This week on Cook Eat Run, Charlie is joined by her friend Heather Jensen to discuss the Sydney Marathon, which is set to become a World Marathon Major in 2025. Heather shares her experience running this as part of the World Age Group Championships, spilling the beans on the course, the Expo, and her personal journey to the finish line at the Sydney Opera House!

Sydney Marathon: A New Major

Heather talks about the excitement surrounding Sydney's upcoming status as a World Marathon Major and reflects on her own experience running the race. She shares her journey from receiving the invitation to participate in the Age Group World Championship to crossing the finish line.

The Sydney Expo Experience

While the race itself was phenomenal, Heather notes the Expo could use a few improvements! She shares her insights on what to expect and offers advice for future participants on timing their visit to the Expo to snag the best merchandise.

The Course and Challenges

Heather describes the Sydney Marathon course as challenging, and compares it to other majors like Boston and New York, offering tips on how to prepare for the unique demands of the race.

Fueling and Nutrition Strategies

Heather discusses her fueling strategy, including the use of Goo Energy Labs gels and salt sticks, and how she adapted her nutrition plan for the Sydney Marathon. She emphasises the importance of personalising your fueling strategy to ensure optimal performance.

Top Tips for Sydney Marathon

Heather shares her top tips for running the Sydney Marathon, including training for varied weather conditions and hill workouts. She also stresses the importance of enjoying the city and making the most of the marathon experience.

Follow Heather on Instagram at @tryandrungirl

Got fuelling and nutrition questions? Episode topic suggestions? - find Charlie online @therunnerbeans / www.therunnerbeans.com 

Grab a copy of Charlie’s book ‘Cook Eat Run’ 

The Cook Eat Run Podcast is sponsored by XMiles - the One Stop Nutrition Shop - use discount code COOKEATRUN for 10% off this month’s featured products at Xmiles.co.uk 

This podcast is proudly produced by Decibelle Creative decibellecreative.com / @decibelle_creative

>> Charlie: Welcome to the Cook Eat Run podcast with X Miles, hosted by

me, Charlie Watson. I'm a runner, a mum, an

NHS dietitian and author of the recipe

book for runners, Cook Eat Run. I'm also

a 16 times marathoner and love nothing more than sharing what

I've learned along the way through a lot of trial and error.

Cook Eat Run is the go to podcast for running,

nutrition training tips, marathon debriefs and,

more. I'm here to answer all your questions and fuel

you with the knowledge you'll need to run faster, further,

and actually just to have more fun on the run. So whether

you're training for an ultra, want to improve your marathon

pb, or simply just get more out of your

running, you're in the right place.

Hello and welcome back to the Cook Eat Run podcast with X

Miles. This week I'm chatting to one of my friends, Heather

Jensen, about the Sydney Marathon. In November, it

was announced that Sydney would become a world marathon major in

2025. And, whilst we're not sure exactly what that will look

like, it now means that there are seven stars or marathon

majors, including London, Berlin, Tokyo,

Chicago, Bost, York and now Sydney.

It looks like Cape Town and Shanghai may also join the fold in

the coming few years. And, they are all on my bucket list.

Sydney Marathon ballot opens on the 10th of December, so I

thought it'd be a great time to chat with Heather about her Sydney Marathon

experience. I am definitely going to be entering the ballot

and keeping everything crossed for a race entry for August

2025. Heather is an IFIT

trainer, 319 marathoner, mum of three,

and just one of the most positive people I know. You can find her

online at tryandrungirl, on Instagram, or for those living in

Utah, join one of her fitness fitness classes. I took her body

pump class a few years ago and I was so sore

the next day.

So tell me about your experience running the

Sydney Marathon. I want to hear everything.

Like, how did you get into the race? Because

you ran it as part of the

World Age Group Championships, right?

>> Heather: Yes, yes. And it's so good to talk to you and thanks for having

me on. I'm so excited to be here. and yeah,

Sydney was a dream. Oh my goodness. I remember I

got the email, I think in February or

March, like really early spring, and it was like

due to your fantastic performance at

Chicago, maybe, and Boston. It was definitely

Chicago because I ran Chicago and BQ

there and it said, we would like to extend you an

opportunity to run for the Age group World Championship in

Sydney, Australia. And I was like, this is a joke.

Like, I'm like, there's no way. Like,

I'm like, I'm a decently faster, but I'm not like,

an elite runner by fast.

I. I've worked really hard to get faster and I

appreciate that and I definitely take, you know, what I can get. But, you

know, I was like, no, this is funny, but I

do have to remember that I'm 41 and I'm in

the Masters. And so that is a really

fun kind of, like, new era of running

for me that I really enjoyed. So I. So, yeah, so I got the

email and I kind of, like, just sat on it

for a few days and I told my family and I was like, oh, my

gosh, this is so cool. And kind

of floated the idea to my husband, Trevor, and I was like,

we should go. Like, you know, and our lives have just been

so crazy busy and, you know, we're busy

parents of three kids that are all in sports and just,

you know, music and all the things and kind of

was just like, I don't know if we can swing it, but it would be so fun. And

so, anyway, so it was such a. Such a dream

come true to go, and it was real. And I got my, you

know, email with my dib and I was like, okay, this is happening. And I've

never flown that far away ever, anywhere in my entire

life. Like, I definitely travelled and filmed in really

cool places with IFIT as an IFIT trainer.

And, you know, definitely done some, like, big races

like Boston with you and New York and,

you know, other fun races. But, this was a huge,

like, adventure to fly halfway across the world, go

to Australia and then run a world major.

