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Marathon 1 - 13 June, 2001 - Hong Kong - 8 hours 27 minutes
Throughout my 8 years in Hong Kong, I'd walked...(see HK Walks) up and down the hills and often along Bowen Road - there's a paved walking track of 4Km's marked off every 500 Metres. So I decided I should try to walk a Marathon. I'd never walked further than maybe 20 Km's before but one day I just upped and tried it. As you'll see from the time - not too impressive - but I did it!! - with very minimal preparation....
Completed the Marathon on 13 June, 2001 ? see details below.
Route:
1. From our apartment - 1 Km to start of the posted 4Km track (BowenRdIN)
2. 2Kms to the playground/toilets at Wanchai Gap (WanChaiGapIN)
3. 2Kms to the end of the posted track (BowenRd4/0)
4. Then back 2Kms to Wanchai Gap, repeating 3 & 4 - 8 times!! Boring!!
5. 4Kms back to start of Posted track
6. 1Km back home
Food ? Clothing - very professional!!
Peanut Butter toasted sandwich, Mars Bars * 2, Kit-Kat * 2, 1.5 litres Water. Back-pack, Pen & log (got very wet), sweat cloth, dry shirts/socks ? stupid, never used ? wet through sweating.
Progress and times:
|
Km |
Where |
Time |
Comments |
|
0 |
Apartment |
08.58 |
Warm (28 degrees), sticky, grey, saw Janet on her bus, Cicadas very noisy |
|
1 |
BowenRdIN |
09.10 |
Heavy rain ? wet through ? even shoes |
|
3 |
WanChaiGapIN |
09.32 |
Very heavy rain |
|
5 |
BowenRd4/0 |
09.54 |
Pins & needles in shoulders & arms ? Cold wind |
|
7 |
WanchaiGap/1 |
10.15 |
Rain stopped ? chocolate bar ? cicadas again |
|
9 |
BowenRd4/1 |
10.42 |
No rain ? cicadas |
|
11 |
WanchaiGap/2 |
11.04 |
No rain ? more chocolate ? exercise, swinging arms etc pee, toilet, dry off ? warm air heater |
|
13 |
BowenRd4/2 |
11.35 |
No rain |
|
15 |
WanchaiGap/3 |
11.56 |
No rain |
|
17 |
BowenRd4/3 |
12.21 |
Flashes of sun |
|
19 |
WanchaiGap/4 |
12.41 |
|
|
21 |
BowenRd4/4 |
13.06 |
Lots of lunch-time runners |
|
23 |
WanchaiGap/5 |
13.27 |
|
|
25 |
BowenRd4/5 |
13.53 |
|
|
27 |
WanchaiGap/6 |
14.14 |
Eat half of sandwich |
|
29 |
BowenRd4/6 |
14.41 |
|
|
31 |
WanchaiGap/7 |
15.03 |
Sat down, needed to rest legs & shoulders |
|
33 |
BowenRd4/7 |
15.35 |
Left knee painful |
|
35 |
WanchaiGap/8 |
15.58 |
Soles of feet & shoulders ? painful, eat rest of sandwich |
|
37 |
BowenRd4/8 |
16.26 |
|
|
39 |
WanchaiGapOUT |
16.50 |
|
|
41 |
BowenRdOUT |
17.15 |
|
|
42 |
Apartment |
17.25 |
2 blisters (small on soles of feet ? near big toes, chafing around bum ? only noticed this in shower - you probably didn't want to know that!! |
Since then I've done a couple of half-marathons (walking), one in August 2001 again along Bowen Rd - 3 hours only!!
And another along the East Coast Park in Singapore in December 2001 - that was warm - 32 degrees and sweaty.
Marathon 2 - 4 December, 2003 - Singapore - 8 hours (about)
Well now!! here we are at the end of 2003 - and I've done another one!!
Yes, yes - been living the soft life in Singapore for 2+ years - time for a bit of marathoning - again important that I had no preparation - just get up one morning and go do it.
Completed my second walking marathon 4 December, 2003 - see details below:
Route:
1. From our apartment along Meyer Road to the Katong Flyover on Fort Rd - 1 KM
2. Onto East Coast Park pedestrian track - 1 KM back to just outside our apartment building
3. Along track to the Track End Post at National Sailing Centre - then on to SAFRA resort - 10 Kms (OUT1)
4. Back to our apartment building - 10 Kms (IN1)
5. Back out to SAFRA - 10 Kms (OUT2)
6. Back to our apartment building - 10 Kms (IN2)
Food ? Clothing
Took along no food this time - bought 1 small bottle of water at 28Kms and ate 2 Snickers Bars. Thought the sun would be brighter so wore a long sleeved top - stupid - the day was grey and overcast - short sleeves would have been better. 2 pairs of socks and a small bum bag for money, handkerchief etc..
