Looking to a fast and flat spring marathon, I signed up for Georgina’s Spring Fling in the first week of December, with the lofty goal of shaving 19mins off of my previous (and first) marathon pace, in pursuit of a Boston Qualifying time.
While my training started off strong, a slip and fall in late February threatened to sideline me with a concussion, rolled ankle and stress on a recently-rehabbed knee. I took some time to bounce back and had a strong but restrained ATB 30k and a solid base to carry me to the start line.
Course: This race winds along the south eastern shore of Lake Simcoe, past cottages and boat launches, with some sections even feeling as though you’re running along a beach. For the marathon, it is an out-and-back twice route, so you know what you’re in for during the second half (good or bad!). It is almost entirely flat with some minor elevation at the 1/4 and 3/4 turnaround, and a mix of shade and sunny areas.
On-course support: Water and Gatorade stations every 2-3kms, plus a self-service table following the halfway turnaround for marathon only.
Surface: Paved road in good condition, with small segments open to local traffic to pull in/out of driveways (pilons and marshals on site to warn you).
Weather: Mostly sunny with some small stretches of cloud, starting the morning at 4° and increasing to 10°, with some light SW winds in the last few kilometers.
Atmosphere: Excitement at the start/finish/halfway, with all the 21k, 10k and 5k competitors in attendance, however this shifted to a more quiet environment, with only race marshals and the odd resident or spectator waving you onwards. Around the 16km mark, the field blended with the 10k competitors and at 19km a few 5k competitors, though at no point did I have any issues getting past other runners.
On the second lap, the field had thinned considerably and there were greater gaps between marathon runners, so a fair amount of solo running.
Post-race: Finishing where we started on Lake Drive, we were ushered into the park for water/electrolytes and bananas, then to the pavilion and music. A number of vendors were available with amble places to catch your breath, sit, and chat.
Overall: This is a fast course and as long as you don’t need that crowd to motivate or push you in the late stages, it’s fun. Additionally, the there-and-back twice can be daunting for some, however most of my training is on familiar routes, so adjust your mindset and you can hit your goals here, without any added stress. My only criticism would be to add additional toilets at staging/finish, as the line-ups were considerable.
Personal: While I just missed my “A” goal of 3:10, I managed to set a Personal Best of 3:11:27, beating my previous by 17 minutes and getting that Boston Qualifier that I had been chasing!
40th/243, 9th in M40-49
Congratulations to anyone else ran on this gorgeous morning as well!
30k into this effort
