Robertson’s in for the long haul
Zane Robertson has always run to his own distinct beat, so it shouldn’t surprise that the Kiwi distance runner was not exactly doing backflips of joy following a highly promising marathon debut on the Gold Coast.
Robertson, the 2014 Commonwealth Games 5000m bronze medallist, finished a handy third on Sunday in 2hr 08min 19sec. That clipped 7sec off the New Zealand record held by twin brother Jake and also ticked off qualifying times for the world championships in Doha later this year and the Olympics in Tokyo next year.
Considering it was his first crack over the 42.2km gutbuster, the Ethiopia-based athlete should have been over the moon. But, as he remarked shortly before flying into New Zealand for a 12-day break, he has ambitions that stretch far beyond Kiwi marks and qualifying standards.
‘‘I have my own goals, and that’s to be the best,’’ Robertson told Stuff. ‘‘The best in the world run 2:06 [marathons] these days, and the national record was irrelevant to me. I was out there chasing a sub-2:07 and I was a little bit disappointed I didn’t come away with that or get the win.’’
But Robertson’s discontent comes with a caveat. In a brutal Gold Coast race that saw the leaders racing into the wind for the first 17km and then facing gusting headwinds for the last 5km, their finishing times had to be put into perspective.
Japan’s Yuta Shitara won in 2:07.50 with Kenya’s Barnabas Kiptum second, 17sec ahead of the Kiwi.
‘‘Any other day, with good weather, that was a 2:06 . . . all three of us feel like that was a 2:06 performance,’’ Robertson said.
And not even a hint of satisfaction at topping his brother’s marathon mark of 2:08:26?
‘‘We are very competitive, but not in the sense there’s sibling rivalry,’’ he explains. ‘‘We both want to be the best we can be as individuals and to be the best in the world – that’s the mentality you need to succeed at this level.’’
Robertson also offers some perspective on what it takes to run a 2:06 for the marathon, with all due respect to his fellow athletes toiling away at lesser distances.
‘‘It requires a lot of dedication and time training, a lot of focus, no distractions . . . the Japanese lead a very humble life, like the Africans. The nations dominating in this area of the sport live and train in the same way I do, with the same values.
‘‘It’s not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle. You have to invest a lot more of your life into it. The training is a lot harder, and you can’t just do one training run and sit down and joke around like sprinters, or other track and field athletes, no disrespect to them.
‘‘We have to grind continuously for 42km, and that type of training requires no rest.’’
Robertson has committed to run the marathon both in Doha and Tokyo next year, and firmly believes he can contend for a medal at the world champs in an event that will prove distinctly challenging, with the heat and a midnight start.
‘‘I know the east Africans . . . I don’t think they will be as smart in terms of what they need to do to prepare for a race like that. Firstly it’s going to be championship, so there are no pacers. Then, how to train in heat and condition their bodies to prepare for a midnight marathon?
‘‘That’s pretty cool – just another aspect to screw people up.’’
Robertson begins preparations after his New Zealand break with a two-week camp in Cyprus to get heat adjusted. He will then return to Ethiopia – he and Jake have been based in east Africa since they were 17 – for a training block and hopefully slip in a 10k or halfmarathon on the road before heading to Doha.
‘‘It’s going to be an absolute slugfest,’’ he says of a world championship race as much a mental as physical battle. ‘‘The pain you feel in a marathon when you’re running hard . . . even though we’ve trained for it, the only thing that keeps you going in the last few ks is your emotion, how hungry are you, how bad do you want this?’’
Ethiopia (Zane is based in Sululta in the mountain region) remains the ideal training ground for this Kiwi who has made the changes required to get his running back on track.
‘‘I was always with a very strong group of athletes, and with the programme the coach set I was always encouraged to go on to the next session, when I should have been taking another day of recovery. I was always getting sick or injured and it cost me a lot of races. Now I’m training on my own, I’m self-coached, with a small group around me so I dictate the programme. I feel like I’m on the way up.’’
Doha awaits. And some midnight madness that is just up this Kiwi’s alley.