Leading up the the Gold Coast Marathon weekend, we caught up with Run2PB coach, Brady Threlfall who is no stranger to the weekend for a few quick tips leading into one of Australia’s biggest running festivals.
Run2PB: You’ve raced on the Gold Coast 6 times and will be lining up again this weekend, what do you like about the GC marathon weekend?
Brady: I love how the Gold Coast Marathon is so organised and have great fields to race against. In my opinion, the Gold Coast Half Marathon is the best half marathon in Australia, it always has a deep field and with the flat course is the race to do if you’re chasing a PB.
Run2PB: You paced the lead Ethiopian female in the 2017 marathon to a new course record and a 2:25 marathon. How did that experience come about and any tips for the marathoners come Saturday?
Brady: That was a great experience that year, I had a great time out there being in control of the front group of females with fellow pacer, Bradley Croker. We were contracted to run a certain pace and had specific splits we had to hit for the first 21.1km and then every 5km after that, until the last check point at 35km when we walked off the road.
Getting the pace perfect is harder than it looks and it’s an interesting way to experience a marathon and pulling out before the going gets tough in those last 7km.
The crowds are awesome at the GC but what I did notice that day was the large amount of people who pop in the second half because they’ve gone out too fast.
A big tip for the marathon would be to relax early, enjoy the crowds in the first half but don’t get carried away, at 32km you go passed the finish line, it’s starting to get hot and it’s tough mentally so you need to save a lot for those last 7kms where the crowds aren’t as big and your race can be make or break.
Run2PB: You set your half marathon PB of 66:16 last year at the GC, any advice for that event?
Brady: With the 6am start it’s important to get up early and get your body ready. I had an alarm set for 3:30am last year as I wanted to be fully awake and ready to go when the gun fired.
Being prepared early also helps on race morning and reduces stress. Get the earlier tram and pack you bag the night before so you can fully focus on the race.
The first half of a half marathon needs to be more relaxed than the second, plan to run the last 10km quicker than the first. If you ask yourself at the 10km mark “Can I hold this pace for another 11km” the answer should be a confident yes!
Run2PB: This year you’ll be running the 10km, what are you hoping for and why the step down in distance?
Brady: I’ve never raced the 10km before so that was appealing for me. I also have a number of athletes I coach in action on the Sunday so as my race is Saturday I’ll be able to watch their splits more closely. Alongside some media commitments for the Inside Running Podcast, Sunday morning is still going to be a very busy time for me, just in a different way than usual. I’m hoping for something starting with 29 minutes in the 10km. I’ve ran 30:05, 30:06, 30:09 & 30:11 for 10km in the past and never broken 30, so hopefully it’s my day!
Run2PB: Tell us about some of the Run2PB athletes you've got racing on the weekend.
Brady: Josh, Jason, Chris and David will all run huge PBs in the Half Marathon. They've all come off different builds up and training indicates that they're all ready to smash their PBs. Lach is my only marathoner out there and has had the perfect build up. We started his marathon build up in March and when I look back at his block it's amazing to see the consistency, looking at it as a coach, I wouldn't change a thing. All theses guys have been dedicated and followed their online plans to a tee. They're all extremely smart tacticians as well, they always execute their races perfectly - this weekend they'll cash in all that hard work for PBs, I'm certain of it.
Run2PB: It's good to hear that you're confident. Any tips you can leave the readers with?
Brady: Have fun out there, smile when on course, follow the plan you’ve worked out with your coach and when it gets tough that’s when you dig deep, don’t be afraid to hurt yourself and get it all out.
It’s also super important to follow a good recovery plan afterwards, the post marathon training period is always a risky time and I like to have something in place for all my athletes to follow, in my opinion it’s just as important as the taper and not a time to just wing your training.
Run2PB: Thanks Brady and good luck for sub 30!