So, very, very a cool

experience. And, I can definitely tell you more about the race if you had, like,

specific questions about it. But it was, it was pretty

incredible, the whole thing.

>> Charlie: Yeah, I mean, I can only imagine getting that, that email

and being like, oh, my goodness, this is

an incredible experience. I have to go for it.

But balancing up that it's far,

it's not cheap to travel to Australia. You've got three

kids. Like, exactly.

>> Heather: Yeah, it would. It was crazy, but we made it happen and I

have zero regrets. And, you know, everyone was fine when

we came home, so we made it work.

>> Charlie: So let's start, like, the, kind of beginning bit for,

like, races. We go. We go to the

Expo. What is, what was the Sydney

Expo like compared to kind of say, the other majors

that you've done, like Chicago, Boston, New York.

>> Heather: Yeah, so I've done all of the

United States World Majors. I've done

Boston. this will be my seventh time doing Boston

in, April of 2025. And then I've done New York

three times. And, Chicago was my first time doing

it last year and I was actually registered for it this fall, but

when Sydney came up, I deferred it to next year because I

had a guaranteed entry through, Time qualifier

M. So. And then I got another one. So I was like, oh, worst case, I

can do Chicago another year. You know, I wasn't super worried

about that one. Although they have lowered their times even

faster than. Yeah, I don't know if you know that,

but for anyone listening that's like, got their eye on that. I'm

like, oh, Chicago's the exact same time for my age group as

Boston. Like, they're definitely being more competitive

with that, which is. It's kind of cool, actually.

>> Charlie: It puts it on a kind of even keel, doesn't it?

Otherwise, it was like, quite a lot

faster in Boston versus Chicago. And London's a bit

slower for Brits. And then New York is really

fast. And yeah, it's kind of super interesting.

>> Heather: Interesting how they do it. But yeah, you're right. Like, it's. Chicago was always the

one that was like, you know, kind of the more,

attainable, one to qualify for. Which I

love that for a lot of people. And now that they've made it even

faster, it's like, okay, well, here we go. But.

So side mother, if you've got your eye on that. That's an interesting

nugget. But,

>> Charlie: But yeah, so.

>> Heather: So I ran all of the majors in the United States

and I actually had a bid for London a

couple years ago. And, that's a whole other podcast story is

I wasn't able to go. And I was super bummed, but it

was the right decision to not go. And so Sydney was just

going to be such an adventure. You know, I was like, I've never done an

international race. I, like, I said, filmed

and travelled internationally, but I've never,

like, done, you know, a

race, especially like a marathon, you know, where

you're like, training really hard, like through the summer heat.

That was, like, awful. And I was like, I hate September marathons. Why am I

doing this? But it was, you know, it was. It was worth

it to kind of heat train and. And we get to

the Expo and I will Say

I was fully blown away with the entire Sydney

Marathon experience. It was fabulous. The one

area. And I'm laughing that you asked me about the

Expo first, because the one area I think they're lacking in was the Expo. The

Expo was not great.

>> Charlie: Oh, no, really? Okay. I think we have such

high expectations from the other

majors. They put on such a show, and

I think that's probably stemmed from the

Americans doing such a good job. Then it's kind of

filtered down a bit. But, I think a lot of people have said

that also about Tokyo. They were quite disappointed

with the Expo there. So. Yeah, what was.

What, what were you. You were obviously

expecting something similar to the American majors, but what was the

reality exactly?

>> Heather: I was kind of expecting just more. The venue was absolutely

gorgeous. so we took. So I was with, my husband went with

me on the trip. And then our good friends Jenna and Claire were there as well

as also age group championship runners.

>> Charlie: So, yeah, Jenna and

Claire, we love you.

>> Heather: Claire runs there. We love you. so

they were there with me and you know, we've all done several races

together throughout the years. And so I told my husband, I said, I will

spare you. You do not need to go to the Expo with us.

So, so I went with them over to the Expo and it was a

beautiful location and I mean, super cool. Like, it

was past this building that huddle with these like, kind of

glass doors, and there was like all of these groups of people,

like out dancing, like making tiktoks, but they were like

professional dancers. Like, that's how we walked into the

Expo. I was like, okay, this is going to be so cool. so it was

cool, but like, the merchandise and the gear was like

pretty much gone and granite. I did go like the second to last day,

but I was really surprised. Like, there was like nothing there. They

had no jackets in any size smaller. They only

had like three medium jackets there. And I need an extra

small jacket. So I was like a little bit bummed. I was

like, oh, this is a bummer. You know, they don't have any merchandise.

And, it was just kind of small. I mean, they definitely had a

few good vendors there. But, I think all three of us, you

know, respectfully just said, okay, if and when Sydney's made the

major, the one thing they'll need to up is probably the Expo, you

know.

>> Charlie: Yeah. But good advice. If anyone is doing it maybe this year,

maybe try and go on opening morning

to.

>> Heather: Yeah, like there was the cutest, like, kind of like A

scuba hoodie that said Sydney Marathon on it.

And I saw a girl with it and she goes, oh, there was only like 20 of

these. And I went, the first hour of the first day of the.

I would have bought that. Like, yeah, you know, it's like such a

girl thing to be like, oh, my gosh, I got to get the merch. And, you know. But you,

like, you. I work really hard to get into these races and

it's kind of a big deal. Like, I know some people are like, yeah, I just throw away

my, you know, my race shirts or whatever. But for

me, I'm like, if I'm going to do a, world major, I want to buy the jacket

and have it be a whole experience, because it's a big deal, you know, and

it's worth it to celebrate. So I. I definitely think they need to

step that up a little bit. But, Oh, yeah. I mean, the

whole experience. If we want to skip ahead

a little bit to the race, like,

they. So the exponent is a little bit of work, but overall

an amazing experience. And so what

we did was the race morning. They actually took us

on. You. You had a couple ways that you could have gotten to the

start, but we just took, like, the public transit.

