Alicia's Marathon Journey

When and why did you join HHF?

I joined during the adventure training phase, in 2020 I believe. I joined because I wanted consistency in training in a group setting that was outdoors. I appreciate having a community around me, as well as having set times to get out of bed and show up! There's little room for excuses that way. 

What made you want to run a marathon?

I entered my first marathon in 2024 with Anton, Kieran and Lotte from the run group. I didn't immediately consider joining until Lotte offhandedly asked me to do it too, and then I went home and signed up! I was drawn to the idea of doing a marathon to tick it off a bucket list (well I'll be honest, I added it to my bucket list once I signed up 🤣) but also to do it with others that were doing it for their first time too. 

What were your highs and lows during training or on the day?

The highs during training are having energised and productive days after a morning run and carb loading with no guilt the night before a long run. The lows, not many, but definitely the odd times I would have to leave a social event early the night before a scheduled long run, and getting used to running in all weather conditions, including rain. 

What goes through your mind when running a marathon?

On the day, I had a three word mantra I repeated to myself whenever I needed to refocus. My words were calm (which helped recalibrate my breath and check my posture), energised (which reminded me that I had months of training and fuel to get me through which worked as a confidence boost) and consistent (which helped me maintain my pace and not get caught up in the pace of others around me). Otherwise, I'm mentally counting down how many park runs I have left to go!

What's next?

I haven't planned what's next just yet. I've been asked by a friend to do Hyrox in Barcelona next year, which would be a great challenge! I'm not so sure about 100m of burpees though. 

What advice would you give to anyone considering taking up running?

Advice? The more you do the more enjoyable it becomes. It's a great hobby if you enjoy consistency and being outdoors, and doing it as part of a run club and bootcamp makes it so much more fun.

If you are interest in trying our Run Club at Sydney Park, then click here for more info. We have a Beginners Group and an Intermediate - Advanced Group.