My Boston Marathon Journey

I am not a big fan of running. I love watching runners. I enjoy watching competitive runners on television. I enjoy the big sprints to the finish-line by Olympic-Distance triathletes.

I began long-distance running in 2003, having never gone beyond one 10km race in my life. I had assumed a middle-distance running career in my youth; mostly self-trained and driven by personal motivations. I studied all I could about running and runners. I lived and breathed Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovette, Jim Fixx (The Complete Book of Running), Dr. George Sheehan, Abebe Bikila, Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, fartlek, interval training, cross-country, Adidas, et al. I was obsessed about running, doing it almost daily while pursuing an education.

I excelled in running although it was more a means to an end: To finish the session as soon as I could. My mantra was ‘Get it over’.

In 2004, I began doing triathlons and my first marathon. I was hooked on both. No, I did not enjoy running but I loved running faster and earning Personal Bests (PB) and Personal Records (PR).

The cool weather (end-winter) in July on the Gold Coast is conducive for a BQ/PB.

My first marathon yielded a 4:11; my second was 4:24 (with my first and only attack of ITB syndrome). That was when I discovered the need for deep-tissue massage before races. A spate of sub-4 hour marathons followed when I completed the Bangkok Marathon under the elusive 4-hour mark. When I earned a 3:36 in Singapore and 3:37 in Berlin (2010), I knew I had the capacity and capability to earn a BQ on my flip-side of 40 years.

I qualified for Boston Marathon in 2011 at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon (SCHKM). I clocked 3 hours 29 minutes and 59 minutes, which put me within one minute of the qualifying time of my age-group (45-49 years). With my first BQ, I applied for the lottery and was declined.

My second attempt to earn a BQ at the fast course in Berlin Marathon 2012 was marred by a hairline toe fracture two months before. I was diagnosed with that painful symptom during Ironman Switzerland, and I hobbled to an uncomfortable 4:00 finish. And, that was that.

Minutes after clocking my second BQ of 3:16 at GCAM2013.

My second BQ (and third attempt at a BQ) was at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon (GCAM), where I clocked 3:16. I was eight minutes within the revised BQ of less than 3:25:00. I also improved my PB/BQ by 13 minutes on my ‘Run Less, Run Faster’ approach: 3-4 running sessions of 10-21km each, supplemented by a triathlon diet (cycling and swimming). I applied for Boston marathon 2014 and was accepted into the 118^th edition. Despite strong objections from naysayers that it would not be possible on such a meagre running diet, I achieved it. It is important to strongly believe in your ability, training plan, performance, and be focused to accomplish the seemingly impossible. What is deemed ‘impossible’ might be ‘unrealistic goals’ at one time.

My next goal is to earn a stronger BQ for the 120^th edition of Boston Marathon. A performance near-3 hours would be deeply satisfying. I will begin serious training for it after completing one marathon (within Ironman Lanzarote) on 23 May. A narrow recovery and fitness training of seven weeks, will make it highly challenging after my 19^th Ironman attempt to hold less than 4:30/km throughout the July 2015 race.

I will share more of my Boston Marathon journey shortly.

Disappointments and Brand Damage

The inaugural Ironman New York 2012 is sold out. There have been many sold out Ironman races in recent months. IMNZ and IMWA sold out within a matter of days; hesitation led to disappointment. Boston Marathon 2011 was sold out in 8 hours 3 minutes! As such, the new system for registration will be in three tiers, subject to how fast the Boston Qualification (BQ) timings are. The faster your BQ time, the earlier you can register and therefore assure a better chance at registering successfully for the 115-year-old marathon.

Then, there is the case of Ironman China being cancelled in stages. Despite refunding the race fees, and promise of free entries in other races the damage was severe. Participants lost time, money and effort preparing for the race; most of all, their goals were affected and schedules thrown into disarray. Ironman Korea was revived, and some resigned themselves to a new race and promise of a new experience and a free slot. Fingers are crossed that on race day the swim will not be cancelled as it was in 2006 due to inclement weather and strong waves.

Perhaps the trend is strongly in favour of endurance sports and a fitness lifestyle. Hopefully, this trend survives and is sustained by other factors instead of earning pure ‘bragging rights’ or ‘attempting the impossible’. Also, capping the numbers may impinge on profitability, however safety considerations are paramount when hosting physical activities and sporting events. Although liabilities are reduced when participants sign waivers or consent forms, a death or injury reduces the event organisers’ reliability. Minor glitches are still a reflection of lack of thoroughness or carefulness. We cannot veer from our core values that we seemingly live with and for.

Of course, there is the Scarcity Principle at work. Robert B. Cialdini’s landmark work ‘Influence – Psychology of Persuasion’ described in detail with research, that people on exclusivity. Scarcity is about rare, and rare increases the perceived value of an object, event or service.

The down side is disappointing others. When you qualify for the Boston Marathon and fail to sign up online due to choked lines, the perception of the brand becomes tainted by negative emotions. Through time, the event, its brand name and reputation become tarnished and diminished in value. Less may not be best.