I injured myself at the Glasgow parkrun on 13 November. I couldn’t believe it. I’ve ran over 50 races this year and one week before the Bangkok Mini Marathon, I pulled muscles in both legs. I wasn’t able to run at all however I hoped that the rest would allow the injuries to clear in time for Bangkok. It wasn’t until I turned up at the Marathon Expo on the day before the event that I started to feel in the mood to race, despite now having my runners' t-shirt and being advised that only Full Marathon runners would receive the impressive looking medal on display.
I had a quiet night on Saturday, a chicken and cashew Thai meal with rice and a walk through the humid streets and lanes before returning to the hotel to watch Spurs sensational comeback against Arsenal and their grumpy manager. I booked a 5am morning call and slept off and on until the telephone awoke me. A couple of bits of fruit, some water and a cup of tea and I headed to reception for a quick photo and taxi to the race start.
The race was due to commence at 6:15am, with sunrise due at 6:20. We reached the entrance at about 6.00am. However the taxi driver didn’t have any change and wanted to drive around to find a shop or some other place that we could get change. I told him that I had no time and would leave the fare at the hotel as I left the Toyota and headed towards the start area.
There were loads of people walking towards the Start, in fact I was the only one running as I warmed up. The setting was amazing as I ran along Sanam Chai Road, in front of the ancient Royal Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Bhuda (Wat Prakaew). I’ve no idea how many people there were slowly making their way to the Start point under arch 2 but there were loads! Although some would be competing in the 5k race at 6:25am, there were still masses lining up for the 10k ‘mini marathon’. I was proudly wearing my brightly coloured yellow Scottish Veterans vest and had covered my brow in Vaseline to keep the sweat out of my eyes. I asked an English lass, who was running the 10k, why she didn’t join the throngs beside us, to which she replied that she didn’t want to be knocked over by all the fast runners. There was no chip for the race and I didn’t want to start too far back so I joined the runners in front of the official announcer. I couldn’t believe when she introduced no less than twelve dignitaries onto the stage to officially start the race.
It wasn’t long until the hooters, all twelve of them, were sounded, balloons set off and the runners started to make their way around the course. Everyone around me was walking and I was happy to do so as well until I crossed the official line and started my Garmin. I then had to weave my way through the walkers, slow runners and marching bands as I tried to find my own pace. It took a whole kilometre before I was able to run freely. Giving the congesting, I wasn’t too disappointed with my time of 5:05. However I looked up to see the runners in front making their way upwards on Phra Pin klao Bridge. I seemed to be the only one carrying a water bottle and I took my last drink and poured the remaining, now warm, water over my head. An Asian runner commented to me that it was very hot. Coming from Scotland, I knew that! I also knew that there were water stops approximately every two kilometres. The first one was approaching and I dropped my left hand to pick up the last cardboard cup of water on the set of tables but I missed! I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t even touch it. I was a bit concerned that the heat was already taking its toll on my senses but no problem there would be another water stop. I could now see the faster runners making their way back from the turning point at the PATA Department Store. I was still overtaking loads of people and was feeling tired but confident. No real problems with either injured leg. My second kilometre was perhaps too quick for the conditions as I completed it in 4:45. I had it in my mind a target of just below 50mins. It wasn’t long until I had reached the turn round point and was heading back into the gorgeous new moon. My third k had taken 4.58. I could see the masses of runners behind me as they made their way outwards before I turned left and I headed towards Rama 8 Bridge. I had noticed this particular bridge with its distinctive pyramid shape from my river cruise on Friday night. The temperature seemed to be rising significantly and I was glad to reach the next water stop to replace some of my lost fluids and to pour some more water over my head. The fourth k had taken 4:44. I could see quite a lot of runners walking at this stage and although tiring quickly I was in good fettle as I was still making my way through the field, however I was concerned that this pace would take its toll in the second half of the race. Up and over the bridge, I ran and then spied the first marker of the race 4k! No way, my Garmin had made this the 5k point and I had definitely reset it after my warm up. Perhaps so many people had been walking at the start as the official race didn’t start for a kilometre. There was no real room for people to warm up before the race and maybe this was how they done it. Nah, it couldn’t be. I had taken around 25mins and had run 5k, the fifth k taken 4:54. Maybe the race was 11k I thought. Whatever the reason was all I could do was try to maintain a pace that would see me run my 10k in around 50mins, I was enjoying the event but the thought of having to run another kilometre on top was not appealing. I stuck behind a couple of local runners wearing Bridgestone vests for a little while before overtaking them and a few others at the junction of Phrasumane Road.
