Christchurch Airport Marathon 2014 (10km route)
The temperature hovered at -3°C as I lined up to check in my bag. I had postponed this as long as I could, reluctant to part with my scarf, jacket and mitts. My fingers quickly tried to tuck themselves into my armpits in a vain attempt to not freeze.
The pre-run briefing included warnings about which parts of the course had ICE… and extra care needed. The pop of a starter gun, and four thousand running shoes echoed against the asphalt. After about 3 km my fingers developed pins and needles as circulation returned.
The marshals were well rugged up (they weren’t moving), and I rather envied the guy running in a lion “onesie”.
Last year when I ran the 10km distance it was a challenge. This year I’ve been running longer distances in my training (including 14km at the City to Surf back in March), so still had plenty of “run” left in my legs when I crossed the finish line 52 minutes later. The sun had risen during that time, and the temperature had made it all the way up to zero, but was still below that in the shade. By the time Husband crossed the line 12 minutes later I was freezing again. We didn’t stick around for prize-giving, opting instead for a quick retreat home for a hot shower.
For those who missed the subtle brag on Facebook, my official results are here.
2014 Goals: Running – In Progress.
Congratulations. I know it was cold, but it looked beautiful.
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