And bless her heart, Jenna is so good with direction, so

she. I tried to help her as much as I could, but she found

our way up there and it wasn't that hard. There was a group of us that went

up and they actually started us at the Olympic

oval, where the, Ah, the Olympic marathon

started when Sydney hosted the Games. And so I'm like,

so cool. Yeah, like, it was.

It was really phenomenal. Everything was very organised and they had

everybody kind of in their little corrals for the age group,

so. Extremely organised. Very cool

place to start a marathon, in my opinion. the

course was very, very hilly.

but compared to.

>> Charlie: How are we comparing it? Because hilly is

it, like Boston hilly is it, New York, hilly

is it, I feel like, even comparable.

>> Heather: Yeah. When I was looking with my coach, Ashley Davis.

Another shout out to one of our girls, Ashley Davis. Love her. A happy

face. we were chatting about it when it was a possibility for me

to go, and I said, I don't really know what to compare this course

to, but elevation wise, you know, there's definitely

hills. It's not as hard as Boston Hills, in my opinion.

but maybe similar to, like, overall elevation with, like, a New

York, where there's, you know, there's definitely climbing, but what goes up must

Come down, kind of a feel, if that makes sense.

>> Charlie: Yeah.

>> Heather: So we would go on these uphills and then these

downhills. And after my hip injury, I haven't been able to do,

like, a straight downhill marathon, like, anything screaming

downhill. So I was a little nervous in the back of my mind being

like, okay, there is uphill, there is downhill.

You know, we kind of like the day before we got there

and we actually rented E bikes because we wanted to go on the, like,

famous, like, beach, coastline, and just kind of walk

and stuff. And I was like, I don't really want to walk. I know it's a little bit hilly. So

we rented E bikes and the E bike was fine. But in the

back of my mind, I was like, oh, my gosh, this is probably going to be hilly tomorrow. Like,

hillier than I thought, you know?

>> Charlie: Yeah.

>> Heather: So it definitely had some hills, but I will say

I feel like it returned the favour a little bit. But

I. I will say I think that was the hardest marathon I ran, as

far as the amount of hills and the headwind. It was.

For me, it was very challenging marathon, but I also ran

it really well, so I knew I was prepared for it. But,

yeah, definitely a hard marathon.

>> Charlie: So in terms of kind of where they spread

out, the hills, I know that Boston is, like, hard,

because where the hills are is why it feels so

hard. and New York just feels

like relentless hills in that, like, with the

bridges and then getting Central Park. Were they

nicely spread out? Were you, like, did

you feel like it was more in the first half, second half, how did that

kind of feel?

>> Heather: Yeah, I agree. I. And having run

Boston and New York both several times and running them

at BQ standard, like, almost every time

I ran them, I know what it takes to, like, run

up and down the hill and, like, try to hold those paces. I think

New York to me isn't as hard as Boston.

I don't know why, but I just feel like, like I said, what

goes up must come down. So I feel like you get that return in New

York. And I live in Utah, where there's a lot of hills. So I'm

used to running up and down hills. So for me, New York wasn't.

It's definitely our marathon. Don't get me wrong, the bridges are hard. I had five

athletes run New York this year, and I was like, okay, be ready for the

bridges or cutting. You know, we're going to train

on some, you know, hills. So. But with Sydney, I

feel like it was, definitely Hills at the beginning, and

there is a little bit of that, you know, down, down drop on

the hills where some of them are fairly steep. But then

you had this beautiful part that ran along

the coast, you know, kind of along the wharf where you

could see this in the Opera House. And it was flat, and,

you know, it was beautiful. So we definitely got rewarded

with some nice stretches. But the

second half, the last. I want to say the last 10k about

was. It felt all uphill. I mean, it was

just brutal. Like, brutal. Like,

I ran it very strong, and I'm very, very proud of myself. And I looked

back at my splits, and I was like, I think that's the strongest 10, last 10k

by marathon I've ever ran. And I was passing guys

left and right, like, I was flying up those hills, you

know, for what I needed to do. And so that told me that my

feeling strategy was. Was good and that my training

was good. And these were men that were in the age group world

championship, too. These were not, like, slow runners. So I felt very,

very confident that I ran the last 10k very, very

fast. But then when I looked back at the elevation, I was like, oh, yeah, that was

extremely hilly.

>> Charlie: Like, definitely one that you want to

try and not, like, bank time for, because you're going to

need that energy at the end.

>> Heather: Yeah. And I didn't know that going into it, you know, I. I didn't go

into the race blind by any means, but I am the type of runner

where I'm like, the weather's gonna be what it is that day. I'm

not gonna stress about it.

>> Charlie: Yeah.

>> Heather: My training is what it is. I'm not gonna stress about it at

this point. And I ended up actually running

about 30 seconds shy of my

personal best, like, ever, that I set, like, six years

ago. So I was very happy with that. I wish I would

have known I was a little closer to that personal best, or I think I

would have tried to get it.

>> Charlie: Yeah.

>> Heather: But it was on a much harder course. Sydney's a harder

course than the. My personal best that I've ever ran. we say

pr. You know, in the United States, you. So I'm always like,

personal best.

>> Charlie: Yeah. I love that. Well, I mean, that just

shows how strong you are, because for

those that don't know, Heather had a

really nasty car accident.

How. When was that? 2021.

