“We are not going to let them take our sport away, we are going to run a marathon”
Why I wanted to become a Melbourne Marathon Spartan.
At a 40th birthday party, in January 2013, I ran into my school friend Sally. Half marathons were an increasing feature of both our lives, so of course we had one of those enthusiastic running chats’ we runners are renowned for.
Horrifically the Boston Bombing happened that April and Sally rang me and said “We are not going to let them take our sport away, we are going to run a marathon”. I took a few weeks to come around to this idea and accept the training that I was going to need to do to make the marathon distance. In August, Sally ran her first marathon in Adelaide in superb 3:36. By October I was ready to run my first Melbourne Marathon at the age of 41 and did so in a time of 3:50. Sally ran it in 3:58.
Right from the start I was hooked and knew I was going to run a lot more marathons. The Spartans tent was at the Expo and as soon as Sally and I discovered this amazing group we knew we wanted to be part of it. That first Melbourne Marathon was wet and cold. My leg muscles still recall the pain of walking up and down stairs and getting my legs to allow me to sit down on the toilet over the following days, but there was also the fabulous after glow and sense of achievement that kept me excited for future runs.
In May 2014 I ran the Barossa Marathon in 3:38 and realizing it was a Boston qualifier, and Sally had already run a BQ, I encouraged Sally to try for a BQ at Adelaide marathon. I ran the half that day and remember waiting for her at the finish line, while constantly checking my watch. She ran 3:42 and so as agreed (if we could both do a BQ in a 12-month window) we applied for Boston. With the faster qualifier I knew I was in 10 days before Sally. She wanted this entry so much that she got hives waiting – but eventually she did get in and we had an amazing trip to the epic Boston Marathon. This was also the year I ran my Melbourne Marathon PB of 3:44, while Sally ran a blistering 3:37!
2015 saw me run my all-time marathon PB at Boston. It was a freezing and rainy day, not getting above 8 degrees Celsius. The madly exciting and encouraging atmosphere with bands, DJ’s, roadside parties, continual encouragement including being offered homemade lemon-slice, towels and beers along with the cold weather, got me to the finish line in 3:35.34 (3 seconds ahead of Sally- 3:35.37). I followed up with a 3:48 at Melbourne and Sally ran 3:38. Travelling back from Boston Marathon a few days later, Sally and I met Howard, a fellow marathon runner who lives in Melbourne and who has become a wonderful running friend. We’ve gone on to catch up with Howard at lots of running events including the fabulous Traralgon Marathon in 2023.
2016 was my last under 4-hour Melbourne Marathon in 3:51, while Sally ran 4:05.
I completed my 5th Melbourne Marathon and 10th all-time marathon in 2017 in 4:03 while Sally ran a 4:25.
2018 saw me run a 4:25 in what I remember as the hot year of 28 degrees, while Sally was quicker in 4:09. Getting a selfie with the watermelon goddess Lucy Bartholomew, was a highlight in 2019 and I ran 4:11, meanwhile Sally ran 4:39. The one that didn’t count (because it was virtual) on December 12th 2020, started at 4am and included my much-loved local parkrun – Clare Valley parkrun.
In 2021 the event was postponed to December and with borders only opening weeks before, Sally and I decided not to go. My 8th Melbourne Marathon was in 2022 with me running 4:43 after focusing on trail running for most of that year, while Sally ran 5:21.
On a cool down run along a trail, during a regular Wednesday running club training in September 2023, I tripped on a hidden stump and broke my arm. I went to Melbourne regardless of not being able to run (I was very tempted to walk the marathon – but reluctantly decided to listen to my physio who warned I’d likely make the break worse and it would more than likely take longer to heal). My 16-year-old daughter was running her third half marathon, so I got to as many spots as I possibly could to see her running past and of course caught up with Sally also, who ran 5:18.
2024 was the brutal year. I had a pinched nerve in my glute and I felt it every step of the way- but nothing was going to stop me after missing 2023. Thankfully Sally became a Spartan that day! I took a grueling 5 hours and 6 minutes, while Sally ran a 5:20.
On October 12th 2025, I finally reached my goal of 10 Melbourne Marathons and become a Spartan. This club includes 3 amazing Spartans who have run every Melbourne Marathon since 1978, along with about 1900 runners (prior to MM2025) who have completed 10 or more Melbourne Marathons. The vast majority of these Spartans are male with a touch over 200 female Spartans. On Marathon day you can see them wearing the many milestone colours, featuring a large Spartan symbol. I was aiming for an under 4:30 marathon and was stoked to do it in 4:29.25! Sally pipped me at the post, running 4:29.07. Wearing my green 10-year runner t-shirt was as awesome as I knew it would be, getting shout outs, nods and smiles from other Spartans, aspiring Spartans, runners and the amazing crowd.
Since that first Melbourne Marathon I’ve run a total of 38 official marathons or ultras, in one day (not including multi day events with day legs of under 42km or 42km plus adventure or training runs). There’s been a mixture of road and trail marathons/ultra’s, each of them wonderful in many ways. Along the way I’ve made some fabulous and inspiring friends and shared these experiences and the joy of running with each of them. The journey is not over. I’ll continue running marathons, including my yearly pilgrimage to Melbourne Marathon with Sally. My next goal is to run 60 marathons or more, by the time I turn 60.
Kirsty is a member of the RMA community and lives in South Australia.
You can find out more about the Melbourne Marathon Spartans here