Perth Marathon 2012: First in the Land Down Under

With my Aussie bling

Years ago, a trip to Australia seemed impossible. And yes, thanks to Jobstreet.com I got enough funds and the courage to travel...alone. Not that it was my first time to travel overseas alone but just to venture into an unknown territory is still a tall order.


Other people have this dream. To run a marathon in all continents. I have only run in two--Asia and North America. Australia is my third. 

Before the race

Endless googling--during office hours--led me to Perth. And to Perth Marathon. I was a bit hesitant but maybe my instincts were right. Perth Marathon was just 'perth-fect' for my first race in Australia. The scenic route along Swan River was more than enough to keep me going. The energy emanating from the cheering crowd gave the extra ump to rally on especially for someone like me who does not know anyone from Perth except for the few runners I met in other races. And yes, being close to my goal of 4:30 (I finished the race in 4:36) is more than enough to make it all worth it.

It was not a totally easy peasy ordeal as I struggled heavily against depleted energy level brought about by not eating enough breakfast and not enough sleep. But just crossing the proverbial finish line and my name announced by the host, just to reiterate, is more than enough to make it all worth it.


Thank you to the organizers and the ever-so-kind volunteers for a succesful event!

I am hoping to run this race again. Maybe in the future. Maybe.


And Sydney, which I loved a lot, is a whole different story.