My First EVER Marathon!! 2023 Sydney Marathon Race Recap

Last Sunday, I crossed the finish line of the 2023 Blackmores Sydney Marathon, I could finally call myself a marathoner!

It was a brutal course, in brutal weather. And I know, everyone would take as many photos as they could after their first race but I literally COULD NOT even stand up so these are the only photos that I have 😦 Alright, let’s go through my race day from the beginning.

My Sunday morning started at 5am, luckily the Marathon started at 7:10, which was not as early as all the other races. I had a banana with peanut butter for breakfast, went to the toilet (might be a bit TMI but I always make sure my stomach is clean before going for a long run because the last thing I want is to get a call of nature halfway in my run), put on my running gear and bib, grabbed my belt and at 6am, I left home to catch the train to Milsons Point.

This is what I like about the running community. There were so many runners on the train and we were all excited for the race, we cheered for each other before we got off the train and it was just good vibes!

If you haven’t been to Blackmores Running Festival before then this is what you might want to know – arrive at the venue EARLY because you will be surprised by how LONGGGG the bathroom queues are. I lined up for a solid 35 mins and ended up running to cross the start line so WOW! My first marathon started from the bathroom!

These are the people waiting for the bathrooms! The toilets were at the very front

It was chill for the first 5 kms, we went up the harbour bridge, I got too excited so I went a little faster than usual.I had to remind myself to pace down a touch just so my energy lasts.

Then the marathon brought us to the fish market and Anzac Bridge, I ran past this wall where a lot of runners (mainly males) were peeing in front of the wall. Oh well, it’s a 2-7hr course, what’s so surprising.

At 15k I started to feel a bit tired, the sun was getting warmer, and I couldn’t believe that I’d be one of those runners who splash water on my shirt cause it really helped cool me down A LOT.

Half way in I had my first pack of gel, this is when it gets tough. My tummy felt so sick after the gel, I was praying that it goes away, luckily it did after 5 mins. The course felt never-ending, I was so tempted to walk but told myself to run till at least 30k, because that would be the longest I’ve ever run.

At 28k we were finally out of Centennial Park. The sun was burning at that point, downhills didn’t feel like downhills anymore, and my only thoughts were ‘Where are the water stations!!!!!’.

I had my second gel at 30k, I thought ‘oh man it’s already been 3 quarters of the race, might as well run the rest’. I already knew that once I cross the finish line, this marathon is going to be one of the biggest achievements of my life. There were these LEGENDS between 34-35k who took turns to refill the bottles on the side and handed them out to runners, which were LIFESAVERS.

The run was less exhausting at around 36k since I saw some of my mates cheering on the side! (Apparently they finished their 10k races earlier that morning, went to Yum Cha, came back and I was STILL running!). Further up I saw my boyfriend cheering on me which made me so surprised and happy. All these gave me a little energy boost until another hill at 39k. My steps were so tiny now that I couldn’t stride anymore.

It was all downhill from 41k onwards, I could slowly feel the joy as I approached the finish line! I sped up a tiny bit (even though I thought that was the biggest effort I have ever put) and crossed the finish line…. YEAH!!! I DID IT! I RAN A MARATHON! WITHOUT WALKING!I CAN CONQUER THE WHOLE WORLD NOW!!

The joy didn’t last long, next second all I could feel was the tiredness and soreness down my legs. My legs have never been that sore before, I was struggling to walk towards the medals, and once I got my water, I collapsed in the recovery village. I ‘sat’ for a good 10 minutes before I tried to reposition my legs into actual sitting. My entire legs were sore, my hips, knees, ankles and feet, I heard people around me asking for help to get down the hill, I couldn’t be more empathetic. Well, my legs carried me for 42.1 km, they deserve a good rest.

I sat for another 20 mins at the same position, before crawling up and taking a few photos with the medal. I then gave my first marathon medal to my boyfriend because they are both special to me! I took the public transport home, had an amazing shower then smashed through half a watermelon in 10 mins (Opps!).

So that’s the journey of my first marathon. I’m not sure if I will do another one again, but I am also searching for other marathons to sign up for, so IDK, we’ll see what the future holds. For now, let me enjoy my recovery weeks and start going back to my dear basketball, gym, pilates and hiking etc. etc.