>> Heather: Was that, October of 2020.

>> Charlie: So, yeah, like, car

flipped over railings.

Bad. Bad accident that

you miraculously,

like, walked away from, but not without

Some trauma that has like, kind of

emerged and reemerged over the last

few years. So it hasn't been smooth sailing for you in terms

of like just building and building and building. It's like

you've built back and then had setbacks and then built back again.

So it's incredible that you are so close

to that PB on a harder course,

having been through everything you've been through in the last like four

years.

>> Heather: Well, thank you. Yeah, I, I felt like it was

a huge win. I was very happy with how the run went because

it. Oh, it's been, if anybody that

listens, follows me on social media knows, I mean it's not

been smooth sailing at all and, and I definitely have been

blessed to come back and be able to run and, you

know, not have lost a limb or anything in this horrific car

accident where I could have died. And

army crawled out of my car and, you know, was hospitalised.

I mean it was, it was absolutely horrific. And I'm,

I'm finally at the point where I can kind of talk about it without like,

you know, a lot of PTSD and recovery trauma

there. But, also just the physical side where I've had

so many hip issues ever since. And

yeah, it's been a miracle. I've been really grateful I've been able

to still run at the paces

that I can, especially later. You know, I'm

older now as well and so as of right now I'm going the

non surgical route with it where I'm trying to work with like a chiropractor and

a PT and do my own exercises at home. For anyone

that, you know, has been through an injury, you know how it is when you go to the

PT and they're like, do these exercises and sometimes you do them, sometimes

you don't. And it's like, ah, I am like religiously doing these

exercises like pretty much every day just in order to keep

running and it's just a lot of behind the scenes and

so, yeah, it hasn't been easy and so kind of getting

so close to that personal best at Sydney on, I knew it was

a harder course. Just felt like such a win. So. Yeah, thank you.

It was, it was a good feeling for sure.

>> Charlie: And something that you're also really good at is fueling,

which must have come into play in that

race. So how did you fuel in Sydney? What was on the course? Can

you remember? Like, were the aid stations regular? What

kind of, what do they offer?

>> Heather: Yeah, so I, I definitely use aid Stations

at, World Majors. But I do find like,

I know a lot of our friends and I think you still use Martin

and I don't use that one. I'm not a huge fan of

it. I don't think it's bad, but I just, I like what sits in my

stomach.

>> Charlie: No, I don't, I don't use it either. It doesn't sit well with

me.

>> Heather: You've been using what?

>> Charlie: have you been using the precision fuel and hydration?

>> Heather: That's right.

>> Charlie: Which I think Kindle uses as well. This is like a little

shout out to all of our little friends.

>> Heather: Yeah, seriously. Well, and that's the thing. We all get

together and all of us are like, you know, very

dedicated runners. If not sub elite. Elite, like

coaches, like, multiplying multiple time

Boston marathoners. Like we all know what we're doing

to an extent. You know, a lot of us are moms and we work and

we're busy. But like we are very, very good

with our training and our nutrition. But it's so funny.

You get us all together, we're all like, oh, I use this. I. No, I don't

like that I use this. Everybody has

something that they like and that they don't like.

And so fueling, so personal. And I tell my

athletes this as well. It's like you've got to do what works

for you. but for me, I really

like just old school Goo

gel. Like Goo Energy Labs gel. Like,

it's just like my favourite. Like it

works. Yeah, I just like, like

I tried another gel one time and I didn't

love how I felt. It wasn't anything

hugely different, but I just kind of was like, yeah, if it ain't

broke, don't fix it. Like, I just really like it, you know,

so. So I'm usually consuming

most of those. as far as like a gel.

>> Charlie: Goes on the course, what are your favourite flavours? Mine

is salted caramel from the goo range.

>> Heather: I do like that one too. I kind of alternate. I'm kind

of funny. I actually like lay them out and I'm like, okay,

chocolate. And then I'll alternate it with like an orange

cream or whatever that flavour is, the orange one. And then

I'll alternate it back again to like a salted caramel. And

then I'll alternate it again back to like the watermelon, you

know, so. And it kind of depends on if I'm doing

caffeinated or not caffeinated. And I'll usually bring,

oh, probably at least four of the caffeinated and then I

will bring a couple of the non caffeinated, just depending on what I feel

like I need in that moment. And maybe

that's a little scary to some people because they're like, no, no, no. I know exactly

what I'm taking at exactly what mile and I do too for the most part.

But I do think there is a little bit of

like, if you're in tune with your body, there's a little bit of that

wiggle room where you're like, no, I want this instead and I have it in

my pocket, you know.

>> Charlie: Yeah. I think that also comes from. You are a very

experienced marathoner, you know, like you said, you

know that maybe you need a little

caffeine boost or maybe you need a different flavour just to get through

the kind of monotony of whatever mile that is. So

bringing things with to prepare, I think

is a great tip. And I mean I, I

think I, if I didn't. I have like the two different pockets. I have

my caffeinated gels in one pocket and my non calf in the other

pocket and I just try and like remember when I'm

taking what. And because my,

the precision fuel and hydration ones look quite similar

and like deep into marathon fatigue I have to

know like, right, I need this caffeinated one now

because there's no point taking a caffeinated one in your

last sort of half an hour because it's going to, the caffeine is going to hit and

you're going to have be done and like the

jitters as you like walk back to your hotel,

so.

