7 Marathons in a year ... my biggest year yet

2024 was the year of the Marathon! 7 in total - a new record for me. I didn't set out 12 months ago to achieve this - it just sort of happened. Having done 7 would I do it again? Probably not. I'm not chasing a number or a series or anything like that. In short, it got harder as the year wore on - and my motivation dwindled (for lots of different reasons). Here's a review of the 7: JANUARY - Cadbury Hobart Marathon. Planned. Great to start early in the year. Made for a fun weekend away with friends. What's not to love about Tasmania?

MARCH - Wangaratta Marathon. Planned. A reason to go and visit friends in Wangaratta. Funnily enough, they left town to visit other friends so we had their place to ourselves! A typical little country event. I died in the second half and had to work hard, but got it done.

APRIL - Ballarat Marathon. This wasn't planned at all! I think it was the result of too many red wines after Hobart and the crew having such a good time together that we planned anther weekend away. And it was a ripper inaugral event. Well done to Ballarat. And here the journey takes a previously unplanned route ...... suddenly we have a Boston Marathon qualifying time in our family and we're starting to dream ...

JUNE - Brisbane Marathon. Unplanned. Snuck away by myself on a secret mission - get a BQ! And I did! Fastest marathon of the year and I'm stoked.

AUGUST - Sunshine Coast Marathon. Ths one was planned and booked late 2023. A great weekend with our running crew, including watching the Olympic Marathon together the night before. Not a great run as I was unwell coming into the event and blew up, but still a goodie.

OCTOBER - Melbourne Marathon. Number 12 for Melbourne and this one is a standard, 'don't think, just enter'. I hope to get to 15 and get a blue Spartan singlet. Anything after that is a bonus.

DECEMBER - Honolulu Marathon. This one was planned as well and coincided with a birthday trip.

Strava tells me that I did more hours and more kilometres than 2023 - and the story above tells some of that. So it's been fun, but I'm looking forward to 2025 and doing just a few. 1. Melbourne - of course. 2. Boston - that's the biggie. 3. Inverloch - rinse and repeat of the Ballarat story! and maybe 4. Sydney. Im in the ballot but who knows, we have to wait and see. Signing off on 2024, the year of the Marathon.

Honolulu Marathon December 2024 - "There is no time limit, just Aloha spirit"

“There is no time limit, just Aloha spirit”

The finish line stays open till the last runner crosses. This is the Honolulu Marathon bringing the Aloha spirit to life – and the event’s significant point of difference. It invites everyone to participate in the marathon. It’s open and inclusive. And with this comes the event’s greatest strength – and its biggest challenge. That’s what finds me at 5am outside the Ala Moana Shopping Centre with 28,000 other people ready to run. It’s already hot and its crazily packed and busy. The invitation to all runners worked. They are ALL here. With a really cool fireworks show to kick start the event, it’s GO!

Don’t worry about correct corrals or what your bib says about where you should line up. It’s too dark so no one can see anyhow. Just start. Fast? Good luck trying to get through the crowds. Slow? No worries, just go out at your own pace from wherever you want to start. Walking? No problems, wherever you like. 5 wide? Sure, anything goes! Pacers? None available, and just as well, it would be a terrible pacing experience.

For reasons I don’t understand they started the 8,361 10km runners and the marathoners together. It’s really crazy. I’ve never seen so many walkers on a course at the start of 42 kilometres. Once the fireworks are done it is dark and it’s almost impossible to get into a rhythm, have any clear track or get settled for the first ten kilometres until the 10km runners pull off. And then when the course opens up just for the marathoners, it gets hilly! And the sun comes up ...

Overall, the course was far hillier than I was expecting. I was thinking of running alongside beautiful oceans and beaches, with an ocean breeze keeping us cool as surfers waved from their boards and the swell ran them alongside us. Not quite the reality! Instead, think of main roads past houses with big fences (where oceans lie beyond). The hills undulate up and down, but it sure feels like more uphill that never ends! The last one particularly nasty with 3km to go. 99% of the competitors around us were walking at this stage – us included.

Of the 28,000 runners, 9,000 of them were from Japan, hence the Japan Airlines sponsorship of the event for 40 consecutive years (an impressive number as this was the 52nd running of the event. Impressive. And this helps makes it the fourth biggest marathon in the US. Is it as a result of its size that there is no course etiquette? Need to walk? how about right in the middle of the road. Need to stop? Don’t bother pulling off to the side, just stop wherever you are. Need to update or check on your socials? Sure, just pull out your phone and do so without a care or thought for anyone else around you, just your clambering audience on line.

The winner was Yemane Haileselassie from Eritrea in 2 hours 12 minutes, with Cynthia Limo defending her title in 2:31.The last runner crossed the line some time after 16 hours, 17 minutes and 16 seconds: the Aloha spirit, still alive and welcoming. We went back to the finish line around 8pm – some 13 hours after start time. It’s impressive to watch these people. Their engagement with their families is captivating. What entails an individual to run/walk for more than half a day only to finish by themselves? This was a highlight of the day. (Here's one above after 15 hours - good on him).

Aloha was right throughout the event for the excellent and enthusatic volunteers. They were all very encouraging and bubbly which is just what you needed. Also what you needed was drink stations aplenty - and they delivered - because it was hot. Dripping hot. Gatorade and water supplies aplenty (and gels too) to keep you cool, and some hoses for sprinkling which was nice and welcomed The marathon finish line is always a lovely site, but this one was special.

The last 2.5km are downhill and it’s a long shute and you finish along Waikiki beach. That’s pretty cool. And an excellent runners area for recovery and then a post run swim was very refreshing!

ANDREW'S RATINGS! ORGANISATION 7 This would have been a 9.5 but for the chaos at the start. Otherwise everything else was top notch. The Expo, the finisher area, the communication. All world standard. CROWD 6 OK. Pretty good. Not outstanding. Those who had hoses out for a cooling spray got bonus points! ATMOSPHERE 7 Whenever a course takes over the heart of a city it gets a big tick from me. That’s what I love about big city events. The priveledge – and it is that – of running in a closed city. The logistics invooved boggle my mind. But Im grateful and thankful for those who make this happen so that we can pay our entry money - whether we walk in the middle of the road or whatever – but I'm thankful for this unique sport giving these unique experiences. On the Friday night there was an official opening ceremony and lighting of the torches. Nice touch.....

And on the Saturday a 1 mile fun run and an elite mile race. Builds great atmosphere ...

COURSE 7.5 Hillier than expected! They get bonus points for lots of drink stations and lots of good volunteers. That was top notch, Gatorade and water. And the most medical tents Ive ever seen. I'm thankful for volunteers who stand there all day to say “don’t eat the Vaseline”!! EXPO 8 Excellent organisation and easy to get to and to get your bib. Bonus point was “Medal Monday” where the Expo stayed open for runners to collect printed certificates, have photos, buy merchandise and more. That was a first. MEDAL 9 I like how Americans like to wear their medals around for days after the event. In Australia we tend to get the medals to the showers and they’re never seen again!

RUNNER'S PACK 6 A t-shirt – after the race (which I like) was it. INJURIES 0: No black toe nails! 8 December 2024 https://www.honolulumarathon.org/ There is no cut off time.