Melbourne Marathon Finishers 2016

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This isn’t the clearest graph ever, but it might help to know that point 1 represents 1978 when there were 1947 finishers, 4.1% of whom were female, and point 37 represents 2014 when there were 6440 finishers, 30.7% of whom were female.

There is a downward trend both in the total number of finishers and in the percentage of females.

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Melbourne Marathon Finishers 2015

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Continuing a tradition, we have graphed the finishers of all Melbourne Marathons, 1978 to 2015.

 

This isn’t the clearest graph ever, but it might help to know that point 78 represents 1978 when there were 1947 finishers, 4.1% of whom were female, and point 14 represents 2014 when there were 6440 finishers, 30.7% of whom were female.

Recent years have seen a gradual increase in ...

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Men’s World’s Best Marathon Time Set by a Kenyan

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Dennis Kipruto Kimetto has run 2:02:57 to win the 2014 Berlin Marathon, taking 26 seconds off the previous World Record and becoming the first man under 2:03, beating the ineligible 2:03:02 set at Boston in 2011. He is Kenyan, as is the second place getter with the third placed runner being Ethiopian.

The Ethiopia-Kenya corner of the world has produced an extraordinary proportion of top male and female marathoners in the last twenty years. This article at sportsscientists.com/ shows that ...

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Hypoglycemia Episode

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Four kilometres into this morning’s planned 30 kilometre run, I lost all energy and felt like I’d hit the wall. The pace I could maintain was drastically reduced, and slight undulations became mountains.

I believe that the cause was hypoglyc(a)emia – low blood sugar. I’ve experienced similar symptoms in the past after drinking Sprite or Fanta immediately before a run. The body’s insulin response to the influx of sugar is complicated by exercise. This morning I had my usual pre long ...

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“Twin Ambitions” by Mo Farah

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How did Mo Farah become a dual Gold Medallist for Britain although born in Somalia? Mo arrived in England aged eight knowing very little English. His talent for running was noticed at an early age and this greatly aided acceptance of him. Early in his secondary school career he so easily won an endurance race that his PE teacher had Mo sign each of ...

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“How to Run” by Paula Radcliffe

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Paula Radcliffe has the three fastest marathon times run by a woman: the fourth best time is almost three minutes slower than Paula’s best.

As the cover says, this 2011 book covers the beginning runner attempting 5 kilometres all the way through to very serious marathoners. All aspects of running are covered from mental preparation, equipment, injuries, exercises and training schedules. It is ...

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Socks

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What do you buy your father for his birthday when you know that you can’t afford the Ferrari Dino 246 that he wants? My children decided on a pair of socks. As a dutiful parent, I gushed that I’d always lusted after a pair of these, but hadn’t been able to afford them. When I wore them, they proved to be comfortable, and kept ...

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Female Participation in Melbourne Marathon

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It has been noticeable that in recent years an increasing number of women are completing the Melbourne Marathon, but I was surprised to read that 55% of the 11,000 half marathon entrants are women. This lead me plough through some result books and spreadsheets to see the numbers for the full marathon.

In 1978 there were 1947 finishers but no breakdown by sex. There ...

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