Progress and times:
I'd hoped to beat the HK time of 8 hours but failed!! 8.5 hours this time!! I think I went off a bit too quick on the first 12 Kms - then slowed the rest of the way/day.
|
Km |
Where |
Time |
Comments |
|
0 |
Apartment |
08.00 |
Warm (28 degrees), sticky, grey, overcast |
|
1 |
Katong Flyover |
08.10 |
Easy - dry |
|
2 |
Our Apartment Building |
08:20 |
Easy - dry |
|
12 |
SAFRA resort |
10:00 |
Some rain earlier - pretty wet, but not soaked - left knee really hurting for last 1 Km - collected 8 golf balls |
|
22 |
Our Apartment Building |
12:00 |
Left knee very painful whole of this 10 Kms - tied a hankie round it - didn't do much good |
|
32 |
SAFRA resort |
14:15 |
Stopped at a shop for water and Chocolate during this stretch - knee painful again on restart - had subsided |
|
42 |
Our Apartment Building |
16:30 |
Left knee was fully OK, but blisters on feet - and chaffing bum - put Baby Oil on both at 33 Kms - made things worse!! |
Update! Update!! I'm about to do another one - as at August 2006.... and during the planning - I've rechecked the Marathon 2 distances etc.. and it comes to 44.8 Kms!! So I did nearly 3 Kms more than required - which means I can take off 34.4 minutes - meaning I did 42 Kms in about 8 hours - same time as before!!
Marathon 3 - 16 August, 2006 - Singapore - 9 hours 17 minutes
Well, you'll be pleased to know I managed another marathon (walk), but times and execution are not exciting...
Minimal preparation, as usual, just setting out clothes etc.. the night before - then have breakfast as usual and off..
Route:
1. By bike - from our apartment along Tanjong Katong to the ECP underpass near the Chinese Swimming Club
2. Lock up the bike at the underpass, walk under the ECP onto walking track in the park.
3. Along track to National Sailing Centre - then on to SAFRA resort - down to Changi airport (end of runways) turn right and walk full length of Changi airport, through Changi Park, to Changi Point - 21 Kms
4. Back to unlock the bike - 21 Kms
5. Cycle home
Food ? Clothing
Took along no food or water - bought 500 ml of A100 drink and 2 chocolate bars from 7/11 in the McDonalds complex - thereafter another 330 ml of A100, 500 Ml of water, another 500 ml of water and something like 500 ml of mixed water and Melilea (see below).. It was a hazy/grey day, so short sleeve shirt, shorts, tennis shoes with 2 pairs of socks, a wet towel and a small bum bag for money, handkerchief etc.. took a hat but didn't wear it - silly!
Progress and times:
|
Km |
Where |
Time |
Comments |
|
0 |
Apartment |
08.30 |
Warm (28 degrees), hazy, grey, overcast |
|
0 |
ECP Underpass |
08.48 |
Easy - dry |
|
11 |
Changi Airport |
10:48 |
Easy - dry - lots of people out jogging etc.. and the first person I saw as I started was.... Sellapan Ramanathan - President of Singapore - I guess he was out for a morning constitutional but he was talking with 2 other gentlemen with his bodyguard close by.... funny.. when Janet were out walking along Bowen Road in Hong Kong - we saw Tung Che Hwa and guard - maybe that's an insiders trick for "getting access to the politicians"?? - anyway - back to the marathon..... time was good, but from here on was not pleasant |
|
21 |
Changi Point |
12:44 |
Walking along the main road that borders the airport was horrible!! It is about 7 Kms long - dead straight, 2 lanes in each direction and traffic hammers along there!! Alas - there is no pavement for most of the distance, so I had to walk facing oncoming traffic, often in the road, getting blasted by the air of passing cars/trucks. where I could get out of the road ws grass verge with nice old trees giving plenty of shade, but their roots made it difficult. Changi Park was nice and shady/quiet, but then walking along to Changi Point - the sun was out - hot!! 34C degrees - for the rest of the day. Had a sit - ate half my chocolate bars - had drunk my first 500 ml A100, and had bought and finished another 330 ml can. No real aches or pains - just niggles - although muscle at very top of right thigh was aching. |
|
32 |
Changi Airport |
15:00 |
Back along that road was a killer - with the heat, and times slowed as a result... Just had to sit in the shade for 10/15 minutes (had been stopping to squat occasionally trying to get legs un-stiffened - and amazingly - found 1 golf-ball - about 2 miles from the nearest golf-course!! From here on I was not interested in beating my 8 hour time limit - and stopped regularly. At the Water Ski Parl Lagoon I was sitting minding my own business when a gent (Donald) on a bike stopped and said "you look very tired" etc.. etc.. it turned out he was selling Melilea Greenfield Organic...stuff, and he gave me some water and then some of his stuff - will read all about it and see where it leads..... Talking with him etc.. must have taken 30+ minutes out of my time. |
|
42 |
ECP Underpass |
18:05 |
General aches in legs and feet - not bad (didn't have much aching in left knee this time (good) - right upper thigh was worst) - Unlocked bike and cycled home |
|
42 |
Our Apartment Building |
18:25 |
Straight into bed with air-con on - 30 mins later Janet came home the cool of the air-con made me sound like I was getting a cold, had a warm shower, then - stayed in bed until next morning - lots of water and soup during the evening - watching tv. Got a bit sun blasted facially a bit achey from middle of back down - 1 small blister on small toe of right foot (didn't notice it whilst walking) - Vaseline on bum prevented chafing!! Conclusions.... that horrible road and the 34C heat robbed me!! But also I should work out the nutrition side of things a bit better - 2 chocolate bars to eat all day - isn't enough - even though I didn't feel hungry. Also - I'm not walking enough in Singapore (am biking) - in HK I didn't have a bike so walked everywhere - walk more!! |