PARMALAT 42KAY MARATHON DECEMBER 2005.

PARMALAT 42kay MARATHON
SATURDAY 3 DECEMBER 2005.

I am not quite sure why I decided to run this race. I know that I have not been able to do the required preparation, such as longer runs in the weekend nor the extra that I should have been doing during the week.

I had run a few 10kay events recently and had been able to run them in marginally less than 5mins a kay. Maybe that gave me confidence. I should have known better. There is a huge difference between a ten kay and the Marathon event. I had seen Liz Austin at the 10kay evening run and had observed how well she was running. Also I had finished the 2005 Achilles marathon in January with her, Roger and Tim. So I had confidence in her ability to be a team captain. So when I saw Liz on the morning of the event I asked her if I could try to stick with her. Liz knew what she was doing and had a specific time in mind. For her to achieve two points for the club participation league she had to do less that 4.18. The fact that she knew this target plus the fact that she had her permanent number for the Crusaders Parmalat Marathon added to my confidence in her ability to lead me to a finish today.

So off we walked, to the start of the run. I said 10kays and hour and Liz replied 10kays in 55mins. She was definitely in charge! It was good to see all the Achillean participation at this Crusaders event. And soon after the normal pre-race banter, the gun went off (05.00am) and we trotted along. Just in front of us for quite a long way was the MPRG consisting of Andy, Kobus, his son, Kurt doing his first 42, John also a maiden in the marathon, Cathy, Stuart & Susan. Gerald and Pat were on Bicycles.

I thought that both the MPRG and ourselves, were going too fast as we got the Butterfield turn off (10Kay) in well under 60mins. Liz said that she had a planned walk so as soon as we reached the top of the Butterfield Hill we rewarded ourselves with a brief walk. Liz had a whole lot of theory as to why this was a good idea. For me it was a relief to be able to walk. Then off we plodded again. Over the freeway and past the fire station to the 15kay mark. Here we were greeted with great enthusiasm by the Achilles watering table. Steve, Kosima, Graham, Bill, Milka and others gave us renewed energy as they cheered us on.

From there it is a right turn to the old Cape Road where we turned left for a short while before another left turn down the Draafontiein road. This is a long stretch of gradual uphill to the bridge under the N2 freeway. We turned left now heading back home again but we were only at 21kays and had 6 to go before we would meet up with the Achilles people again. At the 22 kay we treated ourselves to another walk. It was here that Bradley, Warren and their group passed us. Susan had fallen off the MPRG bus and we caught up with her briefly. I was able to introduce Liz to Sue. Susan Burri is the third lady in the world to have achieved 20 X 2 Oceans Marathons. I always feel privileged to be able to introduce this famous athlete.

At the 27kay we were again given a royal welcome at the Achilles table. It really is good to have that kind of encouragement but I was starting to tire. So when we got to the bridge over the N2 I asked for another short walk. Liz agreed and we were to lose Susan. Then it was onto the Butterfield road again and past the 30kay mark. Liz pointed out how well we were doing as we were under the 3-hour mark a that stage (2.53 I think). We saw Earl here and he gave us the encouraging news that the MPRG was not far ahead. But it was here that I really began to tire. I again asked for a walk. I think that Liz may have been getting a little agitated as she still had that 4.18 in sight while I was thinking that if I was to finish in one day I would be quite happy. Also this is where we began to be passed by other athletes in numbers.

So it was a left turn back onto the Kragga Kamma road and we had 10 kay to go. I think that it was beginning to get hot. Heat has an incredible draining effect on runners. On the Kragga Kamma Road it is necessary to run in single file as there is quite a bit of traffic. I let Liz go ahead hoping that she would leave me to my own misery but, being the captain, she insisted on staying with me and ran on the side of the road. This was up to the 8kay to go mark where I took another walk and she finally pressed on. A little further on, I saw that she had caught up to Paulette and then she turned round to see where I was. I put on a burst of real running hoping to catch them but Paulette stayed behind and Liz ran on.

So then, as Paulette was walking, I caught her and we chatted for a little while as she explained that she had an injury and had a planned bail ahead. So off I went again with 6 kays to go. Here it is a right turn into Welcome Avenue and I heard Liz’s voice from behind as she came out of the bushes. Now! Thought I. If I can just keep up the miserable shuffle that I had going, then I could again stick with Liz. No way! Liz soon caught me and passed me as if I was going backwards. As did the Keith and Sue Bayliss steam train a few minutes later.

I determined that I would run from here on. And so I did, until I got to the three kay to go. Around here I met up with Cathy from MPRG. She was almost as stuffed as I was. There was a Crusaders watering station (I overheard one of them comment “Peter seems to have lost his good Humour”) and I took coke and water and walked and walked and walked until I got to the 2kay mark. Okay thought I, I can shuffle in from here. The walking had the effect of cramping my calf muscles up and breaking into that miserable shuffle was harder than I thought but eventually I got to one kay to go. At this stage I thought that I may be able to catch Cathy but it was only with superhuman effort that I maintained a jog to the finish.

In the end I think that I had achieved the 4.18 that Liz had set for us but she had done way better than that with a 4.09 which was about a minute or two better than the Achilles Marathon that we had done in January. I was shattered. But thanks to Liz and the encouragement from other friends and Achilleans, I finished. At the end Paulette handed out “The Achillean” and I read later about Kosima’s thoughts on the Chatterbox on the run. I cannot think when she has run with me but I was certain that it could well be that she was referring to. I think that I do talk-a-lot on the run. Perhaps that is why Liz was so happy to leave me. I also looked up what I should have run for this elusive two points. And while it was 4.18 for Liz it was about 4.09 for me who is 10 years older than Liz. Unfair! I thought.

Peter Giddy
4 December 2005.