Pacing Cadbury Marathon
Since I first ran Cadbury Marathon 3 years ago, I have been back every year for either the half or the full. It is such a gem of an event to have run locally and Richard, the race organiser, and his team do a brilliant job. For a variety of reasons, I didn't think I was ready to race this year, but I still wanted to be part of the event and who to contact about this was an easy question to answer. The Tasmanian Road Runners are a fantastic group who provide a lot of support at events and within the running community and one of the things they do is to provide pacers for most of the major races around the state. I got in contact a few months before the event and offered to be a pacer, which seemed a perfect way to still be involved.
A few days before the race I actually started to get pretty nervous. I realised that pacing is quite a big responsibility. Unlike our Prime Minister, I really hate to let people down and people could be really relying on me to get them to a goal they have been working towards for some time. So I put had a bit of a think (and sought out a bit of advice from some experienced pacers) about how I could best get people through what is quite a challenging marathon course in the target time.
Consequently, I rocked up on race day with two watches and a running vest laden with more food than Clive Palmer eats at a buffet, as well as spare electrolyte tablets and even a blue tooth speaker for a bit of extra motivation for my charges.
This would have made it particularly disappointing if no one was trying to run 3:30, but I knew a few people were aiming to run around that time so figured I would have some company for some of the race at least. I was particularly happy to be running with my amazing friend, Gabby from Runphoria, who had made a last minute decision to enter the race, despite not really having trained for marathon distance for 12 months. Whilst this is obviously hardly recommended if you don’t have a very strong base, Gabby is a phenomenal runner so I was pretty confident she would be just fine.
A few days before the race I actually started to get pretty nervous. I realised that pacing is quite a big responsibility. Unlike our Prime Minister, I really hate to let people down and people could be really relying on me to get them to a goal they have been working towards for some time. So I put had a bit of a think (and sought out a bit of advice from some experienced pacers) about how I could best get people through what is quite a challenging marathon course in the target time.
Consequently, I rocked up on race day with two watches and a running vest laden with more food than Clive Palmer eats at a buffet, as well as spare electrolyte tablets and even a blue tooth speaker for a bit of extra motivation for my charges.
This would have made it particularly disappointing if no one was trying to run 3:30, but I knew a few people were aiming to run around that time so figured I would have some company for some of the race at least. I was particularly happy to be running with my amazing friend, Gabby from Runphoria, who had made a last minute decision to enter the race, despite not really having trained for marathon distance for 12 months. Whilst this is obviously hardly recommended if you don’t have a very strong base, Gabby is a phenomenal runner so I was pretty confident she would be just fine.
The starting gun went and I eased into a gentle trot as the pack of runners began to move. There is always an eerie quiet as you run the early laps of the Cadbury Estate, broken by raucous encouragement each time you pass the start line. Well, there is normally an eerie quiet, unless your external speaker is pumping out Eminem at full volume.
In little time we were on our way down the hill and passing the first drinks station before the climb up to the main road. It was a bit hard to know how many were on my bus but there were plenty of people running fairly close to us as everyone shook out into their comfortable running pace. Soon enough, we had managed the first climb and were striding out on the downhill sections that followed.
I had planned to run a little quicker running south, due to the wind and elevation being against us on the return part of each leg. I felt like I had this pretty much right until about the 5k mark when I noticed that the kilometre markers were about 250m further on compared to my watch so I had to gradually pick up my pace to get back to where I needed to be in the race.
This year’s course had been slightly modified from previous years with a little loop into Montrose Bay High added and bringing the turnaround points at the end of the Bowen Bridge and at the bottom of Cadbury’s Hill a little closer. I enjoyed the quiet detour beside the calm water of the Derwent. I also appreciated being able to turn that little bit earlier later in the race as I was getting tired, so for me this was a good change to the course.
In little time we were on our way down the hill and passing the first drinks station before the climb up to the main road. It was a bit hard to know how many were on my bus but there were plenty of people running fairly close to us as everyone shook out into their comfortable running pace. Soon enough, we had managed the first climb and were striding out on the downhill sections that followed.
I had planned to run a little quicker running south, due to the wind and elevation being against us on the return part of each leg. I felt like I had this pretty much right until about the 5k mark when I noticed that the kilometre markers were about 250m further on compared to my watch so I had to gradually pick up my pace to get back to where I needed to be in the race.
This year’s course had been slightly modified from previous years with a little loop into Montrose Bay High added and bringing the turnaround points at the end of the Bowen Bridge and at the bottom of Cadbury’s Hill a little closer. I enjoyed the quiet detour beside the calm water of the Derwent. I also appreciated being able to turn that little bit earlier later in the race as I was getting tired, so for me this was a good change to the course.
We were soon back out on the highway. We turned right at the Derwent Entertainment Centre and, looking over my shoulder, I decided that the pack of runners who were close behind were probably hoping to stay with me for a while so I started chatting away. In hindsight, the poor runners around me were offered more unsolicited advice than first-time parents over the next few hours, but they listened politely so I just kept going. The group was running strongly as we motored over the Bowen Bridge, but we quickly felt the difference of running into the wind when we turned.
