Challenge 3 - Gold Coast Marathon

Challenge 3, the Gold Coast Marathon is complete and this time there were plenty of reasons to celebrate. With so many friends and clients entered it was always going to be an exciting occasion and with perfect weather and thousands of fantastic supporters lining the whole course it turned out to be one of my most enjoyable marathon days ever.

Given the pace I had been running prior to marathon day I expected that I would be looking at time around 3:35:00 but that wasn't going to stop me from having a crack at a sub 3:30. If I could achieve this I would, for the first time, after 10 years and 21 marathons finally beat my time from my first marathon (3:31).

Once again I was joined by my ever reliable mate Ben Steele (one of the best team players you will ever come across) who has been there for every challenge so far. Not realising that the gun had gone we had to make a quick dash to the start and weave through some serious traffic to get contact with the green balloons that represented the sub 3:30 pace group.

We settled in to a comfortable pace however with so many runners on the course it was impossible to maintain a good rhythm. Near 10km in, frustration led me to surge ahead in search of fresh air which caused my heart rate to rise to around 170bpm, but I was much more comfortable with some free space. After losing a minute in the first 5km we were about three minutes ahead of schedule by 21km, so we were making good time and despite my heart rate creeping up around 175bpm I felt pretty good. By the time we hit 30km my heart rate hit 180bpm and now I knew I had a war on my hands, as if I was going to go sub 3:30 I was going to have to maintain this intensity for another 12km. It was also about this time that my stomach started to protest and my apetite for carbo gels and electrolyte drink drastically diminished. I was going to have to force the carbs and fluids in and hope for the best. Doubts started to creep in as I thought to myself "I can't hold 180bpm for 12km on a good day, let alone after just running 30km". I questioned whether it was possible, but I wanted this sub 3:30 like you wouldn't believe and if I could just hang on, it was mine. "Go Rhino" the supporters lining the course were giving continual support all day which helps so much and I was soaking it up every time I heard the call. At 35km I had my last gel and bottle of Ammo, this combination allowed me to maintain such a high intensity so far and I hoped it was enough to get me to the finish in time. "Come on Barrett" I was saying to myself constantly pushing, I was giving it everything I had. I started searching deep, asking myself "how hard could I fight if I was fighting for my life", "how hard does dad (who suffers Parkinson's Disease) have to fight to get through some days.......but he doesn't have a choice.........well neither do I if I want to achieve my goal". With 5km to go a man I met recently, Marc, spotted me and offered me some fuel which typified the great support along the course this year, but I was passed eating, I just needed to finish. One minute Ben was there with me, then he wasn't, then he was, then he wasn't, I'm sure during this he was going through his own battles also. Push push push, every step took all the concentration I had. In the last couple of kilometers the crowd on the road side got thicker and louder. "Come on Rhino, you can still go under 3:30 I heard someone scream, I surged again (later realising this last few hundred metres my heart rate was around 185), I gave it everything and with seconds to spare crossed the finish line in a time of 2:29:49. After 10 years and 21 marathons I have finally beaten the time from my first marathon. Now that, my friends, is an amazing feeling.

Therese took more than 20 minutes off her marathon PB to bring our mate Sam (marathon debut) home in a gutsy 4:17 which I thought was a phenomenal effort. As I mentioned earlier, the icing on the cake for me was the number of friends and clients participating in the different events. So thanks to all of you as you really did make it such a special day.

Thanks also has to go to:

• Our awesome mate Geordie, who spent the whole day riding around the course getting video footage and carrying any supplies we may have needed.
• Southport Runners and Walkers Club for being such a warm and friendly crew to go for a run with and putting on an awesome spread on Sunday.
• Megaburn because their bars and Ammo get me through these things.
• Bek Keat (and her Saturday bunch) for inspiring me and pushing me beyond my limits.

Next Challenge is Brisbane Marathon. That's if someone doesn't try to throw an extra challenge at me earlier............

