.

It all began in 2002 at the Perth marathon. Back in those days you could enter on the day and I had set my alarm for 5am not sure if I would enter or not. The day before I had been surfing with friends with running a marathon the furthest thing from my mind.  No carbo loading albeit I think I had a full English fry up from memory ? The alarm sounded and on a whim I decided to go, what was the worst thing that could happen ?  I drove to the start line, entered and before I knew it I was running a marathon.  My logic for entering was I had completed a half iron man earlier in the year so had managed to obtain a good level of fitness , enough I thought to be able to run a three hour thirty marathon as a minimum. Sounded like a plan but with no specific marathon training at all I would live to regret this decision. Remember we’re talking 2002, before YouTube , Strava or influencers (that may have been a good thing ? as everybody would have said don’t do it of course!)   My running spreadsheet didn’t even start until post Comrades in 2008, so I have no idea how much training I had done but it was nowhere near enough.  This was also before running marathons became ‘trendy‘ or even normal, bloody influencers !

As it was I started well enough and managed to hold five minute kilometres upto the thirty two kilometre mark , when , you guessed it, I hit the wall and hit it hard ! There were no gu’s in 2002 and all we had was water and fruit at the aid stations. I certainly didn’t take enough of either but I do remember eating a few lumps of chocolate at the thirty kilometre mark, not enough with hindsight.  When I did hit the wall it was a surreal experience as your mind is still expecting your body to continue at the pace dialed in from the start but the legs just stop working . It really is a weird feeling and it comes on like a freight train, one minute you’re thinking how easy a marathon is and a minute later you’re wondering if you will even finish.  I remember the look of worry on  the spectators faces  as I stumbled along , and I mean stumbled.  At thirty two kilometres I was on track and looking to finish in my target three hours thirty minutes time , as it was I finished in three hours fifty two minutes, ouch ! What kept me going towards the end was the thought of a big Mac with chips and a chocolate milkshake, as soon as I crept over the line I was off to the nearest McDonald’s drive through.  After driving home I was stuck int the car as my legs seized up solid and I had to call my wife,  from the carport, to help me out the car, so funny.

I entered the following year, 2003,  and at least trained for the event. This time I went out incredibly slow and got to the last ten kilometres feeling fresh as a daisy , I then put my foot down and came in like a train. The finishing time, surprisingly  , the same time three hours fifty two minutes but felt so good at the end, should have gone quicker.  I ran the Rottnest marathon later in the year and finished in three hours twenty seven minutes , a time I probably could have ran in Perth if I had gone out quicker.

I didn’t run another marathon until 2007 when I raced Perth for the third time as my mate Dan Timbers had trained , for months, for the race and I decided to keep him company, a few days out from the start.  This time I ran with Dan,  who was looking for a sub four hour finish, and I was finding the pace very easy. The Eagles coach , John Worsfold, ran past us returning to the start, it was an out and back, and this was the impetus I needed . I left Dan and chased John down.  I eventually caught John a few kilometres from the finishing line, gave him some advice and ran over him. My finish time, three hours fifty two minutes , for the third time !

2008 I ran a three hours twenty two minutes after finishing Comrades earlier in the year ( eight hours, twenty five minutes).  2009 I got my time down to three hours six minutes , after finishing Comrades in eight hours twenty eight minutes. Highlight of the year was my first sub three at the City to Surf marathon post Perth.

2010 I was down to three hours five minutes after running a silver time at Comrades, seven hours twenty two minutes, three weeks earlier. I paid the price for this run with my first calf knot, which is better than a tear I suppose. Put me out of action for a few weeks.

2011 I ran my first sub three at Perth finishing in two hours fifty four minutes, one of six marathons I ran that year all sub three as I started my thirty two sub3’s in a row streak, from 2009 to 2019. This was also the only time I ran a marathon in proper racing flats, Asics Piranhas, and also Skins (compression tights) which were new at that time. I was always an early adopter when it came to anything which I thought would get me to the finish line quicker.

 

2012 I ran a two hours fifty one minutes after a two hours fifty nine at Bunbury a few months earlier, the closest I came to missing out on a sub3.  The following year, 2013,  I won Bunbury running a two hour forty three minutes and backed that up with my fastest Perth time of two hours and forty one minutes, and my highest finish , good enough for sixth. Unfortunately I never got that top five finishers medal at Perth, coming sixth twice over the years.