>> Heather: Exactly. And we've all done that before, right? We've all had kind of

a like, whoops, I'm not going to do that again moment in a

marathon where you learn like I don't know if you remember

Boston 2019 with me. I mean,

yeah, that was a rough, I had a rough

marathon and I finished fine but like I

learned some things that day. So you know, we have those,

those days where we, where we do learn and grow from that

marathon. And like you said, a fueling is, that's something that

we can control so much. And that's one thing that my coach

Ashley has taught me is you can control your

fueling but you sometimes can't control like, oh, there's going

to be a huge headwind, you know, but you can control your

fueling and if you stay on top of that and you do kind of what works for

you, then you're going to set yourself up for the best possible

outcome. so for me, that's goo. And then I also

do a handheld, with some carbs

and electrolytes and, you know, caffeine in there,

and I'll sip on that usually, you know, the beginning of the race.

And then I'll also do, salt stick, the

real salt stick. And I love those. I'll either bring the

chewy ones or the swallow pills and. And

just make sure that I'm staying on top of my salt as well. So I think that

was really, really nice because I was planning on

a hot race and it ended up being actually, like, I would

say cold for Australia. Like, it was like 50 with,

like, maybe barely 50 with like

a headwind and crosswinds, like almost the whole

marathon.

>> Charlie: Yeah, that. I mean, headwinds not ideal at all, but at

least, like, the temperatures weren't. Weren't too hot. I wonder

whether is that quite standard to have a headwind on that course or

was that. Did people say this is unusual?

>> Heather: I don't know. I don't think it was because I remember

reading that it was either the previous year or two

years before that. It was extremely hill or

it's extremely hot.

>> Charlie: Oh, okay.

>> Heather: So I don't know if we kind of lucked out,

but, I mean, that was like. My husband and I were so excited to go to

Bondi beach, and it was, you know, it's like one of the most famous

beaches in the world. Right. And we're, like, so excited. And the one day that

we were able to go, it was like, frigid. And there was like four

people in the water and on the beach that day. Like, it was that

cold. Like, you know

how that wind kind of comes through. And I mean, obviously we were in Australia, so it

wasn't like where I live in the winter when it gets to in like the teens at

20s, but, like, it was very cold for like a

quote unquote beach holiday.

>> Charlie: Yeah, I mean, I guess that's.

>> Heather: Yeah, we were a little bit lucky.

>> Charlie: Your beach holiday weather is not what you want to run a marathon in.

So I guess you've got to be like, right, this is a marathon

trip.

>> Heather: Exactly.

>> Charlie: Sunshine is a bonus. Yeah. So I'm, just.

>> Heather: I'm just.

>> Charlie: I've just had a little look, and it looks like goo was on the

course.

>> Heather: What? Oh, you know what? I think it might have been. You're right. I'm not

sure. So I always pack my own. But

yeah, I think it might have Been on the course as well. And I do

feel like aid stations were. Were great. I felt like

they were. There was plenty of them and I.

I usually get two drinks at every aid station. I'll get a Gatorade

and a water and just drink both. And that's kind of

like my jam usually. Cause then I'm just hydrated

and then I get that extra little swallow. I mean, it's. It's not like you're

drinking a big cup. I mean, I hope people realise that, like, it's

like a gulp, right?

>> Charlie: Yeah. Yeah.

>> Heather: So it's that fine balance of getting enough in where you don't feel like you

have to also stop and use the restroom, you know?

>> Charlie: Yeah. In terms of like

bathrooms on course, pre race, were they all

okay? I know that lots of races recently have got in trouble

for maybe not having enough. Like, Berlin was an

absolutely disaster this year.

>> Heather: Was it?

>> Charlie: yeah, it was. It was chaos.

>> Heather: But about that. Did they just not have enough

porta Potties?

>> Charlie: No, I queued for over an hour

and then this is Nova

share. But when I got in, I couldn't even go because the smell

was so bad. I started retching immediately and basically had to just

get out. yeah. And then there was like

one extra one when we were getting into our

corrals and people were climbing

fences because they were so late. And then

this one guy was like, I'm going to disqualify anyone that climbs

the fence and is like taking photos of people because

everyone was so late. Yeah. So

it was. I had to go to the bathroom on course,

because I was like, I. I wasn't going for

like a pb, so I was like, I can't.

>> Heather: You would have a better opportunity. On course that.

>> Charlie: Hopefully a cleaner situation. because it was

honestly one of the worst. You know, when you just get in there and

you're like, nope, get out. Just get out.

That, is wild. So not ideal.

But again, I wasn't going for a pv, whereas people that were. I was

like, you need to stay in this line because. Or this

queue because it will count as your time. Whereas if

you start late, that's like, not as bad.

so, yeah, I felt sorry for a lot of people and, you know,

you kind of think it was the

50th event. They've had 50 years to

get these right.

>> Heather: Surely surprising at a, at a major world like

Berlin that that would be such an issue. Oh, my goodness.

>> Charlie: So did you have any situation, like issues at

the start area for Sydney?

>> Heather: So What I remember, and, we were, like I said,

at the age group World championship, so I didn't

notice if there was any extras for us or if that was

just for everybody. I don't remember.

But there was, since this was at like

an event, an oval, there was an actual, just like

real restroom there with like a sink and everything. So

we just waited and used that. It was great. We used it

twice before we left, so.

>> Charlie: So good.

>> Heather: My experience was great. We also did get there, not

too super early, but in enough time that we were able to

wait in line and use the restroom. And I felt like

everybody that was there when we started because we start. I

believe we started just a little bit earlier than,

I could be wrong, but I think the age group, age groupers went a

little bit before the regular group.

And I do feel like everybody there was like semi serious

and kind of just knew like, hey, we're all here because we've qualified

and we're like ready to go. And so people like just kind of use the

bathrooms quickly and just, I don't know, it just was very.

