“Things might not go as planned – Always try to focus on the good”
– Unknown
SYD 2025 Where to start…. This was my “event” of the year! I did my first marathon at GC last year followed by Sydney! After this I thought I was done with marathons and I entered a half Ironman! (As you do). I trained pretty perfectly for that and competed in Geelong in March well within my goal time! Move onto Sydney…. Training had been really good until I sustained some sort of foot injury that I “managed” until I couldn’t! X-ray showed some sort of stress injury but not a stress fracture so I was still ok to run if I wanted too! I travelled to Sydney on Thursday with my eldest daughter (11) and stayed with my best friend!
The few days pre race were pretty great! Hydration, food, shake out all on point! I was ready to run! I was hoping for a course PB and legitimately thought I could. I’m a back of the pack runner so I started in the second last wave and crossed the start line at about 8:10, I felt good, running through North Sydney then over the bridge….. I love it!!
Riding the emotions, I’ve got this, I’m struggling, it’s so hot, one foot in front of the other, you’re amazing etc, then into the city I went! Plodding along and I spotted Katie (long time RMA admin) and Michelle (new owner) whom I have never met before but have spoken to and followed for along time! I was THAT excited that I finally got to meet them and ran with them for 5 or so kilometres until I lost them at a drink station.
That’s when it started to unfold, it was so hot, I was passing runners that were literally about to finish and it made me feel physically ill, I still had 30k or so to go! I continued to push on, fuelling pretty perfectly and taking on fluids every drink station! Riding the waves of emotions I realised that my goal of a course PB was out the window which put me in a pretty low place. But…… there was no way I was getting to the finish any other way than running. I walked more than I wanted but ran as much as I could, I just kept pushing. I got into Centennial Park and started to get random cramps in my legs, from experience in the GC I refused to stop and stretch because it usually led to a terrible cramp somewhere else ha ha. I noticed a lot of people walking, stopped stretching or stopped bent over really struggling, I think the heat at this time of the day was definitely taking its toll. Centennial Park though is one of my favourite parts of the run, and I got a little cheer from Ned Brockman!
Running back towards the harbour I knew I was on the home stretch and to keep plodding along! Into the botanical gardens was awesome and the atmosphere was unreal but I also knew it was a hard slog to get out and on the downhill so I pumped the tunes and just kept moving! Macquarie street could not come soon enough, and gee was I stoked to see the finish, I turned the corner and saw my daughter and friends, cue water running from my eyes, I’d bloody done it! Not the time I wanted so I was a little bummed. It’s taken me a good week or so to get over that but I have since reminded myself that I had just run another marathon!
A MARATHON!! It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you run, I trained so hard, I still ran the event and I still ran the same distance as everyone else out there!! What’s next….. I said Sydney was it but after it didn’t go to plan, I’ve got my eyes on one more next year!!
Holly is a long time RMA Admin and valued member of the RMA community and lives in Tasmania.