Running the Queenstown Marathon

What a weird scene yesterday was. If you look at the above picture you could be tricked into thinking this was a scene from 2019. This is what a field of close to 1400 people look like these days. Events like these just don't happen anymore, nor do I think I will run many times like this in the near future.

Yesterday was an accumulation of 3 years worth of work, I first started looking at the Queenstown marathon and set it as a goal all that time ago. I always knew my first marathon would be this one. It is a feat that is more significant to me than anything else I have achieved fitness wise.

Completing a marathon unsupported and under your own guidance for training has meant many sacrifices, lots of reading, training and awareness of your body. The way I finished yesterday wasn't exactly as I imagined however the significance of owning this victory and knowing that I am the sole contributor to my success brings a level of satisfaction that I cannot explain.

To explain the course, Queenstown marathon begins at the Millbrook resort in Arrowtown. The run tours through Arrowtown, along the lake trail, around Lake Hayes then loops back to cross the Shotover river running the back of this until you hit the last 10km of Lake Wakitipu leading into Queenstown CBD. Despite some sooky athletes reports, it is the flattest run I have completed in New Zealand and it is mostly on sealed road or dirt commuter tracks. It's some of the easiest running you will ever do unless you get a headwind.

While the elevation isn't exciting, the scenery is stunning. Late November brings lupins, flowering gorse and a number of spring blooms that grace the edges. You may as well stop and photograph it all because the colours are out of this world. Despite the fact that lupins and gorse are an introduced species to New Zealand it is interesting to note that the control of these is incredibly difficult, they are also well documented by photographers specifically coming to shoot these blooms.

Combined with the colours of local shrubbery are the surrounding mountain ranges of the Crown Range, Coronet, The Remarkables and Ben Lomond all looming up beside you on your run. It's one of those surreal experiences because you're trying not to lose momentum all the while wanting to stop every 2 seconds to photograph the natural beauty.

You are also graced with two rivers and two lakes on this marathon. Following the Arrow river for the first 5 km, looping Lake Hayes around the 20km mark, running over and then beside the Shotover at 26km before following Lake Wakitipu into Queenstown. Like all water in alpine areas it has this ethereal blue colour, crystal clear and is unable to be truly caught on film. The lakes also hold their own beauty, it was disappointing the wind picked up as I have seen them glassy and the mirrored surfaces reflecting their surrounding mountains is so beautiful.

Yesterdays run was challenging though, not in the way I thought it would be. When you run a marathon you are bombarded with advice, take it with a grain of salt. I ran yesterday with no expectations other than to finish. With two compromised knees and an entry to Luxmore Grunt in two weeks time I had no need to push my body. This may have been the best for me as I ran a very comfortable 5.02 hour marathon.

This marathon meant so much to me though. It signified so much of my 2020. As I ran I got quite emotional thinking about the fact that my parents wouldn't be at the finish line and I was running this race on my own. I thought about the fact that in a super corny way this really encapsulated what it's been like to finish this year. I've had to stand on my own two feet, push myself forward and become my own motivation. While I was running I had a moment where I realised that even in some of the darkest moments of my life I am also so fortunate. I have the ability to do this.

I've also realised how important running and exercise is to my mental health. I did one week of taper, basically not using my legs to try and keep them fresh for the weekend. I should have done 2 weeks but that may have killed me. 5 days of "keeping quiet" and not doing much really sent me into a dark place, I use running and exercise as a way to clarify and silence my mind. The act of being still put me in a position that I don't like, I'm very vulnerable and alone at the minute and not having that routine of big bike rides, long runs or some climbing sent me spiraling down.

As I ran I reflected on all those moments that had crushed me this week and put them into perspective. Even if it's hurting now, it won't hurt forever.

Perhaps this was why I never hit a wall and the second half of my marathon I ran faster, I realised that despite hurdles that have been thrown at me I will run through them.

People often ask "why would you run a marathon?" Then they often follow with a series of adjectives like "crazy", "insane" or some other equally positive descriptor. I cannot answer for everyone but I can answer for me.

I run because of the sense of personal achievement but also because long distances are really my thing. When you run a marathon, a half, a 10km or even a parkrun 5km no one can take that away from you. There is a mental game involved as much as the physical.

It's not easy, you have to put your mind to it and run, while that seems simple enough there is a huge amount of pain and body sacrifice that is involved with it.

It's easy to give up, the hard thing is to keep going, not all aspects of running are glorious. My tired body, aching knees and arch blisters from yesterday mean I will spend today hobbling around. But this pain for me is satisfying, I like knowing I achieved something I put my mind to.

I also know that running keeps the darkness at bay, a good run makes me really smile again, it makes me feel whole even if only for a short time.