Not only was it a fast debut marathon for Mary Smith at the Manchester City Marathon, but it was a smart one too.
Mary started off running relaxed and comfortable and by the halfway point in the race, when the crowd thinned dramatically with the drop of the half-marathoners, she got down to business, cranking the pace down to 7:45s and passing people left and right. By the last mile of the race, at a steep hill, she was one of the few runners striding up past walkers and shufflers. "You must be running a great race, as you're only the second person to pass me today," one runner told her as she flew past.
The end result was a 3:28:56, good for 77th place overall and 6th in her age group. (Note, Frank points out that the "net time listed on the results are not accurate. Mary did not cross the start line until 1:20-1:25 after the gun went off.
I would say her halfway time is closer to 1:43:50 and net time 3:27:30 - so even splits and a very well-paced run.")
Mary's fans were all over the course, cheering her on.
Note the strong form she maintained all the way through the race. 
Congrats Mary!
Photos courtesy Big Ben Winther and Frank KJ.
3 comments:
Way to go Mary, nice run! I suppose it's on to run Boston in the spring. Take some time to recover now so you can ratchet it up again in January.
Good work! -Jerry
If pictures can tell a story - this one would say Mary ran this race with ease, on her terms! Take a look at her expression in EVERY photo!! (and then look at those around her, including the guys out of breath) It looks like she owned this race!! Great Job!!
Nice Job Mary.
Looks like you were running very well by the photos.
Congrat's on Marathon #1.
Paul Y.
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