After a chequered preparation due to leg muscle strains, “the morning arrived”, a my routine commenced at 5am for a 7.30 am start near the MCG in Brunton Avenue.

I finally left at 6am after a light breaky, shower, and generous application of Dencorub. There are no trains at 6am on Sunday so over to my son’s
new flat in Eaglemont for a return favour after all we have done for him recently. He drove to the vicinity of the MCG, but the traffic was chaotic, so I jumped out near Jolimont station, and walked over. There were thousands of people going in all directions as the marathon (8000 entrants) starts at 7am, the 10km (10000 entrants) at 7.30am, and the half marathon (11000 entrants) at 8am, all from the one spot.

I felt nervous, excited, and emotional on the start line, as the gun went and the adreniline started. It took over 15 minutes to actually get to the start time spot for me, and there were plenty behind me. The chip on the bib number times on and off at the finish, but get this……it is also a GPS tracking device, and with free access to a website, and a bib number, your progress can be tracked from the comfort of your pc or notepad, or I-phone!!!!

The route was into and down Flinders St to St. Kilda Road, down over the Bridge, a loop to the right, back over St. Kilda Road into the Gardens, up Linlithgow Ave and a few kms in the Gardens, emerging onto Domain Road and then back onto St. Kilda Road for the return journey over the Bridge meandering back to the MCG past the tunnel and then back to the tunnel to make up the full 10km, finishing with a lap of the “G”.

It was an exhilirating but exhausting run that I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the pain during the event, and now the soreness afterwards……anyway good to have “war wounds” to show. I was also elated to finish in 66mins, a new PB by many minutes.

I stayed to watch the finish of the mens and womens marathon, and was staggered by the pace they still maintained at the end of 42.2km.

All in all a fantastic morning, due reward for the months of training I endured, and actually enjoyed.