Supplements Two Oceans Marathon Training Guide 2018 | Page 14

INSPIRATION
Coming home for a silver in the 80s
to go, we were both within a whisper of silver, but not
thinking he would make it, I pushed on and finished
in 3:58. Turns out Chet had kept me in his sights and
came through a minute later for his first silver.
Family and work commitments took priority in the 90s,
so most voyages were completed with minimal training,
except for a final campaign to gain silver in 1995, the
year of my 20th voyage, and at age 45. All the stars
seemed aligned in training and using experience to
compensate for advancing age, I managed to finish with
a minute to spare. It was my swansong to fast running
and a proud moment.
A TIME FOR COMPANIONSHIP
Running the Two Oceans Marathon each year has
always been so much more than chasing good times,
and after 2000, solid friendships became of even greater
importance, always with our mutual love of the sport
being the binding force. John Brimble (38 Two Oceans
Ultra Marathon voyages) features particularly strongly
in this part of the journey, as well as Chet, Joe Tyrrell,
Pete McNamara and other friends at my club Foresters,
merging running and the joy of being out there with
exciting journeys shared with good companions.
My own adaptation of using running fuel on long runs
and races was to decant inexpensive liquid glucose into
plastic bank bags, creating the equivalent of today’s
gel sachets. The glucose had the consistency of treacle
and thus needed heating to flow, but in my opinion, this
was the finest running fuel of the day.
This decade is often remembered as the glory days of
running, not least because we were at our peak and
producing PBs, but also because being pioneers in
the running revolution was exciting. My Two Oceans
Marathon PB of 3:52:12, achieved in 1984, was the
second of four silvers I earned, the same year that
Chet and I campaigned shoulder to shoulder for a PB
in the Comrades. We were not to finish together, as he
pushed ahead at 45th Cutting to complete the race in
6:56, with me finishing six minutes later. I returned the
favour in the 1985 Two Oceans, when I came upon Chet
struggling on the climb to Constantia Nek. With 10km
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Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon / Training Guide 2018
I don’t know when my Two Oceans Marathon journey
will end. Certainly, it will continue for as long as I enjoy
it and feel capable, perhaps for another decade. I
am indebted to the wonderful Two Oceans Marathon
organisers and volunteers who make this great event
possible, and who over so many years have given
me the opportunity of making this journey so often.
Its importance is immeasurable and has given me
enjoyment, good health, youthfulness and enthusiasm
for life. It has also been a platform for experimenting
with goal-setting, where planning, honest hard work and
meeting the deadline have helped create the discipline
important to work and other spheres in life.
Finally, and most importantly, without my loving and
supportive wife and family who recognise the benefits
of running, and who have participated with me both as
runners and supporters, I doubt I would have reached
this point in my journey. My profound thanks to them for
always being there.
And to those of you reading this Training Guide, good
luck with the training and see you on the start-line.