Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Australia located about eight kilometers from the city center. Originally the first sea port of the state of Victoria, Williamstown is now a popular and upscale seaside village that affords scenic views of Melbourne's skyline. This was my sixth trip to Australia and the third to Melbourne.
The marathon was the highlight of the
Sri Chinmoy Running and Fitness Festival, a premier event on the Melbourne Running Calendar. Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007) was a legendary Indian spiritual teacher, poet, artist, and athlete. At age 76, he set personal records in weightlifting, defying notions of age being a barrier to physical development. What better way was there, therefore, to start a 4-week vacation than to run his marathon?
But with late May to August being winter Down Under, the transition from the hot tropics to cold weather was quite drastic. I thus had to use two layers of clothing- an Under Armour compression gear beneath first time-to-be-worn Brooks long sleeves and running shorts. The rest of the gear had seen some action, some many times, before.
The night before, organizers had scheduled a free screening of two inspirational films including
Challenging Impossibility that chronicled the rapid progress of Sri Chinmoy's weightlifting career. Having just arrived that day, I had to skip this event and the scouting of Williamstown. Thanks to family, it was straight off to the the Newport Athletics Track- the starting point- for me.
Marathon start-time was 7:15 AM, a bit late by most standards but just as well. With the temperature at 6 degrees Celsius that morning, everybody else wore jackets and layers of clothing to keep warm and comfortable. But the site of this man just in a thin singlet and running shorts was enough for me to brave the cold.
Full marathon runners numbered about 200. Three other race distances were to be ran later that day- a 4K, a 10K, and a half-marathon or 21K. Over 2000 runners had registered to run these distances making this festival the largest running event staged by Sri Chinmoy Races internationally.
Dawn was breaking as we lined up at the starting area. Most of the participants were men, and, of course, Aussies. A full course briefing was conducted five minutes before the start of the race. The full marathon cut-off time was to be six hours- everyone had to finish by 1:15PM. Looking at the runners, I could sense that by that time anyway, most would be relaxing and home-free.
Off sped us runners as the starting gun was sounded. Unlike other marathons I had attended thus far, the start was markedly austere and pomp-free- no loud music, no fireworks, no egging by a wired-up emcee. It was bare-bones running pure and simple, then and for the rest of the way.
The first few Ks took us to the main commercial center of Williamstown. One could easily feel a sense of history just by looking at the surroundings. The original town center was lined by historic buildings that now hosted restaurants, hotels, and art galleries. As dawn became full morning, I felt like I was running through a time tunnel, but in the reverse direction.
Then it was off to the suburb's scenic waterfront. Williamstown is bordered by water on three sides. We first ran the eastern front mostly consisting of seashore reserves with a number of piers, gardens, and landmarks. The buildings and monuments reminded us all of the suburb's maritime-based history.
Large and spacious parks and well-manicured greenery were to be found near the high-end residential areas we passed by on the beachfront. The quietness of the surroundings that morning was soothing. We ran for several Ks on winding bike and walking paths. From the looks of it, these exercise paths were not only human- but also pet-friendly.
There were not too many runners and soon at the 10K and beyond mark, most were very well dispersed and quite far in between. I tried to enjoy running at this point and soaked in the sights along this pier facing the expanse of Port Philip Bay or simply just 'The Bay'. Here, in 1802, entered the first Europeans whose descendants decades later were to be Aussies.
We also ran the southwestern coastline of Williamstown. During summer, the Williamstown Beach consisting of a wide expanse of sand fronting shallow and sheltered waters is a popular picnic and swimming destination. It is just one short train ride away from the city center of Melbourne.
In the past I've heard of Melbourne being described as the Windy City down under, often experiencing gutsy winds of over 100 kilometers per hour- already a tropical storm or typhoon where I come from. This is probably why the trees along the shoreline were all growing, not straight, but slanted- away from the shore and bent in the direction the wind was always blowing.
On the way back to the starting area, after running the walking and bike paths along picturesque Esplanade Boulevard, we chanced upon the half marathon runners numbering close to a thousand at the 15K hydration station- one of seven such water stations along the course. Race marshals in yellow guided us through.
For majority of the race, I was running close to a group that included this jolly chap named Nick who cheerfully kidded me to keep running and to go slow on the picture taking! With perfect running conditions by this time, he indeed had a very valid point and to some degree I relented!
After about 18K or so of running, it was back to adjacent suburb Newport, the race's starting point. This was a place that was hard to miss, what with the towering landmark that is the smokestack of the Newport Power Station- that at 183 meters is one of the tallest structures in the area and in the city of Melbourne.
Then we were running on protected reserves along the mouth of the Yarra River, at the point where the river enters Hobsons Bay and Port Phillip Bay. We were to make three laps of about 8K or so each around the area. We ran on trails and away from roads mostly so safety was assured as it was car traffic-free.
A U-turn then had to be made underneath the West Gate Bridge, another unmistakable landmark of the race route. This bridge, spanning over 2500 meters across the Yarra River is the third-longest in Australia and connects the western suburbs and the industrial city of Geelong to the city of Melbourne.
Then it was back to the Newport Athletics Track oval where for the first time in broad daylight I had a glimpse of the finish arc.By this time, runners of the shorter races and early marathon finishers were already heading home to enjoy the rest of the day. If only I could last two more laps of 8Ks..No worries, a voice deep inside told me.
So ran on I did for another two laps. At the 38K mark, I glanced at my Garmin FR310XT and realized that I had already ran for 4 hours and 8 minutes. I was secretly hoping for a 4:30 finish but, at this point, I realized that this would have to come another day. Hey, wasn't I just starting a vacation? So what was the point of risking injury this early?
I took it easy, therefore, during the last four Ks and just enjoyed the rest of the run and the waterfront scenery. This was billed as a public event in Williamstown, for safety purposes no doubt, but there were very few who ventured out to greet and support the runners that cold and sleep-friendly Sunday.
No matter...Still feeling strong and injury free, this was no doubt an auspicious start of a rare, once-in-a-blue-moon vacation for me. After running 42K, the red oval of the Newport Athletics Track facility thus became a very welcome sight as I ran the last few hundred meters of the race that day.
I finally crossed the finish line after 4 hours and 45 minutes of running and posed for a photo opportunity with the race medal as was and will be customary. There was another reason or two for me to smile and be happy- I had just finished my third marathon for that same month of May, and the second full marathon in the last 8 days!
Waiting at the finish area and served cheerfully by red-shirted race volunteers was a complimentary post race breakfast that featured yummy pancakes, a hearty pumpkin soup, the race's famous freshly-baked apple crumble, with baskets of assorted fruits- apples, pears, and oranges to boot! I indulged quite a bit to hasten body recovery.
The Sri Chinmoy Williamstown Marathon, with its flat, fast and PR-friendly course, thus became the 13th full marathon for me, all ran in the last 13 months in 11 different countries. Williamstown, however, was only my second 42K to be ran in the Southern Hemisphere. It was the first, but certainly not the last, to be run Down Under.
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