Runs take toll on Campbell in marathon
MARGIE Campbell was on track to capture the Auckland Marathon title before she was slowed by something literally out of her control.
The 33yearold Dunedin physiotherapist ran a strong first 25km and held a handy lead in Sunday’s race. But then it — ah, how can we can say it? — it all fell apart as some gastrointestinal issues took over.
That sapped her of plenty of energy, but she held the lead for the next 16km.
However, with a kilometre to go Australian Fiona Yates came storming past and Campbell was unable to keep up.
It left her to finish in 2hr 49min 36sec, 1min behind Yates and 6min slower than her personal best.
That left her disappointed, although given the circumstances most would still consider it an impressive effort.
‘‘If you really want to go into it — [I had] diarrhoea basically,’’ she said.
‘‘It was just disgusting. I’ve never felt so foul in my life.’’
While it was the first time she had experienced it, the reaction is not uncommon in longdistance runners.
It came as a result of the body working so hard that all the blood is shunted to the muscles.
That leaves the stomach unable to digest anything and the body reacts by expelling whatever is inside.
‘‘I thought it was just one little bout and I thought ‘I can get through this. It’ll be fine’.
‘‘I saw my husband on the side and I said, ‘I’m going to need some clean shorts at the finish line’ and he said, ‘Don’t you worry about that, keep running’. By that stage I was out along Tamaki Dr, 2528km into the race.
‘‘I was still feeling good. There was no pain, no fatigue, no tying up of muscles, just the feeling in my shorts.
‘‘There was no question of stopping, no thought of stopping to find a portaloo. I thought ‘OK this happened. You just keep on going to the finish and when I finish then I can sort something out’.’’
It had been frustrating being unable to keep up in the final kilometre and she was disappointed not to have won.
She had been confident heading into the race, had prepared well and was familiar with the course.
Having lived in Auckland for two years before moving south with husband Richard this year, Campbell finished second in the 2016 race.
The shift to Dunedin had been a good one.
She has found a physio job in the city and is enjoying running the trails in the hills, as well as along the Ravensbourne cycleway.
She has done six marathons and a handful of ultramarathons, although that is a more recent thing.
Previously, she was a middledistance runner in her native Australia.
Living in Caloundra, on the Sunshine Coast, she was a 800m and 1500m runner and most impressively notched a fourth place at the Australian national championships.
Her next target is the Kepler Challenge in four weeks.