The quick long road

The road might have been long on Sunday, 24^th February for Mellieha AC athlete Andrew Grech.  But while there were no compromises with the distance, there were no no-entry signs anywhere, all the signs led him forward without any need for detours and being a human, the traffic lights always shone green for him.  And then 2 hours 32 minutes 53 seconds since taking the first step he found not the end of the road but a finishing line, a medal and the confirmation that on the day he has been the second fastest Maltese like the year before.  It took him six minutes and 32 seconds less this time round though.

Andrew, you had another excellent marathon, managed to place as the 2^nd Maltese once again and dropped over 6 minutes in the process.  Congratulations.  Looking at your past timings in the half marathons as recent as two to three years ago, you were recording 1:17 to 1:18 timings in the half marathon.  What is the secret behind such improvement?

I have to admit that for the last 2 years I have finally started taking this sport more seriously than ever. In the past, I used to train 4 times, maximum 5 times weekly, not really following any type of programme. Then there was a turning point where I confessed to myself, either to start taking it seriously or else I remain where I was and I chose the first option. Results started coming sooner rather than later, therefore from then on I started following our coach’s programme vigorously and even nutrition-wise I started following some instructions given by Robert Vella of Nyoo.

I saw pictures of you and your coach Has Kesra looked to be accompanying you on the bicycle the whole route.  How much of a boost was that?

Yes, actually it wasn’t planned that Has would follow me for so long therefore it was even a bigger boost to have him by my side. His presence was vital as he’s a very positive person. He told me that I could do that time way back in November, he really believes in my abilities .And again he was right, exactly like last year.

This being the second marathon, how much was it of a psychological advantage over last year?

Not knowing what to expect can make physical and mental preparation a bit challenging therefore this time around I had to think ‘only’ on my coach’s predicted time, therefore pacing the race as he rigorously planned it for me.

So much is said about the possibility of hitting a wall at some point during the marathon.  Lately, we’ve even seen elite marathoners such as Haille Gebrselassie retiring from marathons.  Was such fear ever present in your mind?

I think proper training, race management and nutrition are the 3 most important ingredients to avoid hitting the wall and all in all I guess I had 2 out of 3 before the start of the race; what was left was to pace my race as given by Has, and I did that, word by word…and never hit the wall.

Looking at your result you’ve finished 4 minutes behind the athlete before you, and 4 minutes before your next rival.  Were you running on your own for most of the race?

I had been instructed by Has to follow the pace given, not the ranking. I felt very strong in the first half of the marathon, could have been faster but I resisted to the given pace. The runner in front of me continued to increase the pace and I was never really in contention with him. The runner who finished behind me stood together with me for the first 20 kilometres but then didn’t keep my pace thus leaving me to run the last 22 kilometres all alone.

And on such a long distance, how much of a challenge is that?  What was your main refuge during the long course?

I kept saying to myself the quicker I finish the marathon, the earlier I meet my daughter Julia and my wife at the finish, and that was it, at 10:32am I was in Sliema.

You were also part of the Mellieha AC team that won the Males Team.  How strong is Mellieha Athletic Club at the moment?

Mellieha AC has a great history when it comes to the Marathon. For the past decade with the help of other great athletes we always managed to top the 1st team in the Male Competition and with the help of the present team we’re trying to emulate them. I think right now we have a very good base with both present and future looking bright.