I feel like it was a pretty lovely, smooth experience to, be

honest.

>> Charlie: Efficient. That sounds very efficient. Yeah.

People in, out, go. Yeah,

perfect.

>> Heather: And just like respectful and like, that was great.

So, yeah, I felt like it was a really, like, well organised

race and from pretty much start to finish.

>> Charlie: So what were the crowds like on course?

>> Heather: Amazing. I mean, I definitely, like, looked up and

waved to people and said hi and I knew there was a

group from IFIT there, so I was looking for them to say hi

and But I definitely like, put my headphones in and kind of like went

to work because I was feeling. I wanted to go for a

good time and definitely wanted to get a bq

and. But I did know that, like, I'd have to kind of grind it a

little bit, that I was like, I'll just see how I feel. So I definitely,

like, try to take in the experience because I, I really

want to enjoy world major marathons. But

I also, in the back of my head, I'm like, I also trained really hard for this and

it's going to hurt no matter what, so I might as well go, like, run hard, you

know, like, yeah, might as well get a BQ while I'm at

it. So, But yeah, so the crowds were

phenomenal. Not as loud and

crazy as New York, I would say, or Boston or

Chicago, but I would say very much, a

part of the race. The big stretches through the city.

There was just a lot of people, like, it

was just a really cool experience to see. It

definitely felt like a world major, and now

Sydney's officially a world major. But at the time we just knew it was a

candidate and, like, the leading candidate and

everything about it just screamed major. I mean, it was just

wonderful support from the city. and like I said, the

course was fantastic. Even though it was challenging, the

views were beautiful. So there was a few stretches through the city that

were a little bit more flat, and that's where we kind

of needed, you know, a boost, and that's where the crowds were. So

I, again, I thought as far as race,

etiquette from the, spectators and just the

course, like, it was really, really. Well, it was. It was

phenomenal.

>> Charlie: And then, I mean, the finish line, I don't think there's a better,

ah, finish line.

>> Heather: Oh, my gosh, yes. I mean,

it's hard to compare anything to Boston, and I think Boston will still

be number one. But, yeah, the finish line is the Sydney Opera

House. Like, how.

Why? Mind blown. Like, I mean,

yeah, yeah, it was

phenomenal. And that last 10k that I was talking about earlier, that

was so hard. You actually run up through the

stretch of the Botanical Gardens. Wow.

So that was really pretty, too. And I was, of course, very much on

the pain cave. And in fact, I. I think I posted on my

Instagram there. My husband was so cute. shout out to my

husband, Trevor. He was so cute. And he met me on the course,

like, I don't know, eight to ten times.

>> Charlie: Wow.

>> Heather: Just. I know he got a lot of steps in that day, too. He's

like, you got ran 16 miles. I'm like, I bet you did,

actually, so.

>> Charlie: And you can't complain at all about your feet

hurting. So.

>> Heather: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. But he was so cute.

So he actually caught a video of me coming up that last

nk where I'm passing this admin, and

I'm, like, running up this hill, like, grinding it out, and he's yelling at

me, and I'm kind of like, acknowledging he's there, but I'm also, like, kind of

ignoring him because I'm like, I'm in so much pain right now. And I'm, like,

looking back at the video and I can see the gardens, and I'm like, I kind of wish

I would have, like, enjoyed those a little bit more. But, But yeah, it was

beautiful. And then, of course, you come around the last stretch to the

finish, and there's the Opera House. And it's

just, I mean, phenomenal. Like, I

don't know what a better word to describe it. I mean, it's like jaw

dropping.

>> Charlie: It's iconic, isn't it? That's like.

>> Heather: Yes.

>> Charlie: I mean, I know that Boston is. Is like, very

special. And for me, London has that

special, like, past Buckingham Palace. But I

feel like unless any of those

are like, home to you, there's nothing.

Nothing is quite as. Like, that is

Sydney, isn't it? Everyone in the world would know that that was

Sydney. And to be able to finish your marathon there, get your

medal, having worked so hard in training

and then through 26 miles,

that's just well done. Sydney Marathon

for, you know, that. That course in terms of, like,

cool start point, very, very

cool finish line.

>> Heather: Absolutely. It was done so well and like I

said, so professional, put together so well. Like, I

give the biggest shout out to the Sydney Marathon for all that they

did. Because, I, mean, you're going there and you're like, how is this not

a major? Like, that was my first thought, you know, like,

after we finished the race and we actually did a

tour of this. Any opera house the day before and got to

learn about the architecture and walk through it and,

you know, just see all the famous people that have performed there. And

it's just the most phenomenal building I think I've ever seen

in person in my life. So for that to have,

you know, that impact of getting the tour before

and of course, just little things like, you know, like famous

movies that are filmed right by the opera House. And, you know, my

kids are like, you're gonna go where Nepa lives. You know, like,

just. It was so cool to have the finish line

there and just have so much appreciation for that building and

what it took to build it. And then like you said, just to have the most

icon, one of the most iconic finishes of any race in the

world.

>> Charlie: What was the finish like? Do you get your medals straight

away? Did you do bag drop? Like, what are the kind

of logistics of. Of the finish?

>> Heather: Yeah, so kind of just like your typical, you know, made

for world or big marathon. It was, you know, finish, and there was

people there with your medals. And then if you were an

age group world championship runner, they

had an. A separate little area

where you could go. And there was like an extra little photo op that

said age group world Championship, I think, or Abbott World Majors

on the back and they give you a second medal, which

was really, really cool. Yeah, so we got a double medal.

