Couple on the Run

Sue and Andrew have completed all their marathons by holding hands for the last 50 meters and the connection with Oxfam "joining hands with all people" made it clear Oxfam was the appropriate charity to support.

Preparing to run 8 marathons in 8 countries in 8 weeks

Once we decided to run the Comrades Marathon in June 2008 we increased our training in September 2007 so that we were running 5 to 6 hours most Sundays for several months. As part of our training we ran the 100km Oxfam Trailwalker outside Melbourne and based on our capacity to complete a marathon or beyond in training each week we decided to undertake the 8 marathons in 8 weeks in 8 countries.

It is not our intention to encourage people to run back to back marathons but rather to encourage people to exercise with a partner and to challenge themselves by participating with friends and family in events at home and abroad. Whilst the destination and achievement is most enjoyable it is the planning, preparation and training together than ensures the real benefit is in the journey.

June 15th Comrades Marathon (87km), Durban South Africa

• The 87km course climbed more than 700m from Durban at sea level to Pietermaritzburg;
• Both Sue and Andrew experienced stomach upsets and struggled to take on food during the run;
• The temperature was close to 30 degrees Celsius with minimal shade;
• Sue spent time in the medical tent after the race due to low blood pressure;
• More than 70 Australians participated amongst the 416 international runners. The total field was 11, 140 of which only 17% were women;
• South African spectators lined the 87km course and we often gave our food and drink to the local children cheering us as we ran by; and,
• Two runners had their shoes stolen at gun point.

June 22nd Flic en Flac to Port Louis return ( 43 km), Mauritius

• Our only non-formal race event we hired a local taxi to measure the course and locate drink stations along the way;
• Our course design was done in daylight and when starting our run at 5am we soon discovered the farmers watered the sugar cane during the night and large sections of the course had turned to mud requiring us to run on the single lane highway;
• Our daylight planning also failed to allow for all or our drink shops being closed until after 7.30am leaving us without drinks for the first half of our marathon run; and,
• Mauritian drivers are keen on overtaking and we had some hair raising near misses as cars from both directions forced us off the shoulder of the road.

June 29th Rio De Janeiro Marathon (42.2km), Brazil

• The views of the coast, mountains and city of Rio De Janeiro were spectacular;
• An 8am start rather than the 7am or earlier start in other warm climates made for a tough day with most of the marathon being run in 30 degree Celsius heat and bright sunshine;
• The men and women of Rio in their skimpy beach outfits provided a constant distraction to the run;
• Language problems added to the challenge as Portuguese was the language of most competitors and officials; and,
• On a short training run before the race we ran past the entrance to a favela and realised we were in a very unsafe location. The same location was guarded by 10 policemen when we ran through the area during the marathon.

July 6th Calgary Marathon, (42.2km) Alberta, Canada

• The marathon was part of the Calgary Stampede, a huge rodeo and country and western festival;
• Arrivals at the international airport were greeted by singing cowboys;
• The race went past the site of the Calgary Winter Olympics; and,
• Andrew struggled with a very painful right leg.

July 13th Missoula Marathon (42.2km), Montana, USA

• ABC Sport (American Broadcasting Corporation) followed us for more than half the race and did extensive interviews before and after the race for a feature story on US television;
• Andrew suffered a stomach virus and spent 20 minutes on toilet stops during the race;
• A fellow runner dressed as Elvis heard our story and was keen to be photographed with us; and,
• The mountains and valley of Missoula provided beautiful scenery for the run.

July 20th Pattaya Marathon (42.2km), Thailand

• The day before the race extreme heat and humidity concerned us greatly;
• Race day saw torrential rain, thunder, lightning and flooded roads which made for tough running but a welcome alternative to the heat and humidity;
• As we drove to the start locals and tourists leaving nightclubs carrying umbrellas and 2 and 3 people on each motor scooter endured the storm and flooded roads at 4am;
• Language problems were a major problem and Andrew almost had "Deep Heat" applied to chaffed nipples; and,
• Water was served from open buckets which was a health concern not just for the Pattaya marathon but for our recovery and the next two marathons.

July 26th Swiss Alpine Marathon, (42.2km) Davos, Switzerland

• More language problems meant we did not realise most of the race was on trails;
• On a number of occasions runners came to a halt as a single line made its way up and down the goat trails on the side of the mountains;
• The scenery as we ran through the Swiss Alps was amazing and we were pleased not to experience any altitude problems (1,500m above sea level); and,
• Andrew experienced extreme pain in the injured right leg running down the mountain sides.

August 3rd Townsville Marathon, (42.2km), Queensland, Australia

• Family and friends joined us to run our eight marathon in Townsville;
• Ran along the waterfront with beautiful views out to Magnetic Island; and, 
• The cheering and support from the Australian crowd made for a memorable conclusion.

Key words: Couple on the run, Partnerunning