Carman’s Fun Run 2025

This was one of the toughest half marathons I’ve ever run. I had no proper training this time, partly due to the scorching summer heat and low energy, and the race itself was met with extreme weather conditions. For the first time, I found myself running in hail—accompanied by heavy rain and powerful winds.

Fortunately, the weather was not bad the entire time – it was actually pleasant at the start of the race. But Melbourne’s weather is crazy… One moment, there were blue skies and white clouds; the next, I was running through hail and battling strong winds. The only consolation was the beautiful ocean, with waves crashing dramatically in the background.

I am very grateful for the pacers. Most of their balloons were lost to the strong winds, but we could still identify them by the bibs with their target times pinned to their backs. I followed the 2:30 pacer—likely the slowest for this race—but at least I knew I wouldn’t be too late crossing the finish line. I couldn’t have done it without him!

For this half marathon, my official time was 2:28:22. Not my best record, but I was incredibly proud that I did not give up despite the extreme weather. My satisfaction is beyond words!

I am extremely grateful for Ben, who woke up at 5:30 AM on a Sunday to drive me there—I’m lucky to have someone so supportive. Luckily, we managed to find street parking in the neighbourhood.

We usually celebrate with a nice meal in a cafe or restaurant after the run, but not this time as our clothes were soaked. I felt guilty because Ben also got caught in the rain while walking to meet me at the finish line. In the end, we settled for a drive-thru McDonald’s breakfast and also ordered laksa for lunch delivered to our home.

I still dream of running a full marathon someday, and I hope to do it before I turn 40… time is ticking!