Because if for those that don't know or those that are

maybe like, you know, newer to running or they're

just like maybe you're in your 30s and you're thinking about, oh, when I become a

master runner, this is something I'm interested in.

basically that world major marathon for the age group

championship travels to different races. So I believe it's

in New York next year and it was in Chicago last

year. So if you're at ah, that race and

registered and gotten in, then you get that second medal which

is very cool at a world marathon because

you know they're the most elite runners in the world there. And getting a

second medal for a podium or something isn't really in the car

for most of us, even though we're good runners.

so getting that second medal was actually very, very

cool.

>> Charlie: It's also just like a nod to

like maybe you're not running PBS

anymore, but comparatively to people

of your age you are

still, I mean everyone that runs

a marathon is incredible. But it's just a little nod to

like you are ah, at that top percentage

of the people in your age group. So whilst maybe you

aren't able to chase your PBS anymore or you're not going to

be as you say on the podium, you are still like

percentage wise, incredibly fast.

>> Heather: Yeah, it definitely get, makes you feel like, oh, I'm actually

pretty good at this running thing. Even though you're like you're, you know,

you're not in a sense it's not like you're winning a

marathon, but it does, it does make you feel

like to see where your percentage is. And then they, they

did a couple fun things like they did a boat tour that was

complimentary included with your. So you pay for

your ab. It's not a free bid but they gave a lot of

perks. So they had like extra swag at

the expo and then they had a boat tour

and then they had an after party. So we went to the after party and they

had food and drinks for everybody and

then they announced all of the winners in the top three age

group. And I mean it was absolutely

phenomenal to see. I think there was a

gentleman that was maybe 89 or 90 and he ran like a

304 marathon and one his age group. I mean it was

absolutely phenomenal. It was so

unreal. It was just a very cool experience to kind

of go see all that. And it, it's, you know, the great, the best runners in

the world in your age group. So definitely a cool opportunity

for anyone that's looking at doing that, you know, as

they reach that kind of masters era of running, there's just

so much more to see. It's like a lot of people say, oh, you better run

now, because you're not going to be able to run later. And I'm like, I beg to differ.

I see all these people doing this, and why not?

You know?

>> Charlie: Yeah. And actually, yeah, for, people that are

in the, like, throws of toddler parenting

like I am, it gives you hope that actually

maybe when your kids are a little bit older and you can go and do

these trips, that running is still there and you can still

be competitive in your age group. Not that

I'm competitive in my age group at all now, but, you know. You know what

I mean? You can, but you can still have big goals.

>> Heather: Absolutely. And I mean, bless you. I send prayers every

day to my friends with toddlers, because I. My kids are teenagers now,

so I get it. It's like my youngest is a 11 and

it's a lot, you know, and I kind of did it backwards. I got married

very young and had kids very young. And so now I'm in this age where

I'm just barely in the masters and my kids

are, you know, they don't need diaper changes

anymore. And, you know, I can kind of

explore that just a little bit more. Even though teenagers are busy

and exhausting in their own way, love them, but, you know, it's

a, it's a different chapter in parenting. And so, yeah, as

you age towards that kind of masters era

of running, it's really fun to see these people that

are, you know, really still dabbling in this sport that

is. It can be really hard on your body, and it's amazing to see people

that have figured it out. And, I'm kind of in that era as well

after my hip injury where I'm just not pounding as many

miles. But I'm still, setting PRs. Like, I set

three PRs this summer and I've never done. I haven't done that in

years. So I think it's pretty cool to see what our body can

do with the right kind of training and patience and,

just consistency over time and nutrition.

>> Charlie: I mean, this is a nutrition podcast, but yeah,

yeah, I think that's, you know, is what I bang

on about. It's like, so, like, you

can't pour from an empty vessel.

Like, you need to be fueling your body before, during, and

after all of your runs and workouts and races. So that you

can go again and again, which is what you need

to be consistent and see improvement. So,

yeah, my little pedestal.

>> Heather: But I completely agree with that. I think you do have to

pay attention to what, you know, obviously, you know, we've got our

funny things where it's like we go run 18 miles and you're like, yeah, I want a

donut or something, you know, but, like, really, truly,

like, we're. When we're trying to fuel our bodies. And I've learned that more

as I've gotten older, and a little wiser,

hopefully. But, you know, like, we. We want to fuel our bodies

correctly. And I do a meal prep company that really

helps me just make sure I'm getting the right nutrients in my

body as a competitive runner, you know, because you're right. That's something

that we can control. And you can kind of get

away with it sometimes in your 20s and 30s. That now that I'm in my

40s, I'm like, oh, I can't get away with that anymore. I gotta be really

careful, you know?

>> Charlie: Yeah.

>> Heather: So, yeah, definitely kudos to, like, not even just race day

fueling, but, you know, proper nutrition and a proper

carb load. I think you and I talked about that a lot in Boston about just

doing a proper carb load. Like the three to, you

know, depending on who you are, three to five to seven days

before our table, like.

>> Charlie: In the bedroom that I was sharing with some of the

girls was literally just like a carb

mess. You could just go over there and just like,

so many different carb snacks and drinks and

sweets and, pretzels and.

>> Heather: Yeah, it was, yeah, like, snack, bagel. Bagel. Kindle always

says, carry a bagel in your pocket. Just eat.

And not that you're being mindless and making yourself sick, but really,

truly, when you're trying to hit, you know, I think you and I were both

trying to hit, what was it, five, 50 grammes of carbs

before Boston, like, the three days leading up to it. Remember, like,

we were sitting there at brunch, like, logging our carbs and,

like.

>> Charlie: You know, get an orange juice.

