[{"content":" This race is the crown jewel of Auckland half marathons and the series’ final event. The course is almost completely flat, making it a great opportunity for heaps of runners to chase a new PB.\nThis year, the start line was moved to St Heliers Bay, so instead of the usual two laps, the route stretched into a single out-and-back along the waterfront to the downtown ferries. The course itself runs right along the coast: on one side, you have the bay, yachts, and Rangitoto Island on the horizon; on the other, houses, cafes, and typical urban scenery.\nRunning such a flat route after the hills of previous races was an absolute pleasure, plus the weather was brilliant. The run felt effortless, and my body quickly settled into a steady rhythm, so I managed to hold a consistently high heart rate without blowing up. In the end, even though I didn’t quite match my half marathon PB, I finished way faster than in all my other races this season.\nAnd at the finish line, a double reward was waiting for me. Two medals at once: one for the half marathon itself, and a second, much bigger and heavier one, for completing all five races in the series. Season closed, mission accomplished — now it’s time to take a breather and forget about running for a while.\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/waterfront-half-marathon-2026/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/waterfront-half-marathon-2026/waterfront-half-marathon-2026-medal.png\" alt=\"Finisher Medal\"  style=\"width: 30%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis race is the crown jewel of Auckland half marathons and the series’ final event. The course is almost completely flat, making it a great opportunity for heaps of runners to chase a new PB.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis year, the start line was moved to St Heliers Bay, so instead of the usual two laps, the route stretched into a single out-and-back along the waterfront to the downtown ferries. The course itself runs right along the coast: on one side, you have the bay, yachts, and Rangitoto Island on the horizon; on the other, houses, cafes, and typical urban scenery.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Waterfront Half Marathon 2026"},{"content":" One of the most beautiful half marathons I’ve ever run. Almost the entire route follows the coastline, with stunning views of the bay and pohutukawa trees.\nBut the course has a catch. After the relaxed, flat sections along the waterfront, the route enters a regional park, and a solid hill climb begins. Heaps of runners drop to a walk here. Honestly, this section makes you work up a serious sweat and absolutely trashes your leg muscles. For me, at least, running the second half of the course after the downhill was way harder.\nAs a reward, you get a gorgeous view of the bay and the surrounding area from the top of the hill. To remember the race, I snapped a photo of some very confused sheep trying to figure out why so many people were trampling their grass.\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/maraetai-half-marathon-2026/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/maraetai-half-marathon-2026/maraetai-half-marathon-2026-medal.png\" alt=\"Finisher Medal\"  style=\"width: 30%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the most beautiful half marathons I’ve ever run. Almost the entire route follows the coastline, with stunning views of the bay and pohutukawa trees.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut the course has a catch. After the relaxed, flat sections along the waterfront, the route enters a regional park, and a solid hill climb begins. Heaps of runners drop to a walk here. Honestly, this section makes you work up a serious sweat and absolutely trashes your leg muscles. For me, at least, running the second half of the course after the downhill was way harder.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Maraetai Half Marathon 2026"},{"content":" It’s becoming a routine: waking up at 4:00 am, taking a little over an hour to get ready, and driving through still-empty streets. Arriving at 6:00 am, an hour and a half before the start. That’s plenty of time to look around, hit the restrooms, adjust my gear, and warm up before the race.\nThe entire route follows paved roads closed off for the event. The first two kilometres are on a relatively flat section, followed by a view of Kim Dotcom’s mansion and a solid two-kilometre climb. From there to the turnaround point, it’s rolling hills – uphills alternating with downhills. Hit the turnaround, and it’s the same thing in reverse. Although, on the way back, it feels like there are way more uphills. The final two kilometres are all downhill, perfect for a finishing sprint!\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/coatesville-half-marathon-2026/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/coatesville-half-marathon-2026/coatesville-half-marathon-2026-medal.png\" alt=\"Finisher Medal\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s becoming a routine: waking up at 4:00 am, taking a little over an hour to get ready, and driving through still-empty streets. Arriving at 6:00 am, an hour and a half before the start. That’s plenty of time to look around, hit the restrooms, adjust my gear, and warm up before the race.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe entire route follows paved roads closed off for the event. The first two kilometres are on a relatively flat section, followed by a view of Kim Dotcom’s mansion and a solid two-kilometre climb. From there to the turnaround point, it’s rolling hills – uphills alternating with downhills. Hit the turnaround, and it’s the same thing in reverse. Although, on the way back, it feels like there are way more uphills. The final two kilometres are all downhill, perfect for a finishing sprint!