The half marathon started at the reasonable hour of 6:00AM. Dave and I had planned to walk the half mile or so to the start but as soon as we exited our hotel there was a hotel shuttle ready to take us to the staging area. We were the only ones on the shuttle bus and traffic was light on the darkened streets of the Laguna Phuket resort complex. We arrived to a buzzing but not over crowded start area. There were a few hundred runners milling about the various stalls which included a massage tent, gear check area, coffee and croissants stand and more than a dozen port-o-potties. The finish chute was carpeted and marked off with banners of sponsors lining both sides. English, Thai and Japanese could be heard alternating over the microphone and the announcer clearly had had his cup of coffee, because the guy was energized! For the lack of anything better to do in the 10 minutes until the race began, we opted to stand in line for the port-a-potties.
We decided to use our Kuala Lumpur (KL) race strategy and start LAST. This race was also using chip timing and so we would be able to see how many people we could pass during the race. Irina was up ahead as we started at the back of the pack.
When the gun went off and we hung back and although Dave has Yankztees shoelaces (they never need to be tied) he leaned over like he was tying his shoes, so we could use up a little more time before crossing the starting mats. At 28 weeks pregnant, I was unable to bend over to do this as I had done in KL! We started a mere 55 seconds behind the gun!
We began the race running in a fairly large crowd. We traveled the flat road out of the Laguna Phuket resort area and into the surrounding village. Dawn was breaking and allowing us to see easier as we both wore sunglasses even in the dark, as they are prescription.
Water and Gatorade started showing up on the course a few km into the race. I had not had one SIP of anything to drink since last night at dinner in efforts to curb the frequent pit stops required by the pregnancy. I opted to take some Gatorade at that first water station and poured water onto my head. No sooner had I swallowed the last drops of Gatorade did I feel an overwhelming urge to pee! Rats! Luckily (for everyone but me) there were frequent water and Gatorade stops on the course. My first bathroom break was at about the 5km mark and the second at about 10km. Though I had to go later in the race, I opted to just get to the finish line!
At about the 9km mark we crossed the mats to turn around and head back. Right before the turn around, we ran down a hill (the hill went completely unnoticed until we had to run UP the hill!). We wound through some country roads with next to no traffic and/or people. It was quiet and the views of the mountains and rising sun were peaceful and serene. All we could hear was our breath and the sloshing of our running shoes, which at this point were completely water logged from all of the water poured over our heads.
There were bananas and watermelon on the course but best of all, was the ice-water logged sponges that were handed out. Boy, did those feel good!
We had a few runners that seem to be leap frogging us (they would pass us and then either slow down or stop and walk and then we would pass them, only to have them pass us again soon after that). We *enjoyed* some rolling hills around km 12-16. Dave surged ahead and I wondered if I would have to wait and see him at the finish.
At the 16km mark or so (yes only a little more than 3 miles to go!) we started into the Laguna resort from the opposite end where we had begun nearly two hours ago. Looking off to the right side of the road, we could see woods, the beach and then the Andaman Sea. I kept spotting Tsunami warning/evacuation signs and kept thinking about the Tsunami that hit here on December 26, 2004 killing thousands. The resorts and town have done an amazing job as you would never believe that a tsunami ever hit the place, as it couldn’t be more gorgeous.
We ran right past our hotel and wondered if Catherine was awake and hoped she was still asleep, given that we told the babysitter she might sleep until nearly 8AM. We knew we were close, but the race course veered off the road and onto a path through the woods. We ran past the wedding chapel that sits on the lagoon, through the woods past where you catch elephant rides and along a dirt/sand path towards the finish. A marathoner passed us at this point moving a good pace and I decided to try and stick with him so I could get to the finish line even quicker! Our goal of 10 minute miles (or a 2:10 finish) was a success as Dave and I finished in just over 2:09!
RACE RESULTS:
Irina 1:53
Robin & Dave 2:09
Irina’s 1:53 was good for 2nd place in her age group out of 17 ladies! She was honored up on stage after the race and presented with a trophy! Way to go Irina! Out of 430 half marathon runners, Irina was 107th…what a great job!
Dave and Robin were 200th and 201st out of the 430 competitors, and because they started last means they passed over half of the runners during the race!
There were 36 Americans that ran the Phuket half marathon. Irina was 8th American, Robin and Dave 15th and 16th respectively!
Here are some photos from the post race party. It was held in a huge air conditioned tent right on the beach! The photo on the left is one that was taken of me (Robin) right after the race. It was submitted to the marathon photo contest and won 3rd place! The race director presented the photographer with an award on stage and explained the photo like this: Here is a photo taken of one of the runners this morning who ran the half marathon 28 weeks pregnant! She ended up finishing the race and not with a bad time either! This is not her first half marathon pregnant, but this was her fastest. Congratulations!
This photo is of Catherine and I with the Editor of Asia Runner magazine, a great new running and multi-sport magazine for the region. She is doing great things promoting running and triathlon all over Asia. Check out their website and get a subscription...even if you don't live in Asia, its a great magazine!
www.asiarunner.com
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