Off to the Race: The race started at 7 a.m., and check-out at the hotel was 6:30-10:00. There was no way we were going to be able to make it either before or after the race, so we talked to the receptionist as she had the maids take our luggage to the lobby, allowing us to check-out later in the day.
The Canberra Marathon: The Canberra Marathon started at 7 a.m. I would have liked an earlier start, before the sun came up, so the average temperature would be lower throughout the race. The course took us past the main government buildings, including the New and Old Parliament Houses. We even made three passes by the launching sight for their hot-air balloon festival. The remainder of the course took us part way around Lake Burley Griffith and back again, twice. Although there were a few hills, one pretty steep, none were too big nor lasted too long.
I kept my goal pace past the halfway point, finishing the first half split in 1:38. After that, my run slowly fell apart. I saw my kilometer splits getting slower and slower, until I finally walked parts of the 40th and 41st kilometer. However, I did finish, my second half split being 2:05. Although I had an extra night sleep compared with Peep, I am sure the travel had a large effect on my performance. I wasn't too surprised, I had the same troubles when I ran the Beijing Marathon in 2001.
The red ribbon you see pinned to my race number indicates I was entered in the 50k. After finishing the marathon, runners were able to continue on for almost another 8 kilometers (5 miles). However, I decided to stop after crossing the marathon finish line and calling it a day.
Australian Institute of Sport: After the race, Peep and I made our way by bus to the Australian Institute of Sport. The AIS was started after Australia's dismal showing in the 1976 Olympics where they won no gold medals and had a medal count lower than New Zealand. The very best athletes from around the country are offered full scholarships, covering all training costs as well as food and housing. The scholarships are for six months or a year and are renewable based on the athlete's performance. Some of the sports are developmental, and are therefore only offered to athletes 21 years and younger. Those that are of school age get tutoring while the rest are encouraged to get a job. It was a very interesting tour for us.
After the tour, we made our way back to the hotel, checked out, and then hopped the bus to the Greyhound station where we boarded our second Greyhound for our overnight trip to Melbourne.