>> Heather: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Which I actually really liked doing

orange juice. I hadn't really done orange juice before for carb

load. And I highly recommend that. That's. That was a good tip

from you. And I think Claire said that as well. So that was a.

>> Charlie: It's just an easy way. And it, like, drinks are

my top tip for carb load. They're really

easy way of getting in extra,

like, Just sipping on carbs throughout the day, adding it in,

it doesn't make you feel so bloated. especially

things like an orange juice. Also just as, like, a nice

addition to your breakfast or brunch without feeling

like it's. Yeah, exactly. And it's like vitamins. It's one of

your five a day. yeah, it's a good little.

>> Heather: Absolutely. I think one of my new secret

weapons is using orange juice. So everybody that wants a secret

weapon drink orange juice. I think it's a good one.

>> Charlie: Yeah. What are your three

main tips or takeaways from Sydney

marathon that you would share with an athlete or anyone

listening today?

>> Heather: Oh, my goodness. I mean, if you get the opportunity to go to

Sydney, do it. I want to say they might have a lottery

open right now.

>> Charlie: Opens on the 10th, 10th of December, I

think. Yeah.

>> Heather: Okay. So, yeah, thank you. I'm glad you knew that. I did get an

email and I knew it was coming up soon, but if you get the opportunity

to go, like, figure out how to go and get there.

Because that was one of the most phenomenal experiences of my

life. Like, wonderful that the race went well, but

also just a really nice trip for me and my husband. And we also,

like, went to the sanctuary and got to pet

baby kangaroos and made a koala bear.

And, you know, like, we did the Sydney Bridge climb and climbed

over the bridge. So just like, this city in general, like, I felt

like, really welcome to the marathoners. And of course, it's a huge city. It

has a lot of, you know, visitors all the

time. But I just felt like it was a, really cool

experience for the marathon to kind of

show that, hey, we can hang with, like, New York

and, you know, London and all these big marathons. Because

it really is a city that, you know, it's a

once in a lifetime type of trip. At least it was for me. I

don't know if anybody listening, you know,

lives in Sydney or has visited many times, but I'm hoping I can

go get to go back sometime. But, So, yeah, so, I mean, like, just get

there. Go and experience the city. Like, obviously go there for the

marathon, but take in the city as a whole and just

see. I mean, I don't know if you saw or if

anybody else listening had seen the prom, the promotional

video where they have a drone that flies over the bridge that you get to

run over. And it's like, I have, like, literal goosebumps every time I

see it. It's just phenomenal. Like,

it's just an amazing place to go and have it be a

destination race on top of it. So. So, yeah, if you get the

opportunity to go, go. Don't. Don't pass it

up. As far as the race goes, I would definitely plan

on training, in different, you know,

hot and cold temperatures as. As best as you can. Kind

of like Boston, you know, like, the weather's just volatile

and I would imagine, from what I've heard, Sydney's kind of been.

Maybe it's. Maybe it's been different over the last 10 to 20 years, but

what I've heard is it's been, you know, hot when you're cold, when you're kind of a

thing. So, definitely prepare for the weather and the course

by running some up and downhill stretches. I think that would

be really helpful, for anybody that's prepping for

those. They weren't super jarring, but just. There

was quite a bit of uphill and downhill. Right. You know?

>> Charlie: Yeah.

>> Heather: So just.

>> Charlie: You want to be mentally prepared for that as well as. Even

physically.

>> Heather: Exactly. And I think looking at a course map is lovely, but

you don't know until you actually run it. But if you can kind of simulate that

at home, Even if you're stuck on a treadmill, you know, there's.

There's workouts that you can do where you're kind of simulating that

uphill, downhill. And I. I definitely think that will.

Will help anybody that has been, you know,

wanting to practise their course beforehand. I think that's really,

really helpful. And I do know I'll. I'm. I'll give a shout out to

iFit. They. They did end up filming the race there. I. I

wasn't filming it, but one of the local

trainers from Sydney filmed it, which is really cool. So

if you are an IFIT member and you want to, you know, run Sydney,

I. I know that's going to be available on their treadmill, where they could

actually practise it, so.

>> Charlie: Cool.

>> Heather: Yeah. And they'll. They'll mimic the best that they can. The.

You know, they get a pretty, pretty accurate

idea, of what it's going to be like. And they'll kind of mimic the hill, uphill

and downhill, which is pretty cool. So.

And then, yeah, just as far as, like, the final tip, I would

just say, like, taking the finish line, because I,

thought, like, we were just saying, like, no

words like mind blown, just enjoying the finish line and

take all the pictures and video, all the

things, because that was probably the coolest

race I've ever ran. Coolest international race for

sure. But, yeah, definitely an iconic finish

line to be proud of at the end. So,

yeah, I just loved everything about it.

>> Charlie: Oh, I'm so glad you had such a good time. Well, thank you so much for

chatting with us and I'll leave

your Instagram links and everything below

in the show notes so that people can find you and follow

you. And you are running Boston in

April. That's your next race, right? Or next

marathon?

>> Heather: Yes, I am. yeah, Boston will be. Be the next big

one. And yeah, I'm excited. It'll be number seven, Boston.

And, yeah, it's going to be a party, as always. And yeah, thank

you so much for having me on. And for anyone interested in Sydney, I hope it

was helpful or just maybe a little bit of marathon strategy and

feeling. And, so good to talk to you as always,

Charlie.

>> Charlie: And we just need to get you over to do London. That's

on my list of to dos

is get you here, please.

>> Heather: Thank you. Me too. Let's find a way to get to London and

we'll make that happen and we can run it together. That would be a dream come true.