Gold Coast Marathon Tomorrow

The Zebra will be happy to know that my quirky little pre-marathon ritual went perfectly this evening. We have this little routine in which follows our carbo loading dinner. Get all the kit out. Pin the race number on to race singlet and attach timing chip to shoe laces. Then do a test run around the lounge room and up the hallway, make necessary adjustments and repeat test runs until everything feels just right. My whole kit, (clothes, vas, gels, sunscreen, etc) is layed out ready for the morning and then I gaze over it for a while trying to remember what I have forgotten. Finally some couch time and a relaxing beer before bed. This ritual doesn't sound much but it's more about the mood, the reserved excitement and slightly nervous anticipation of the morning ahead.

Tonight it is difficult to resist the temptation of staying up to watch the Tour de France Prologue, but I will, there is many late nights watching Le Tour to come.

Best wishes to everyone participating in the Gold Coast Marathon tomorrow, especially all my friends and clients in all events including Southport Runners and Walkers members.

Gold Coast Marathon - Only 3 More Sleeps!

The 2009 Gold Coast Marathon starters gun is almost ready to fire. This represents Phase 2 of Challenge 7x7 and I am ready to rock and roll!

The Gold Coast Marathon is special to me as not only is it my hometown marathon but in 1999 this was my first ever marathon. Back then I only ever intended to do one marathon but I got such an amazing buzz from it that has stuck with me ever since. On Sunday I will line up for my 9th Gold Coast Marathon and my 21st marathon all up.

Unfortunately my best mate Zebra will not be a starter this year. However I am over the moon at how many of my friends are having a go, it just adds volumes to the experience to have you all there. Good luck to everyone!

We will be celebrating and swapping our stories late Sunday afternoon at Southport Surf Club. Please come and join us.

Anyone wanting to sponsor the cause go to:


SIDS and Kids QLD: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/mark_barrett_challenge_SK

Garvan Institute: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/mark_barrett_challenge_gi

Hello Friends,

Well CHALLENGE 7X7 is officially underway. Check out my fund raising pages:

SIDS and Kids QLD: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/mark_barrett_challenge_SK

Garvan Institute: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/mark_barrett_challenge_gi

We kicked things off last Sunday with the 50km run which involved x2 25km loops from Kurrawa down to Palm Beach and back. Familiar faces out on the course make these days even more special so it was great to have so many out there. Therese, Sam, Kristy, Jo, Adam, Ben and Jerome all did 25km and a special thank you to Ben who ran the 50km with me.

A 50km run is hard work at the best of times but I had to go into this one with very limited preparation so I really didn't know what to expect. Even at the 12km mark I was experiencing a fair bit of pain which I hoped was just due to the cold. As the temperature warmed things seemed to get a little easier. Otherwise the first 25km was great, it was a beautiful day, plenty of people enjoying the beach and particularly memorable were a group of yoga girls being photographed at the southern end of Miami Beach!

At around 35km the hills at Burleigh Heads really took their toll on me and I knew I was going to have to work hard to get home. From this point on all I remember seeing was the road in front of me. By the time I got back to North Burleigh with 6km to go I was feeling tradgic. I remember running up Hedges Ave feeling that I had to explain to on-lookers that I actually WASN'T trying to imitate a wounded orangutan, this was me just trying to get to the finish line.

Finally I spotted Kristy nursing a six pack of Corona, signifying that I had hit the finish line. Challenge 1 was complete and it was time to celebrate.

Thanks very much to the Gold Coast 100 organisers and volunteers, including the Miami crew of Marina, Allan and Amanda.

Thanks to Therese and all my friends (mentioned above) who got out there and had a crack on the day.
Thanks to everyone that helped us celebrate afterwards.

So after tomorrow's 160km Brisbane to Noosa ride it's ON ON to Challenge 2, the Gold Coast Marathon on 5th of July.

