Jakarta Half Marathon - Indonesia

Race: Jakarta Half Marathon
Distance:13.1 miles (21k)
Website: Here
Results: Here 

This was by far the hottest race I have ever run. The race began in the dark at 5:30am but despite the early hour, the humidity was frightening. We had eventually managed to find a hotel near the race start which was about 40 minutes outside of downtown Jakarta where I had registered two days earlier. We had to battle through a line of prostitutes on the road outside the hotel during our short walk to race start and by the time I arrived one the start line, I already had a good sweat on.

A very hot race. 

I remember  a great sunrise over the city as In staggered out into the first five miles. there was a musty smell about the dusty roads as we headed out to the suburbs. I took time to drink at all the aid stations as long as the aid stations supplies lasted. By the final water station at about ten miles the station had run out of supplies despite me being towards the front of the field. After the race a big online protests developed fuelled by runners who were upset about the danger of running in such heat without the organisers ensuring there was enough water to last the race duration. In fact, only in coming to type this have I realised the extent of her folks frustrations in their Facebook posts here  perhaps it was good that I was the other side of the language barrier apart from the lack of water I was blissfully unaware.

A very hot race. 

I was just glad for the experience of taking part but i was gladder to finish. The half marathon was the only reasons that we had decided to fly into Jakarta and it was a real mission first to find race registration and then a hotel near race start. Jakarta is a traffic laden, smog filled city so to actually get to the start of the race had been an accomplishment. I finished this race in 48th position in a time of 1 hour 51 minutes 51 seconds.  

Southland Marathon - New Zealand

Race: Southland Marathon part of the Southland Festival of Running.
Distance: 26.2 miles (42k)
Location: Riverton to Invercargill
Country: New Zealand
Website: Here
Results: Here
Route Map: Here 


At that the Southland Marathon, I relearned a valuable lesson that I have forgotten many times. Don't enter a race that you have not trained for because you can't cheat a marathon. The opportunity to enter races abroad was too tempting to surpass so when I heard that the worlds oldest (arguably) and  one of the most southerly marathons was going to coincide with my visit to Southland on New Zealand's south island, I put my entry in.

On the way to Invercargill

Two months later I was standing on the start line looking a bit sheepish contemplating how far it was between Riverton and Invercargill along the road that we had driven along the previous day. The buzz of running in New Zealand was what kept me going during this race. I remember thinking that I would coast steadily to half way then endure the second half. In reality I was spent as I crossed the bridge out of Riverton a couple of miles into the event. My only training had been a crossing of the Tongariro Alpine pass a few weeks earlier.  I did manage to grind out the miles and avoid the temptation of retirement to the camper van which Tracy had manoeuvred into position at various points along the marathon course.    

NZ ultra legend Vajin Armstrong and I after the race.  

I finished via a lap of the indoor velodrome at Invercargill's sports stadium. Looking back, 6th position wasn't bad in a time of 3 hours 24 minutes. The presentation was quite a formal affair at a local hotel. I was able to meet the race winner and international ultra runner Vajin Armstrong.   A few days later we visited the exhibition dedicated to local running legend Derek Turnbull.