misguided

On Sunday I ran my last race for the year in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Officially, it was my slowest ever 21.1k (umm....2:16 anyone?!). Unofficially, I ran the longest half marathon in the world!

With a cool 5am start, the route took us around the Old City and up towards the airport. Then, after a turn-around at about 13km, we came back to the Three Kings Monument in the centre of the city to finish. At the turning-point I was the third placed female. I felt good; running at a relaxed, steady pace. I checked my watch after an hour and twenty minutes and figured I'd run another ten minutes before increasing my speed for the last short stretch. At 1:40 I was still waiting for the final turn to signal the 'home stretch' I'd remembered from the race map. By 1:50 I was curious. By 2 hours I realised that something had gone wrong.

I was lost, misguided and misdirected. And I wasn't the only one.

The woman from the UK who led from the start of the race usually runs a 1:30 half. She clocked 2:05. Huh?! Yeah.... it seems the race assistants were still a bit bleary-eyed early in the morning and did not distinguish between our half-marathon coded bibs and the full marathon bibs. So a bunch of us were sent off on the full marathon course to finish and ran something like 27.6km instead of the usual 21.1km.

I might have felt a bit better at the finish line if I didn't have to see the old geezer who admitted before the race that he wasn't sure how he'd do coz his achilles was 'givin im a bit o bother' standing there grinning. It might have been some comfort if the German backpacker I spoke with at the starting line but ditched at about the seven metre mark wasn't smiling with a place card in her hand getting ready to receive her prize by the time I finished the 'race'! I guess a person just has to enjoy running to do a 27.6km 'half-marathon' and finish behind the oldies who probably walked through every other drink stop. Hmm... bring on 2011!