Melbourne Marathon 2009

Wednesday 14 October

Miles Rodriquez - Media Intern

The Melbourne Marathon was held on Sunday, with TeamMONASH™ representing a large proportion of the race. A number of success stories have come out of the Monash camp in the days after the race.

One of these is Gayle Whyte who wished to compete last year but was forced to withdraw due to a heart attack. Gayle’s determination helped get her fitness back on track. At first this required her to shuffle around the block without raising her heart rate above 130 bpm.

From that point, Gayle regularly checked in at the cardiology department at Monash Medical Centre. “I was able to start jogging slowly and regain confidence in my body,” she said.

The training in the lead up to this year’s marathon was a long one for Gayle who just wanted to finish the race.

“The weather was perfect and the circuit for the marathon is very picturesque. It’s been a long road but I’m so happy to finish a marathon in five hours. I’ll now retire while the going’s good.”

Jia Leng Cheok had a smoother build up to the marathon but still thoroughly enjoyed the experience of finishing her first competitive 10km run in a time of one hour and nine minutes.

“I am very proud and pleased with myself because I was able to complete the race without stopping or even walking,” she said. “It's not the best time comparatively but it was a remarkable and irreplaceable experience for me.”

“What I find most inspirational during my run was having a runner from Monash running past me and saying "Come on, Go Monash! Go!".I didn't know who that was but those simple words made me so determined to not stop or even walk and to finish the race strong. I represented TeamMONASH™ and I didn't want to let the team down.”
 
Jia Leng was very thankful to Monash for the experience and will compete in many future Melbourne Marathons in the TeamMONASH™ colours.

TeamMONASH™ also had some high achievers such as Lynda McRae who finished the half marathon in sixth place and first in her age group. It was an impressive performance from Lynda who completed the run in one hour and twenty-two minutes.
 

It was an enjoyably day had by all on a beautiful spring day in Melbourne. A photo gallery from the event can be found here.