Sport	Race
Event	Toyota McCarthy Road Race
Date	04 February 2012
Where	Pretoria, South Africa
Distance	21 Km
Finishing Time	01:48:33
Race Number	890
Result	356/1585
Top %	22%
Pace	5:10 m/km
Speed	11.61 km/h
Click here for details about Toyota McCarthy Road Race
Comments	View Comments

My experience at the event:

I don't run many 21km. During pre-season, my favorite distance is the 10km, where I can push and get a decent time, and usually if I have to run more than 15km, I may as well do a marathon.
But some races are just nice to run. Last year I completed the McCarthy Race in Pretoria, helping Jill to get a good time, in around 2h15. This time I decided that Jill was probably capable of running 21km by herself (after all she completed the Tough One!), and so I did the race by myself.
The route is quite flat, two loops of a 10km race with only 2 hills of note and long straight segments.
Probably because I was a bit unsure about my damaged ankle (which still bugs me), I kept a decent pace but by half-way my time was only 57 minutes. So I decided to push and I completed the second part of the race in a much better 51 minutes to finish under 1h 50 in an overcast day.

Jill completed it in around 2.30 with David maybe 5 minutes away. Andy completed his first 10km in an impressive 56 minutes!
Pictures from the race:

That is the queue for the toilets

Andy in his athlet outfit

Just after the race

21km, done

A medal for my collection

Jill arrives

(almost) the full team

Back to sports

---