Sandy Point Run is a yearly event held in Brighton, a south-eastern suburb of Melbourne. It is great for someone who wants to escape from the busy city and enjoy running with a scenic coastal view. It also feels good to see a lot of big and beautiful houses along the way as Brighton is one of the wealthiest suburbs in Melbourne.
I made my Personal Best again this time! My official time was 2:19:15 – one minute faster than my previous PB. I was placed 394 out of 450 in the Women’s half marathon category. I was happy that I was faster than at least 10% of the runners. XD
I signed up for this half marathon for $125. Every time I signed up for a race I would buy the event t-shirt as well, but I gave it a pass this time as I did not like its design (black again) so I could save $50. I wore the same one that I bought in Run Melbourne 2022.
The ‘balloon man’
At the beginning of my race, I saw a man running with a balloon. I felt curious about it and then I saw some words on the balloon ‘2:20’. I think they are called pacers as I once heard from my sister many years ago, though I never ran with one.
But I gave it a try this time as I did not have enough practice. I followed him quietly for the first half of the race and the last bit of the race, and then sprinted at the end so I was slightly faster at 2:19:15.
I must say I was very impressed with the pacer as he was so accurate with the timing, and I could not have done it without him. Being a pacer is such a great thing to do and can help other runners.
I also like the supporters along the way. Some people put up boards with encouraging words, and one caught my attention ‘Pain is temporary. The race photos on Instagram are forever.’
However, weather is a big factor for photos. It was cloudy at that time so was not good for pictures but good for running as I prefer running in cooler weather. The photos would look much nicer in sunny weather.
I told Ben no need to come so early as I was pretty sure I would be late this time but I was earlier than expected. I waited nervously for 10 minutes as I did not carry any money or phone with me. The lucky thing is that the crowd is not as big as Run Melbourne so it was easier to find someone.
My reward for the race
After the race, we went to Platform One cafe for breakfast. It costs $60 for two omelettes and coffee. We can really feel the impact of inflation as it used to cost about $50, but I deserved it after a long race!
Now I am planning to slow down a bit on running… as I wanted to focus on dancing because I will be having a performance in October and November.
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