In my tenth Perth marathon in 2014 I ran a two hours and forty six minutes after a disappointing Bunbury marathon where I ran fourth as defending champion. I had gone out to quick and paid the price and this knocked the wind out of my sails for a few months, resulting in a slower Perth time compared to the previous year.  2013 proved to be my fastest Perth time.

I got Raf Baugh onboard for Perth 2015 in an attempt to break two hours and forty minutes. My training was on-point and I really put in a big training block but picked up an injury a week out from the race. This really affected my confidence and I finished in two hours and forty nine minutes, good enough for a top ten finish. I remember at half way nearly pulling the pin but then buckling down and accepting my A-goal was gone and just clicking over the kilometres. Can’t knock a top ten finish I suppose.

Managed to get a bit quicker in 2016 and ran a two hours forty seven minutes, a time I eclipsed later that year at the City to Surf marathon running another two hours and forty one minutes. I put this down to the continuation of lessons I learnt working with Raf, the previous year. This turned out to be my last sub three at Perth and my last Perth marathon until 2024.

2017 I was sidelined with a calf tear and 2018 I was out with a bad case of Plantar Fasciitis. We all know what happened in 2019 and then I disappeared into the ultra world until 2024 when I ran Perth for the thirteenth time and finished in three hours and fourteen minutes, wearing bib number one as I knew the Race director.

So that leads me to next Sunday, Perth marathon number fourteen. I have done little running since the Cape to Cape Ultra ( https://www.cape2capeultra.com.au/ ) in June this year , albeit I have managed four trails run in the last ten days culminating in a forty kilometre run over the weekend, is this enough ? No chance, but I’m hoping if I start conservatively I may be able to pull it off, maybe? I’ll run tomorrow and try and hold 4:30min/k pace for ten kilometres, if I can do that comfortably I may hop on the three hour fifteen bus, otherwise it’s back to where I started in 2002 and try to finish in three hours thirty minutes. I have an impeding sense of Deja-Vu ?

 

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Big shout out to fisiocrem , this product is just incredible for tired and aching legs. I use it daily and have noticed a vast improvement in recovery.

Bix hydration is just ace, a product brought to life by Vlad Ixel a professional ultra runner who knows a thing or two about hydration. ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/ )  The best thing about Bix is it tastes good with many different flavours and you never get sick of drinking it, this is a big plus as Maurten and Tailwind (both great products)  can be difficult to digest later in the event.  From the website :-

As an Australian elite multiple trail running champion, with wins in over 40 ultra-marathon races across Asia, recovery from training and races has always been my top priority. 

In searching for a solid recovery and hydration supplement, I recognized that critical vitamins and minerals – both in diversity and quantity – were missing from almost all supplements on the market. I had the feeling that in an effort to maximize their bottom-lines, companies in the hydration space, failed to deliver a product that could meaningfully assist athlete performance. 

In order to address this, I began the development of a hydration product. After two and a half years of development alongside a leading German sports scientist, BIX Recovery, an advanced, high-quality recovery drink was born. 

BIX boosts 12 active ingredients scientifically balanced to replace lost electrolytes and assist in immune function. It’s designed with quality vitamins and minerals, in quantities that work! 

BIX is a recovery solution for everyone, that will get you to the top of your game!

What can I say about HumanTecar,  ( https://athleticus.com.au/ ) it looks great, smells great and is awesome for recovery or even pre-run/workout. Read about the science behind it first and then try the products. The compression bandages are just magical after a long event. Put these on and the next day you are recovered, I have used them on a number of occasions and they never fail to astound me albeit the family poke fun at me as I look like a ‘mummy and smell funny’ !

Fractel ( https://fractel.com.au/ ) have your performance headgear covered. I love the colours and the functionality of these hats, I guarantee there is one model you’ll fall in love with.

Shokz headphones, let you keep in touch with the world around while losing yourself in quality tunes or podcasts. ( https://shokz.com.au/ )

T8 running apparel is the best you can get, second to none. Designed for the ultra humid Hong Kong conditions the owners live in.  It is light and does away with any chaffing worries. T8 is the name given to the highest typhoon warning in Honk Kong,  storms and typhoons with gusts exceeding 180kph, which explains the branding. ( https://t8.run/)

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