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Coatesville Half Marathon 2026"},{"content":" Half marathon prep went better than for my previous races, but the weather had other plans – it was incredibly hot and sunny.\nWoke up at 3:45 am. A light breakfast, an hour’s drive on empty roads, and we arrived among the first. Convenient parking right by the start line and zero lines for the toilets were a nice reward for the early wake-up.\nThe course turned out to be interesting: part of it ran right along the beach – sand, shells, waves, and awesome views. Beautiful, but pretty tough in places.\nThe heat hit quickly. The water I brought ran out early, so I had to stop at aid stations roughly every four kilometers.\nFinished in 2:22 – slower than Devonport Half, but the conditions were better there. Here, the sun and sand added to the challenge. On the bright side, I got to take a dip in the cool ocean right after crossing the finish line – a perfect start of recovery process.\nA few hours after the race, the wind rolled in some clouds, and it poured rain for the rest of the afternoon. I dislike the rain even more than the heat, so I actually think I got lucky with the weather.\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/omaha-half-marathon-2025/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/omaha-half-marathon-2025/omaha-half-marathon-2025-medal.png\" alt=\"Finisher Medal\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHalf marathon prep went better than for my previous races, but the weather had other plans – it was incredibly hot and sunny.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWoke up at 3:45 am. A light breakfast, an hour’s drive on empty roads, and we arrived among the first. Convenient parking right by the start line and zero lines for the toilets were a nice reward for the early wake-up.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Omaha Half Marathon 2025"},{"content":" I wasn’t ready for this marathon – I had been sick and didn’t have time to fully recover. My weekly volume was only 30 km, and my longest run was a half marathon a month before the race. After that, I didn’t run anything longer than 14 km. So, I wasn’t chasing a PB or a specific time.\nWoke up before my alarm – which is lucky, because I actually forgot to set it! 😅 A quick breakfast and off I went: drove to the city center, then took the ferry to Devonport. The start was at 6 am.\nI took it easy: walked all the uphills, kept my heart rate in zones 2 and 3. I felt pretty fresh up to the halfway mark, but then the real struggle began. Mostly, it was my feet – they just weren’t used to that kind of mileage anymore. After the 20 km mark, I just wanted to step off the course and call it a day. I managed to hold on until about 30 km, but then had to switch to a brisk walk.\nMy feet were burning and swelled up so much I had to loosen my shoelaces. Took a Nurofen pill, which helped a bit. I even found enough strength to start running again for the final kilometer, and went for a sprint right before the finish line.\nNow, three days of rest, and I’ll be ready for new adventures!\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/auckland-marathon-2025/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/auckland-marathon-2025/auckland-marathon-2025-medal.png\" alt=\"Finisher Medal\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI wasn’t ready for this marathon – I had been sick and didn’t have time to fully recover. My weekly volume was only 30 km, and my longest run was a half marathon a month before the race. After that, I didn’t run anything longer than 14 km. So, I wasn’t chasing a PB or a specific time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWoke up before my alarm – which is lucky, because I actually forgot to set it! 😅 A quick breakfast and off I went: drove to the city center, then took the ferry to Devonport. The start was at 6 am.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Auckland Marathon 2025"},{"content":" Finished the Devonport Half Marathon! First in a series of five half marathons.\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/devonport-half-marathon-2025/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/devonport-half-marathon-2025/devonport-half-marathon-2025-medal.png\" alt=\"Finisher Medal\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFinished the Devonport Half Marathon! First in a series of five half marathons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/devonport-half-marathon-2025/devonport-half-marathon-2025-selfie.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Devonport Half Marathon 2025"},{"content":" 14 km run. Bloody windy today.\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/2025-07-02/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/2025-07-02/2025-07-02-sea-view-road.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e14 km run. Bloody windy today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/2025-07-02/2025-07-02-mission-bay-fountain.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e","title":"2025-07-02"},{"content":" Easy run at the end of a recovery week. A bit of rain and wind, but otherwise everything was great!\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/2025-06-28/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/2025-06-28/2025-06-28-road-view.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEasy run at the end of a recovery week. A bit of rain and wind, but otherwise everything was great!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/2025-06-28/2025-06-28-sun-view.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e","title":"2025-06-28"},{"content":" ","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/2025-06-21/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/2025-06-21/2025-06-21-view.