Oh and if you are looking for a little inspiration check out this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vrjp2P0GlE

Hello Friends,

CHALLENGE 7X7 starts this weekend with a 50km run starting at Kurrawa Park, Broadbeach at around 6am. This represents the beginning of a journey in which I will attempt to complete 7 (or 8) big events in 7 months (see schedule below). This is going to involve a significant amount of discomfort on my part but it is all in the name of raising money for some much needed work in our community. Perhaps I have bitten off more than I can chew but there's only one way to find out!

However, more than just raising money, I would like to use this opportunity to inspire people. Inspire people to get out there, be active, challenge themselves and achieve their dreams. I would also like to use the opportunity to bring people together, so after most of the events we will be having a bbq or some other celebration and would love to see you there at any or all of them.

The organisations I will be raising money for are Sids and Kids QLD and Garvan Institute , you can check out their websites and I have a brief spiel about them below. Over the next couple of days I will be setting up web pages where people can sponsor me by making a donation to either of these organisations. In the space of 7 months I am hoping we can raise some really solid amounts for them.

Check out my fund raising pages:

SIDS and Kids QLD: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/mark_barrett_challenge_SK

Garvan Institute: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/mark_barrett_challenge_gi

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Please help! If anyone is interested in helping out or becoming involved, I could use some assistance in the following areas:

• Equipment and Sports Nutrition - Any cycling or running clothes I can get would be greatly appreciated. I expect that I will be doing a number of media type events over the next 7 months so there is a bit of an advertising opportunity here. Any sports nutrition products (gels, bars, drink powders) would be also appreciated. I will be happy to give any sponsors a plug at every opportunity I get. So for any of you that are involved with or sponsored by these types of companies please forward this email on to them.
• Assistance - Anyone that wishes to become involved in organising CHALLENGE 7x7 is welcome. Having done this sort of thing a few times in the past, I can assure you that it is an awesome feeling that comes from reaching fundraising targets and helping people in need. So if you would like to be a part of this just let me know. It won't take up much of your time, with just a few of us doing little bits and pieces I think we can do something really special here. Who knows where that might lead in the future.
• Event Entry Fees - any of you that know any organisers of the events below please forward them this email with a good word Any discounts we can get on entry fees would also be greatly appreciated.
  

More on the organisations we will be raising funds and awareness for:

Sids and Kids QLD - SIDS and Kids is dedicated to saving babies' lives through the elimination of sudden and unexpected infant deaths, and supporting bereaved families. They deliver on their vision through world class education, research, evidenced based intervention and advocacy. SIDS and Kids has been funding research nationally since 1988. In this period millions of dollars has been devoted to researching the possible causes of unexplained infant death, SIDS and the methodology of prevention of SIDS. Projects have covered the broad scope of epidemiology, immunology, microbiology, neuroscience, sociology, histology, physiology and pathology. SIDS and Kids supports a wide range of research into mortality in infants (two years and under) who die suddenly and unexpectedly from stillbirth, neonatal death, sudden infant death and SIDS.

Garvan Institute - As far as I am concerned a cure for Parkinson's Disease can't come soon enough! Garvan is internationally recognised as a leader in gene-based medical research and is committed to delivering new insights into major diseases and novel ways to prevent and treat these disorders. Garvan's research topics fall under some broad groupings including: Cancer, Diabetes and Obesity, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, Osteoporosis, Arthritis and Asthma, Immune System Disorders and Pituitary Disorders. Check out this recent media release from Garvan: HARNESSING THE BRAIN'S OWN ABILITY FOR REPAIR

So this is the schedule beginning this weekend:

June 7	50km run (Gold Coast 100) http://www.goldcoast100.com/GC100/home.html On June 14 I will also tackle the Brisbane to Noosa (160km) bike ride. Just to get things kicked off in style.
July 5	Gold Coast Marathon 42.195km run http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/
August 23	Brisbane Marathon 42.195km run http://www.intraining.com.au/default.asp?contentID=733
September 20	Sydney Marathon 42.195km run http://www.sydneyrunningfestival.com.au/
October 4	Calypso Bay Half Ironman 1.9km swim, 90km ride, 21.1km run http://www.usmevents.com.au/gchim/index.html
November 7&8	300km ride incorporating Rainbow Ride , a 160km ride from Byron Bay to Currumbin. On the Saturday we will ride from Southport Surf Club (Main Beach) down to Byron Bay. Then on the Sunday we will ride the 160km Rainbow Ride, stop at Currumbin for a few photos and a bite to eat, then continue on for another 40km and finish back at Southport Surf Club.
December 13	Kurrawa to Duranbah (and back) 50km run http://www.goldcoast100.com/K2D/home.html

What does Challenge 7x7 mean to me?