The group tucked in close to each other to maximise protection from the wind and I kept a close eye on our pace (I was checking my watches more often than a teenager checks instagram), letting us slow a little below target pace, but careful we didn’t drop off to far. We crossed the bridge and sped up on the downhill section leading into the drinks station. Since we were coming back the same way we came out, we saw a constant stream of runners coming the other way and I was thrilled to see Neika and Xavier both running their first marathons and looking really strong.
The wind dropped for a bit as we ran around in front of the DEC, but picked up again as soon as we turned back onto the Brooker Highway to work our way back towards the end of the first lap. We slowed a little once more for the headwind and the series of minor climbs, but continued to hold a pretty steady pace. We were starting to move through the field a bit too, with a number of runners obviously having gone out a bit hard. Our little pace group grew as a few more runners we caught jumped in with us and soon there was about a dozen people running behind me.
The group tucked in close to each other to maximise protection from the wind and I kept a close eye on our pace (I was checking my watches more often than a teenager checks instagram), letting us slow a little below target pace, but careful we didn’t drop off to far. We crossed the bridge and sped up on the downhill section leading into the drinks station. Since we were coming back the same way we came out, we saw a constant stream of runners coming the other way and I was thrilled to see Neika and Xavier both running their first marathons and looking really strong.
The wind dropped for a bit as we ran around in front of the DEC, but picked up again as soon as we turned back onto the Brooker Highway to work our way back towards the end of the first lap. We slowed a little once more for the headwind and the series of minor climbs, but continued to hold a pretty steady pace. We were starting to move through the field a bit too, with a number of runners obviously having gone out a bit hard. Our little pace group grew as a few more runners we caught jumped in with us and soon there was about a dozen people running behind me.
Normally I eat quite a lot to fuel me for a marathon, but I realised at this point I hadn’t eaten anything. Pulling out a bag of lollies, I grabbed a couple of jelly beans and then offered them around to the runners behind me. The proffered jelly beans were rejected as firmly as Craig Kelly rejects science, so I stuffed them back into my vest. I then went back to talking and pretty much forgot to eat for the rest of the race- whoops.
We hit the half marathon point right on the time I wanted to and from the look of it, most of the group behind me were moving well. After a bit of separation at the drinks station, the group quickly re-formed and stayed closer together on the second lap, grinding our way back up towards Main Road, before striding out again on the descent.
With the wind on our back, and some nice downhill sections to aid us we began to pick up speed once more as we headed back towards the Brooker Highway. As we turned and ran past the DEC, you could tell how much the wind had picked up from the choppy waves in the water to our left. Not that I needed to look at the waves to know this with my flag trying harder than Rupert Murdoch to pull me to the right (although in fairness to the flag at least the info it was giving me about the weather was accurate).
I deliberately dropped the pace back as we ran up the approach to the Bowen Bridge, trying to keep the group together for as long as possible, but once we were on the bridge we were moving quickly once more. From the final turn, it is a bit less than 10k, but it’s a hard ten. As we pushed into the wind and the hills, the majority of my group stayed bunched up tighter than the RFS budget after years of Liberal Government cuts.
I often find the section from about 36-40km the most mentally challenging part of a marathon, because once you hit 40, you know you are close enough to will yourself through the last bit. And this is doubly true on the Cadbury’s course, as that section has a lot of gentle climbing against the prevailing wind. Due to the size of the group and their position behind me, it was hard to see whether I still had everyone with me. Occasionally one of our runners would emulate Harry and Megan by choosing to step back from the group and strike their own path, but the majority continued to run together as we hung tough through this crucial section of the race.
We hit the half marathon point right on the time I wanted to and from the look of it, most of the group behind me were moving well. After a bit of separation at the drinks station, the group quickly re-formed and stayed closer together on the second lap, grinding our way back up towards Main Road, before striding out again on the descent.
With the wind on our back, and some nice downhill sections to aid us we began to pick up speed once more as we headed back towards the Brooker Highway. As we turned and ran past the DEC, you could tell how much the wind had picked up from the choppy waves in the water to our left. Not that I needed to look at the waves to know this with my flag trying harder than Rupert Murdoch to pull me to the right (although in fairness to the flag at least the info it was giving me about the weather was accurate).
I deliberately dropped the pace back as we ran up the approach to the Bowen Bridge, trying to keep the group together for as long as possible, but once we were on the bridge we were moving quickly once more. From the final turn, it is a bit less than 10k, but it’s a hard ten. As we pushed into the wind and the hills, the majority of my group stayed bunched up tighter than the RFS budget after years of Liberal Government cuts.
I often find the section from about 36-40km the most mentally challenging part of a marathon, because once you hit 40, you know you are close enough to will yourself through the last bit. And this is doubly true on the Cadbury’s course, as that section has a lot of gentle climbing against the prevailing wind. Due to the size of the group and their position behind me, it was hard to see whether I still had everyone with me. Occasionally one of our runners would emulate Harry and Megan by choosing to step back from the group and strike their own path, but the majority continued to run together as we hung tough through this crucial section of the race.
