16th November 2024 Perth Australia

 Australia 12^th 03:46:20

The flight was just over 11 hours, and we were now on the aircraft that would fly us round the world for the rest of the trip. It was entirely fitted out for business class and the seats were almost completely flat which made it much easier to get some sleep. We arrived in Perth and I had managed to get about 7 hours sleep and some food, feeling much more refreshed and ready to go. We changed into our race kit on the plane as we were going straight from the airport to the venue for marathon number 3.

We arrived at the venue, and it turned out to be the Perth Marathon Club HQ and club house. It was great, lots of space and showers as we were going straight back to the plane after the run. The arch was put up, national flags out and we were lining up ready to go. A nice touch was a table with numbers on it for you to put your own nutrition, made it really simple to find my gels and bottles at the end of each lap which you actually passed in each direction. The course was 10 loops of 4.2km, smooth surface, traffic free bike path, gorgeous views, and some wind! A strong tail wind on the way out made the kms fly along but turning the other way into the wind was another matter. I got three laps under my belt without stopping then switched to take two walk breaks (one by the zip wire, one approaching the turn with the comedic marshals) on the 2kms into the wind, running when I had the wind pushing me along the other way.

I felt really good and just ran as my legs wanted and despite slowing down for nutrition and walk breaks it felt easy all the way to the end. I could have pushed for a quicker time but after all, there were still 4 marathons to go. Instead, I just took it all in as the sunny afternoon turned to a beautiful sunset and eventually the nighttime set in with the bright lights of the city offering another wonderful vista. By this time, we had got to know a few of the other athletes and the camaraderie was kicking in, every lap, shouting out encouragement or a simple thumbs up. 

I crossed the line with a little in reserve which meant I could crack straight on with shorting myself out to prepare for the next one.

 

The volunteers really made the day, giving support and cheers all day/night long. There were hot showers, towels and soap in the club house, pizzas and BBQ food ready to go, and a large place to stretch - perfect. We had everything we needed to recover before heading to the airport at midnight.