The Punta Cana Marathon (10k and Half Marathon Races)
· Date: 27th March 2011
· Flat course run around a 5star holiday resort
· 6am start (but still in very hot and humid conditions)
· 10km course record of 32.54 set in 2010
· Races featured this year – 10k and Half Marathon (21k as they called it)
· Full marathon distance race to be added next year
· $5000 worth of prizes for the different races split across male and females
· …but what a huge disappointment the Punta Cana 10k proved to be (for me anyway!!!)
The Punta Cana 10k offered to be a fast and flat course even if it would be very hot as we are now approaching the hottest times of the Dominican Republic year (but don't feel sorry for me!) So the flat course and with the Dom Rep professional runners around me I was certain I would gain a PB since my best 10k came back in October 2009 on a windy morning......but for all the hill reps, mile splits, worry, dehydration, massage, hip soreness, rest, and cross training going into the 10k it wasn't to be.....yep you guessed it, the race marshals got me lost AGAIN!
More......
I travelled to the city better known for tourism than racing on the Friday evening with 3 other runners from my school; Miss Ridge, Miss Barlow and Miss McGuire or better known as Laura, Aimee and Jenna!
After the success in Miami we all wanted to continue our PB hunt in Punta Cana. It was a lovely weekend spending time at the hotel, eating nice food and even jumping into natural pools……no injuries occurred but plenty of photos were taken!
Waking up at 3am is never nice and by about 6.30am I wished I had stayed in bed!
The 10k and half marathon started together at 6am but split off after 3k and with only one lead vehicle I should have already guessed problems were going to occur…
At 5k I was feeling great J and at the timing mat recorded 16:34 for the first half of my race. The lead vehicle had disappeared on the half marathon route by this point so at 6k myself and the 7 other lead runners went by the instructions given by the marshals. They however did not inform us to turn left…
We got rather lost on the course as we continued to run along the very long and straight road! A bemused gardener at the hotel shouted to us to signal the problem but at this point it was too late! We had covered over 8k of the course and although my Spanish is appalling I knew what had happened and that the other runners were LIVID!!! I won't repeat what they were shouting...
We jogged back rather despondently and finished the 10k / 15k in 58minutes. The 9th place runner or should I say race winner took the $500 prize in a time of 38minutes…it was a great shame after all the training put in. I didn’t get the 10k PB I desired and nor did I get an accurate time for the kilometres I did run the race as I didn’t stop my watch! Starting to think I need to change to Ultra Running as at least when extra mileage is run you get rewarded…
More positively Laura, Aimee and Jenna all recorded good times! Laura did especially well coming 5th female overall in 43minutes in the 10k race. Again this time was recorded in hot conditions so come 2012 when we come back for the summer expect Laura to be running for us in the RR10’s and other races and she will clocking up some very impressive results!
Laura as you are aware is running the London Marathon. Her target was originally sub 4 hours and with the excellent training she has done she is now setting her sights on perhaps 3.50 or 3.40…I’ll be there to support and will also be shouting for all the Green Runners I see!
Wishing you the best of luck and I will see you at the first RR10 where I hope the marshalling is a lot better!
Cheers Lewis