Jason Martin has been flying during this current season. The marathon though does not acknowledge the form of the athlete, and its long, long distance allows for various factors that can contribute to nullify the previous form. Only to a certain extent though, as while Jason Martin did not get his target time, he still prevailed over the distance, enjoyed the finish line and ended with a result that a whole lot would be elated with.
Jason, the marathon is now over. I imagine you were looking for a better timing. Still you stopped the clock at 2:41:24 and ended a very respectable seventh overall and the third Maltese. What went wrong during the day?
All was going perfect until a sharp pain in my lower back hit me at about the 21st kilometre and kept sharpening to the point of becoming acute and thus couldn’t keep my rhythm and was suffering horrifically to run.
I imagine you went through moments of crisis during the race. What kept you going on just the same?
I kept running with my rhythm until about the 25th kilometre even though not being comfortable at all, but then the pain got so acute that I could hardly run. What kept me running was the big support I had from my coach Has Kesra and also from Julian Borg (Mellieħa AC President) and Mark Bugeja who were assisting me. I owe them a big thanks.
I met you on the Friday before the race, and you looked to have some doubts about Sunday. What doubts were lingering in your mind and did you carry them to the starting line?
Well, when I was on the starting line I was much better although I admit that in previous years I was more aggressive.
You were flying prior to the marathon, winning race after race. Did something go wrong in the few weeks before the marathon?
Not really, all was up and running fine.
The Mellieħa AC coach Has Kesra called you a great runner with good brains. How pleasant was that and how much was Has Kesra part of your development as an athlete and a person overall?
Has Kesra can claim a big chunk in my improvement as a runner both from a phyisical and psychological point of view.
You made part of the winning team as part of the Mellieħa A Team. The team spirit at Mellieħa AC seems to be very strong as I can personally attest. How proud are you to form part of this team and what do you believe is the main factor for such a spirit?
I am very proud to be part of Mellieħa AC . I think the common mentality about running factors and the
fact that the club keeps us together through a lot of social events plays a big role in this team spirit.
The MAAA League has only one race left. It is a league that you have dominated. How much are you looking forward to wrap it up and what’s next for you?
As I planned months before the marathon , I will now stop for a much needed break both as I need it.
I need a break from years living a life of big sacrifices, and for personal reasons. I will be doing the last race of the MAAA Running League just to get some points for the club but my time will be slow for
sure as I will not be training. At most I will go for a slow run every now and then.
At the moment I have nothing in the pipeline, all I am looking forward to is to live some time without thinking about running. I hope motivation and eagerness towards running rises again along the line.
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