Rob Blythman warmed up for his first tilt at the Great Ocean Road Marathon in May by dispatching one of the hottest fields the Stawell Amateur Athletic Club could boast in the season opener at Stawell last Saturday.
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Built like a sprinter but training for long distance and from a favourable handicap, Blythman made up for a winless 2016 to overcome cross country newcomer Andrew Barnett, whose sparkling debut came on the back of a brilliant career in orienteering.
Once handicaps were adjusted, Blythman had almost a minute to spare from the pony-tailed runner-up in the five kilometre Barham Insurance Handicap with Sharon Howden, as usual, quickly finding form to finish third just seconds behind the free-striding Barnett.
Conceding nine minutes (or up to two kilometre starts) to the bulk of the big field, the task proved too great for schoolboy champion Tom Walker who ran a blistering 15.46 minutes to wind up in fourth place, just a 0.01 seconds behind Howden. But even he lowered his colours to Gift-quality invitation runner, Philo Saunders, who recorded a sizzling 14.47.
It was a remarkable effort given that the Stawell 1600 metres winner a week beforehand had been training exclusively for races of no further than two kilometres.
Blythman, whose only previous marathon reduced him to a walk some years ago, said he was aiming to break 3.45 hours on the Great Ocean Road.
“My first marathon took four hours and I have learned quite a lot from it; it is crucial to be well hydrated during the run and well-nourished because I just ran out of fuel last time,” he said.
“I have been very lucky not to have injuries; I have stuck to an online training plan, not over-trained, but I still have to run a three hour session before I can be confident of getting the distance that I want.”
The five-kilometre Rupanyup Garden Centre Handicap is next Saturday.