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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. This 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. ...

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. But 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. ...

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. The 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! ...

Half marathon prep went better than for my previous races, but the weather had other plans – it was incredibly hot and sunny. Woke 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. ...

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. Woke 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. ...

Finished the Devonport Half Marathon! First in a series of five half marathons.

14 km run. Bloody windy today.

Easy run at the end of a recovery week. A bit of rain and wind, but otherwise everything was great!

Today I ran after the rain; I found a bumblebee.