Queenstown Marathon Recap

Where the plan, went to plan

I’m writing this recap on the plane back from Wellington to Queenstown and can definitely say I’m still buzzing from an endorphin-fueled weekend. Hard running and catching up with so many good people. It has left me really happy about the way things are going and motivated for the fitness that I’m getting back into. I’m stoked to have made the trip count and I wanted to do a bit of a recap on how the weekend went.

Pre-Race

Arriving into Queenstown Friday midday. It was raining and bitterly cold. However, the forecast was set to clear and come 5.30pm and turning up at the ASICS x Almighty shakeout run, the sun had made an appearance. This shakeout run blew away my expectations. I think if there’s any way you can destress before a race like a marathon, it’s taking part in a group event like this. I was lucky enough to lead the front group out and I met some awesome people. Each with their own goals and hopeful experiences for the following day. There was some great banter thrown around and it was a very nice way to meet some fellow runners. I’d love to see these types of activities get bigger and bigger. So thanks to all those who turned up.

Turning towards my nutrition.

Earlier Friday I’d had my 1500mg of Sodium Precision Fuel & Hydration drink mix.

Dinner: 1x Large Chicken Burrito & a Herbal Tea after dinner

Race Day

Thankfully the Holiday INN Hotel brekky opened at 6am (Thanks to Ironman for setting me up with a night here). Perfect timing for my two bits of toast with honey. It took a lot of self-control not to hit the bacon and eggs! The coffee was pretty shocking at the hotel (gota keep things real!), but I wasn’t too concerned as I knew I had my 2 x Precision Fuel and Hydration 100mg caffeine gels for during the race.

Race start in QT can be traditionally a little fresh, but the day dawned absolutely stunning, so the singlet was on and the gloves were left in the bag.

The start line energy was high, the vibe felt great and then the gun went off!

We took off and went through the 1st km in a leisurely 3min 40sec. There was a bit of banter thrown around about the leisurely pace. But the Queenstown course is no joke, it is clearly a trail run as opposed to a road marathon and a course to be respected. After 5km or so it was fairly apparent that there would be a good race for top 3. Sticking to the plan, I pushed a bit harder around the hills of Lake Hayes and opened up a small gap. It wasn’t much, but from there I was able to settle into a controlled rhythm on the road sections and the gap opened up marginally. Both Ben and Orestas weren’t dropping off too much, but I knew that a consistent run back to Frankton and then around the lake back to Queenstown, should allow me to hold the fellas off.

It all worked out as planned and the big thing for me was absorbing the atmosphere coming back in to Queenstown. Reciprocating the encouragement from the half marathoners out on the course. Then appreciating everyone who supported me around the course and especially through Queenstown coming down the finishing chute.

Around the course I had my two good friends Cam and Laura supporting me and handing me gels and flasks.

I ended up consuming 1.25L of Precision Fuel and Hydration Carb/Electrolyte and 5x gels (Inc 2x Caffeinated).

Total Carb: 225g, 90g per hour

Total Sodium: 1250mg

Nailed the nutrition with absolutely no GI issues

I was able to track my HR the whole way using my Coros Apex 2 Pro with HR armband.

Avg HR: 165bpm

Avg pace: 3min 31sec/km

Max HR: 185bpm

Elevation Gain: 325m

Looking back, my plan was to try and stay between 160 and 170. This as calculated, is my zone for Marathon effort. I have dialled this in with workouts and it’s very useful to have this information for when you’re racing and training.

Knowing your threshold zone is what you can hold for anything from 40ish mins to an hour. I knew that my marathon effort is about 10bpm lower than this.

Noting that everyone has a Heart Rate unique to them so you need to calculate your own zones.

For a nice visual race recap you can check out my race video here:

Post-race in Queenstown is awesome.

Everyone gathered at the finish line area, swapping stories and sharing a well-deserved bevvy. Shoutout to Rifters Gin for a round on them. Plus, a lovely shot of their quality gin! It was just so good to share the race atmosphere with other passionate runners and friends.

Carrying on the whirlwind of fun, Cam and I even made good of the 3 hour Sunday run plan. Managed 20km with 1400m of vert, just an easy shakeout to test how the legs pulled up. Not bad Queenstown!

Actually bloody good!

Now it’s all eyes on Kepler in a couple of weeks. I love racing at home and look forward to this and Tarawera in Feb.

Thanks to ASICS & Queenstown Marathon for your support on the weekend and to everyone who sent messages of support, cheered from the sideline or reached out at the finish line. It’s honestly humbling.

Next Thursday (30th) I’ll be hosting the monthly AMA session where you can ask me anything on anything running. I’ve really enjoyed the last few sessions and it’s great being able to help with your questions. I’d love to catch you next Thursday