It's not until you take on something like Challenge 7x7 that you fully realise all the positives it brings to your life. For me there is just layer upon layer of magic that comes out of this whole process.
The feeling of helping organisations like SIDS and Kids and the Garvan Institute raise funds to enable them to do the good work they do is just bloody fantastic. I am particularly keen on supporting research into medical problems and right now I think I would just about take on any challenge if it meant finding a cure for Parkinson's disease.
An added bonus in this type of project is that putting myself in a situation where I have to push beyond my limits creates levels of excitement and satisfaction that are difficult to describe. The excitement surrounding the whole lead up to these big events makes me feel like a kid on holidays. As each each event approaches I develop a permanent smile, increasing waves of goose bumps and a feeling full of life. I am never going to win one of these things, for me it is more about being a part of it and having a crack at doing the best I can on the day. Then when it is over I get to enjoy and amazing feeling of satisfaction and pride which continues long after.
If you go down and watch on marathon day you will notice the atmosphere is fantastic. Thousands of people all felling pretty good about themselves. It's great just being amongst it.
Then we come to my bigger vision for these projects which is to inspire people to get out there, participate and get active. Just about every time I enter a marathon or some other event it usually prompts others in my life to enter also. I figure if I can inspire a few people to get out there and be active, and in turn they can inspire a few more, eventually we are going to wind up with a healthier and happier world.
Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic, according to the World Health Organisation. The burden of obesity related illness on health care systems worldwide is spiraling out of control. Obesity is associated with a rise in many health problems from respiratory and musculoskeletal problems, to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Not to mention the massive rise in Type 2 diabetes which up until the past few decades was only ever seen in the elderly and is now seen in obese children.
It's no secret that this obesity crisis is simply a function of society's radical and rapid change in lifestyle and nutritional habits. So the solution is equally simple; get out there, exercise more and eat a sensible diet. By doing so, studies also show that you greatly reduce the risk of developing depression. See, a healthier and happier world.
So for anyone who knows they should be getting out and active more, I challenge you to take on a challenge of your own. You will be doing yourself a big favor.

Challenge 7x7 Program

June 7 DONE!	50km run (Gold Coast 100) http://www.goldcoast100.com/GC100/home.html Read My Story
June 14 DONE!	I will also tackle the Brisbane to Noosa (160km) bike ride. Just to get things kicked off in style.
July 5 DONE!	Gold Coast Marathon 42.195km run http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/ Read My Story
July 18 DONE!	Kokoda Challenge 96km bush foot-race. Read My Story
August 23 DONE!	Brisbane Marathon 42.195km run Read My Story http://www.intraining.com.au/default.asp?contentID=733
September 12 DONE!	First Sun Marathon - Byron Bay 42.2km run including long stretches of beach, Byron Lighthouse, and a couple of trips over Broken Head.
October 4 NEXT!	Calypso Bay Half Ironman 1.9km swim, 90km ride, 21.1km run http://www.usmevents.com.au/gchim/index.html
November 7&8	300km ride incorporating Rainbow Ride , a 160km ride from Byron Bay to Currumbin. On the Saturday we will ride from Southport Surf Club (Main Beach) down to Byron Bay. Then on the Sunday we will ride the 160km Rainbow Ride, stop at Currumbin for a few photos and a bite to eat, then continue on for another 40km and finish back at Southport Surf Club.
December 13	Kurrawa to Duranbah (and back) 50km run http://www.goldcoast100.com/K2D/home.html