Cape Town Marathon review

It's been three weeks since the marathon, and I've had a chance to recover from the jetlag and start reestablishing a routine and exercise.

What truly distinguishes this marathon trip as my favorite are the experiences, the culture, the food, the people, the race day atmosphere, and the stunning landscape.

If you ever get the chance to participate in a destination marathon, I highly recommend Cape Town. Especially now that it has been announced as one of the Abbott World Majors. It's a place where you can enjoy a vacation while also running a marathon. There's so much to do, from strolling along the promenade (the beach), hiking up Lion's Head or Table Mountain, exploring the countryside and wineries, to going on a safari to see some incredible animals.

The marathon itself was the toughest course I've ever done. If you weren't running uphill, you were going downhill, with no flat sections to recover. Despite this, I was pleased with my time of 4:32:07, just 6 minutes and 40 seconds off my Sydney Marathon personal best. I worked hard, and it showed, as this was the first marathon out of the last four where I felt sore the next day (I blame the downhill running). The two start areas significantly reduced runner congestion. From the beginning, everyone was running at my pace, which was refreshing (the opposite experience I had in Berlin). They did an excellent job placing people in the correct wave.

The atmosphere was incredible, with the public coming out to support all the runners. Kids were giving high fives, groups were dressed up and dancing to music, drums were playing, and people were handing out extra fuel and hydration along the course.

The portaloos were the cleanest I've seen—cleaned after each use. It was a much better experience than Berlin last year, where there was no toilet paper and an unforgettable smell.

The refreshment stations along the course never ran out of water, Coke, Coke Zero, or Powerade. There were plenty of options, and they were well-placed throughout the course.

The fruit station halfway, offering cut-up bananas, apples, and oranges, was a great boost. I was also impressed by the food station from Woolworths, which had cut sandwiches, trail mix, lollies, potatoes, and so much more.

It got hot in the last 5 km. Yes, even though I'm from Darwin, I never run in the middle of the day with the glaring sun. You started to feel the fatigue and the sun made you feel it that bit more.

Reaching the finish line was like a relief after feeling like I might cramp in the last 5 km but managed to avoid it. After the race, we received Coke, water, protein milk, an ice block, and a handful of fruit—almost needing a bag to carry all the goodies.

A huge congratulations to Cape Town for their outstanding effort. Kudos to everyone who participated! Some adventurous individuals tackled the trail marathon the day before the main marathon. I am truly humbled by everyone who took part in the World Age Championships. Watching those much older than myself compete was inspiring, and I was amazed by the incredibly fast times achieved. I can only hope to still be running when I reach 80.

Now it's time to concentrate on recovery and then work towards preparing for the next marathon in Sydney.