Sydney Half Marathon

On Sunday morning we left the house just after six when it was still cold and dark, to see streams of people all heading towards Hyde Park for the start of the race. 13,500 people were registered to run the Sydney half marathon, a 21.2km route taking runners through the downtown area, past Darling Harbour, the Opera House, and Harbour Bridge.
I've been training for months, but was worried about how it would go since I had a stubborn cold the week leading up to the race. But with the breakfast of champions in my stomach and my cheering section (Jeroen) by my side, there was no turning back.


Starting line



Rest of the group waiting to start...



The first few kilometers were slow, the mass of people stampeded at a steady pace, there was no way to speed up so you had to just enjoy the scenery. The second half of the race was more difficult, and the last 5km the most difficult. At about 18km you could see the finish line in front of you, then you had to turn a corner and complete another 5km in the Botanical Gardens, coming back uphill to finally reach the finish line. You can see my results here, I was able to meet my goal of running withing 2 hours with a final time of 1hr 45min!

Crossing the finish line




I was left relatively unscathed, only some blisters between my toes (despite using anti-chafe cream) and some stiff legs. Day 2 is going well, wearing flat shoes to work and getting lots of rest. I was so happy the race went well and once fully recovered, training begins for the full marathon in September.



Thanks to all who sponsored me, contributing generously to the Cancer Council of New South Wales. In total, over $700,000 was raised for various charities by race participants.