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e","title":"2025-06-21"},{"content":" Today I ran after the rain; I found a bumblebee.\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/2025-06-07/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/2025-06-07/2025-06-07-bee.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I ran after the rain; I found a bumblebee.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"2025-06-07"},{"content":" ","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/2025-05-14/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/2025-05-14/2025-05-14-sun-raise.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e","title":"2025-05-14"},{"content":" ","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/2025-05-08/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/2025-05-08/2025-05-08-stop-putin.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/2025-05-08/2025-05-08-warning-sign.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e","title":"2025-05-08"},{"content":" ","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/2025-05-05/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/2025-05-05/2025-05-05-sunrise.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e","title":"2025-05-05"},{"content":"Waterfront Half Marathon, done! It was an incredibly fun and exciting run. I will definitely come back next year.\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/waterfront-half-marathon-2025/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWaterfront Half Marathon, done! It was an incredibly fun and exciting run. I will definitely come back next year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/waterfront-half-marathon-2025/waterfront-half-marathon-2025-running.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/waterfront-half-marathon-2025/waterfront-half-marathon-2025-medal.png\" alt=\"Finisher Medal\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden;\"\u003e\n      \u003ciframe allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share; fullscreen\" loading=\"eager\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/JS5uTT_V8Ok?autoplay=0\u0026amp;controls=1\u0026amp;end=0\u0026amp;loop=0\u0026amp;mute=0\u0026amp;start=0\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border:0;\" title=\"YouTube video\"\u003e\u003c/iframe\u003e\n    \u003c/div\u003e","title":"Waterfront Half Marathon 2025"},{"content":" Survived “Round the Bays 2025”! 8.4 km in 49 mins. Lesson learned: don’t run dehydrated! Still, a finish is a finish 😊\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/round-the-bays-2025/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/round-the-bays-2025/round-the-bays-2025-finish.png\" alt=\"Round the Bays Finish Line\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSurvived “Round the Bays 2025”! 8.4 km in 49 mins. Lesson learned: don’t run dehydrated! Still, a finish is a finish 😊\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Round the Bays 2025"},{"content":" Completed a 15 km run today. Met a cat on the way.\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/posts/training-continues/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/training-continues/training-run-myself.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCompleted a 15 km run today. Met a cat on the way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/posts/training-continues/training-run-cat.png\" alt=\"\"  style=\"width: 50%; margin: 0 auto; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;\"\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Training Continues"},{"content":"Hi! My name is Stanislav. I live in New Zealand and write this blog to organise my sports (mostly running) experience.\nI started running quite late, at 44, but over the past three years, I\u0026rsquo;ve gone from being a couch potato to an amateur who has managed to run several marathons and a series of five half-marathons.\nWhat you can find here:\nCourse and event reviews: Impressions from races, course analysis, and analytics. Training routine: How I structure my training schedule, photos from runs, etc. Theory and practice: Tips on training, recovery, and gear. Where to find me YouTube Telegram Strava Support the blog Buy me a Ko-Fi\n","permalink":"https://figuspace.pages.dev/en/about/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHi! My name is Stanislav. I live in New Zealand and write this blog to organise my sports (mostly running) experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI started running quite late, at 44, but over the past three years, I\u0026rsquo;ve gone from being a couch potato to an amateur who has managed to run several marathons and a series of five half-marathons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat you can find here:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCourse and event reviews:\u003c/strong\u003e Impressions from races, course analysis, and analytics.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTraining routine:\u003c/strong\u003e How I structure my training schedule, photos from runs, etc.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTheory and practice:\u003c/strong\u003e Tips on training, recovery, and gear.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"where-to-find-me\"\u003eWhere to find me\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@figus2figus\"\u003eYouTube\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://t.me/FigusBlog\"\u003eTelegram\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.strava.com/athletes/4046957\"\u003eStrava\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"support-the-blog\"\u003eSupport the blog\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://ko-fi.com/figus\"\u003eBuy me a Ko-Fi\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"About"}]