I was visibly slowing now but it appeared that everyone else was too as I was still making some progress, despite my sixth k taken 5:10. The seventh k was a struggle. It took me 5:11 and I started to reappraise my 50min initial target and would now be happy to complete the race with resorting to walking. I stopped at the next water stop, the cup was full of iced water and again I drunk some and poured the rest over my head. The Vaseline was now no longer effective and the sweat was starting to burn my eyes. I took in a few deep breadths to fill my lungs before running under the bridge and turning left at the National Theatre. I was continuing to slow and the eighth k had taken 5:15. We made our way around past Tharmmaset University, I was slowing even more, the two Strongbridge ruuners and probably a few others had overtaken me but I felt quite positive as I was catching others who must have been tiring too, despite taken over 5:49 for my ninth kilometre. However the sign said 8K!! Was there one kilometre or two to go? Que serra, serra, I thought and comforted myself with the knowledge that at least the last part of the course would be entirely flat. I ran past the Royal Grand Palace and turned left at Wat Phro. I was approaching Sanamchai Road now and could see the tail end of the 5k walkers making their way along to their Start line. As I turned the corner I joined the filter of 10k runners being directed to the right. I could see some people lining the route ahead and wondered how much further was to go. A couple of people sprinted past me as I realised that this was in fact the Finish line, I increased the pace slightly for the last few metres and stopped my watch as I crossed the line. I was pleasantly surprised to read a total time of 48:42.
I was shattered and the sweat was still pouring out of me as I was directed along into the grounds of the Ministry of Defence. My number was scored with a highlighter pen and I was giving a couple of tokens abd a medal. I didn't expect a medalas I had been told that these were only for full marathon finishers. I noticed a western woman lying on the ground and I enquired if she was OK. She had run the full marathon and was feeling sick but was all right. I must have been diverted into the full marathon finishers area by mistake, that would explain my medal. I was also feeling sick. I wasn’t sure about eating any food which was being donated by McDonalds, I don’t think I could have eaten anything, let alone a Big Mac. However I handed my token in and received a dish which looked to be some sort of Thai fish stew or soup. Full of protein no doubt but not great if you’re feeling sick, so I placed mine in the nearest bin and headed for the exit point.
I was extremely lucky, being able to flag down a taxi immediately. I felt a bit sorry for him as I sat there with the sweat continuing to pour out of me. I handed him a slip from the hotel with its address in Thai. He almost made it to Soi 5 where the hotel is but took a wrong turn and headed up a one way road. He offered to let me off there but guess what, he didn’t have any change. I thought about getting out but we drove around until we found a shop where I managed to get some change. After a long detour we arrived on the other side of the road to the junction of Soi 5 and I got out. I gave him 100 Bhat, this was less than the meter said and I explained that it wasn’t my fault that he had taken a long detour.
I then jogged back to the Hotel for a cool down dip in the pool before turning on the TV to watch the Delhi Marathon and associated races which were being run in a comfortable 18c. I’ll maybe try one of these sometime.
All and all the Bangkok Mini Marathon was a good race with a great starting and finishing point, however with much of it being over two road bridges there was no support for most of the course, a bit of a shame really in a city of some ten million people. I’m glad I ran it and I've got a lovely medal to prove it.
With around 10,000 runners it was the largest 10k race I've participated in, I was well placed but with no results recorded, I'll never know how well. If you ever do it don't forget to take your Garmin.
Pics to follow.
Pics to follow.
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