We passed MONA and again temporarily dropped some pace as we began the long curving ascent that follows. As we crested the rise, we had less than three kilometres to go and I knew my job was pretty much done. Seeing the strength most of the runners were still running with, I didn’t want them to settle for a 3:30 finish and encouraged most of them to run on ahead of me. Summoning my inner Wicked Witch of the West (I'm talking about the character from the Wizard of Oz, not the former federal Minister for Environment, Melissa Price, but I can understand the confusion) I called “Fly my pretties,” (yep, I really said that out loud), as I dropped back to keep contact with a couple of runners who looked to be slowing a little, but who I still felt could make it in 3:30.
Gabby had been looking so comfortable sitting on my shoulder for most of the race, I was starting to wonder if she was part parrot (Although I’m not actually a pirate either) and I was so stoked that she was having such a successful run, but that didn't mean I was going to let her cruise to the end. “What are you still doing here? Get going,” I said with a smile. She took a moment to think about it and realised I was right, quickly putting some distance between us.
Having run so far with the group, I had forgotten just how much tougher and lonelier it is running on your own. Even running allowing for the fact that I was running slower than my normal race pace and was pretty comfortable, the last few kilometres suddenly felt a whole lot harder as I watched the majority of the group run on ahead.
I still had three guys I was really keen to get to the finish though, so I kept chattering away. I’m not sure they needed my encouragement at this point- it wasn’t like they were going to stop less than a kilometre from the end- but I kept talking and cajoling anyway. We battled our way to the top of the last hill and I watched as they ran on ahead of me.
With the finish line in sight, I realised that I was a tiny bit early. My memories of the final climb from last year had made it seem a lot longer, so I had deliberately allowed a bit of extra time to make sure anyone running with me could get up there and still finish in their target time. And, as is my custom, I had erred on the side of caution, reaching the top of the hill with about a minute to spare. Seeing the last of the runners from my group running away from me towards the finish, I trotted in to finish myself, forgetting that I was supposed to finish right on 3:30. My final time was less than a minute ahead of what I should have run and although I was relatively satisfied with that, I couldn’t help worrying that I might have got an extra runner or two over the line by going a fraction slower.
Nothing I could do about it now though, so I took it as a learning point and didn’t feel too bad. I had a really great time for my first experience of pacing and being able to share in the enthusiasm and excitement of people reaching their goals was a real privilege. Because of how close it is to the Bruny Ultra, I think it suits me better to be a pacer for this race, so I will probably volunteer to do it again next year (and try to go one second per kilometre slower). As always, I must compliment and thank all the volunteers and the organisers who do such a fantastic job, as well as all my awesome supporters for their encouragement. I would also like to thank TRR for giving me the opportunity to pace and all of the runners who ran with me for having enough trust to stick with me.
Gabby had been looking so comfortable sitting on my shoulder for most of the race, I was starting to wonder if she was part parrot (Although I’m not actually a pirate either) and I was so stoked that she was having such a successful run, but that didn't mean I was going to let her cruise to the end. “What are you still doing here? Get going,” I said with a smile. She took a moment to think about it and realised I was right, quickly putting some distance between us.
Having run so far with the group, I had forgotten just how much tougher and lonelier it is running on your own. Even running allowing for the fact that I was running slower than my normal race pace and was pretty comfortable, the last few kilometres suddenly felt a whole lot harder as I watched the majority of the group run on ahead.
I still had three guys I was really keen to get to the finish though, so I kept chattering away. I’m not sure they needed my encouragement at this point- it wasn’t like they were going to stop less than a kilometre from the end- but I kept talking and cajoling anyway. We battled our way to the top of the last hill and I watched as they ran on ahead of me.
With the finish line in sight, I realised that I was a tiny bit early. My memories of the final climb from last year had made it seem a lot longer, so I had deliberately allowed a bit of extra time to make sure anyone running with me could get up there and still finish in their target time. And, as is my custom, I had erred on the side of caution, reaching the top of the hill with about a minute to spare. Seeing the last of the runners from my group running away from me towards the finish, I trotted in to finish myself, forgetting that I was supposed to finish right on 3:30. My final time was less than a minute ahead of what I should have run and although I was relatively satisfied with that, I couldn’t help worrying that I might have got an extra runner or two over the line by going a fraction slower.
Nothing I could do about it now though, so I took it as a learning point and didn’t feel too bad. I had a really great time for my first experience of pacing and being able to share in the enthusiasm and excitement of people reaching their goals was a real privilege. Because of how close it is to the Bruny Ultra, I think it suits me better to be a pacer for this race, so I will probably volunteer to do it again next year (and try to go one second per kilometre slower). As always, I must compliment and thank all the volunteers and the organisers who do such a fantastic job, as well as all my awesome supporters for their encouragement. I would also like to thank TRR for giving me the opportunity to pace and all of the runners who ran with me for having enough trust to stick with me.