Race day

Race day was on the 14th of October, It included all the components of the training schedule. A warm up was not included as we arrived late. Having influenza the week prior was not a helpful factor. This only added to the stress of the event and did not help my cause. The event was held in the outskirts of Dunedin, Outram. The race was held on flat road, hence the event being named, Hill Free Marathon.

10km race

There were approximately 100 hundred participants who took part in the 10km race.

The start
The start line was full of nervous energy and very quite with everybody mentally preparing for the road ahead. On reflection I started too fast instead of conserving energy for the rest of the race. I had a stop watch to keep me on track with meeting the time requirements of 40 minutes.

The middle
After taking off too fast too early it was clear that I was struggling with breathing and fatigue settling in. The mental frustration of having people pass me at this stage of the race was also taking a toll.


The finish
After battling through the middle stage of the race I knew I had to pick up the pace in order to finish with my goal being achieved. The last 2km I ran was at high intensity and closed in on many people who had previously passed me. This gave me a new enthusiasm and with 100 meters to go I started to sprint and overtook a participant.

The result
I completed the race with a time of 43 minutes. The goal of a finishing time or of sub 40 was not met. As demoralising this was I was still happy with the completing the race and the challenge.











 The event was everything I expected fuelled with energy and exitement.