My Bangkok Marathon 2013

Thailand’s probably largest running event took place yesterday, namely the Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon. The race had been fully booked since September, once again confirming that we are experiencing a Thai running boom.

I was registered for the full marathon, aiming to break my PB of 2.33. I’m not going to bore you with too many details from the race itself, but here is a summary of my experiences from it:

I knew the Kenyans weren’t interested in setting the pace. They are professionals and when they run in Thailand, they race for positions (price money), not for fast times. I on the other hand, was interested in getting a fast time and therefore had to set the pace myself from the very start.

I was keeping around 3.30 min/km pace and felt pretty comfortable during the first 25 km or so. Two of the Kenyans were following so far, but one of them was starting to struggle.

After 30 km it was only me and one of the Kenyans, mr John, up there in the top. The third guy had dropped off. At this point, it was starting to feel a bit tougher to keep the pace up. I and John was switching the lead back and forth between us. He got up front when approaching every water station, forcing me to either slow down to grab my water or go around him. Losing the running rhythm every other kilometer is noticeable when you are already exhausted. Well played John!

35 km into the race I was really hurting. The pace was dropping to around 3.45/km and the remaining 7 km seemed like lightyears! John was struggling too, but apparently his engine wasn’t as empty as mine. With around 38 km covered, he made his move and got the gap he wanted. I simply couldn’t respond.

Last 4 km was just painful, most marathoners can probably relate that feeling. 300 meters before the finish, I missed a turn even though the officials were waving and yelling at me. After 100 meters in the wrong direction, the bicycle guy got my attention and I realized my mistake. Luckily it didn’t change the outcome, I lost maximum a minute and the winner was already out of reach. With that last minute mistake in mind, I allow myself to round the finish time down from 2.31.49 to 2.31.

[table]
My Bangkok Marathon 2013 in Numbers [attr colspan=”2″]
Finish Time, 2.31.49
Place Overall (Category), 2 (2)
Distance covered, 42.4 km
Average pace, 3.35 min/km
Fastest Kilometer, 3.22 min/km (km 10)
Slowest Kilometer, 4.04 min/km (km 41)
Half Marathon split (21.1km), 1.13.20
[/table]

I’m very pleased with the time and to finish second in the overall. All and all it was a great race, but still room for improvements. Let’s see what to aim for in my next marathon…