All smiles at the start of the race: Johann and Nettie who joined us again for this event, moi and Gerry.

A large-ish field for a small town event.

Some super heroes also took part. I was trying to catch the “well endowed” banana, but he stayed a few hundred metres in front of us.

And away we go! The blue t-shirt worn by the lady in front of us is the official race t-shirt, kindly sponsored by Hatuma Lime.

Nettie and Johann in the first kilometre which is an out-and-back stretch to make up the distance for a 21.1km event.

Me at the second turn, finally about to head out on the open road.

A typical scene of me in three layers while the locals wear T’s and shorts.

The snow-capped mountains made for beautiful scenery (and a bit of a nip in the air).

Country ro-o-ads, take me h-o-o-ome!

A nice chap next to the road had beers on offer. Would have loved to just park there and share a couple of beers with him. Next time!

The transition and water points were usually a jollyfication with lots of supporters and team members cheering runners on.

Fly, fly away.

The last few kilometres are run in the streets of Waipukurau.

I recently read in Runner’s World magazine that a PB has an expire date … of about 3 years or so. And here I thought I could still claim my PB’s from when I was in my early thirties.

But I think most runners have an urge, or a longing to reach those goals that have always been eluding you. Whether it’s a 5km, 10km, half or full marathon (or whatever distance), there will always be a little voice in the back of your head wondering if you can still go faster. Even if you’re 15 years older and much weaker. And even though it hasn’t been a conscious decision for me to try and improve on my fastest 21.1km time, I have been hoping to still one day complete a marathon in under four hours. I have never really trained for it, and with 4 hours being a very reasonable target, I’m sure it’s still do-able. Continue reading →