Perth 2025 Running Festival had been on my radar since I hit the wall at the event last year. I was determined to make amends and finish strong. Unfortunately (this seems to be the word of 2025!) after the Cape to Cape miler in June I stopped running , and I mean stopped.  I then ran the Transcend Ultra in August and sustained ligament damage in my ankle. ( https://transcendtrails.com/ )

As you can see from the Strava screen shots ( you have Strava right ? ( https://www.strava.com/dashboard )  since the Transcend Ultra in August I only ran five times in virtually three months. I did manage to get out onto the trails four times before Perth but no road running at all. Not ideal.

 

The plan was to try and run a three hour thirty minutes marathon, maintaining five minutes kilometre pace, and I roped in Haydo and Adam for company. Truth be told I had no right running Perth with my training , or lack of training, and when my alarm went off on the morning off the race I hit the snooze button a few times and was so close to just not even turning up.  What made me get out of bed and drive to the start was a post I wrote a few weeks ago than discussed whether a DNF is better than a DNS ? ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2025/08/27/how-much-is-too-much-or-is-a-dnf-better-than-a-dns-part-1/ )  No1 Wife also encouraged me to go and have a go, what could go wrong ?

I thought I needed all the help I could get so went for the Puma Nitro R3 wheels.  This turned out to be my undoing in the end.  The shoes are awesome if you are running quickly but incredibly unstable when your ankle gives way. I won’t give the game away too soon but needless to say I probably ended up wearing the worst possible shoes for the situation. Sigh,

One of the main reason for actually turning up was my past history with the event.  ( Read a post on my past adventures here https://www.runbkrun.com/2025/10/07/perth-marathon-2026-incoming-lets-review-previous-perth-marathon-adventures/ )  also it would be good to see all the usual suspects. This was my 14th Perth but only my second since 2017, since then I had either been injured, Covid or been running trails. Last year I hit the wall and ran a 3:14 marathon, after a 3:04 marathon earlier in the year.  I had disrupted my training by running a Backyard Ultra and this killed my Perth 2024 sub 3 attempt, this year  the plan was just not hit the wall.  ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/08/07/backyard-ultras-an-exercise-in-masochism/ )

The first 10k went to plan, running just below five minute kilometres with Haydo and Adam and enjoying the event. Surprising the three thirty bus caught us just before the tunnel which surprised us as we thought we were well ahead of them. The bus was being driven by my good friends Ryan Shand and Chris Lark, with Damo on board, a fellow Yelo runner who would run a PB, well done tiger.  This is why I run Perth, so many good mates.

The guys and the bus left me just before the tunnel, I stopped to take a Gu with some water and they just slowly moved away as my pace dropped, albeit only a little. I was starting to feel the pace but was still confident I could finish close to my three thirty goal.  I was actually feeling better than I did at the same time last year so took this as a small win, undaunted I put my head down and planned to get to the turn around at around twenty eight kilometres with a chance to still go three thirty.

The Kwinana freeway section out and back is the hardest part of the event. You are on a large open space with no protection from the conditions and the sun was starting to play its part in the proceedings, it was heating up. I got to the turn around and was just behind Adam and Haydo and put in a spurt to try and catch them. This is where my Puma’ started to come into the picture. For some reason I felt I was slipping out of the shoe each time I put my foot on the ground, I think because my ankle was starting to flare up I was changing my running gait , this had the effect of making each step very unstable. What initially became a nuisance became something very bigger, very quickly. When I got on to Riverside Drive the camber was the final nail in my marathon coffin. My right ankle, the one I damaged in August at the Transcend Ultra, was now becoming a big problem. In the end I couldn’t run on the front of my foot, too painful, so had to start heel striking which was easier albeit probably looked awful for the spectators.

Each kilometre got worst and for the last few I was hobbling with one very bad right ankle , it wasn’t pretty and if the marathon was any longer I don’t think I would have been able to finish.  I’ve seen video images of me finishing and it really was very ugly. I think the only thing that kept me going was channeling my inner Goggin’s and ‘staying hard‘.

So could this have been avoided ? Definitely, quite a few rookie errors like no training on the road, no strapping of an ankle that was probably still damaged from a previous race a few months earlier and the biggest error wearing racing shoes that really offer no support whatsoever for ankles and become very unstable when it all falls apart. I’m blaming the shoes which are now for sale on facebook but truth be told I got what I deserved. On the bright side I had a great time , initially , with good friends and the event was brilliant. I also finished marathon number forty nine and got a nice new shiny medal, winning.

So that’s twice in a row I’ve stumbled home after hitting the wall late in the event, the first time due to going out way too quick and this year a combination of not enough training and an injured ankle in shoes with no support. This means I must go back next year and try to run a sub three marathon , my last chance in the 55-59 age group, target is 2:59 which is the event age group record.  I am motivated and I will not be running in Puma’s that for sure. Will it be Deja-vu for a third year on the trot ?

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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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