Jeff Hunt: Gold Coast Breakthrough

Photos courtesy of www.marathon-photos.com

When Jeff Hunt crossed the line in 4th place at this years Gold Coast half marathon it not only surprised more than a few in the distance running circles, but it marked a breakthrough in what will hopefully be the start of bigger things for this hardworking New South Welshman. We caught up with Jeff shortly after...

RunnersTribe: 62:40 (let's go with net time), what a debut! That sounds like a dream run, how did it go?

Jeff Hunt: Thanks, it was a dream run. Its still sinking in that I ran that quick. I can't believe it. Unfortunately we have to take the gun time of 62:44, but i'm happy with that. The race unfolded pretty well for me i think. Got out to a pretty good start just sitting at the back of a pack of 9 of us (Marty, Shelley, Marwa, Timmy, and 4 japanese I think). Just sat about a stride or two off the back relaxed and watching for any moves that needed to be covered. At the turn around there was 5 of us left. In the 12th km the pace picked up and I got dropped by 30m or so. They (Marwa, Shelley and Marty) weren't getting any further in front, and I thought to myself "I didn't come here to get dropped at 12k and come 4th" so I surged and got back on. Once i got back on and settled in behind, all the cheers from the backmarkers started happening for us. "GO AUSSIES!!" and "AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE!" was being yelled out and it just gave you that little bit more. At about 15k or16k, I started to think i was a possibility of winning if I hung in there. The pace rolled on and just as we hit about 18k, the boys picked it up and i was dropped by about 20m. I tried to hang tough and get back on but I couldn't pick up the pace. About 70m from the finish you straighten up off the final curve and see the clock. I saw 62:30-something, and thought "OH MY GOD!!! I'M GONNA BREAK 63:00!!!" I know a big grin came across my face as I ran those last few metres. About 1-2mins after I finished, the post-race feelings kicked in and my body hated me. Haha.

RT: What were you expecting to run?

JH: No idea really. The only thing Ken and i agreed about 6 weeks ago, was that if I wasn't going to be able to break 65mins, I'm not going up. But training and racing has been really good, and the result speaks for itself. Ken told me to not wear a watch, or to look at any clock throughout the race (which was made easy by the lead car clock not working) and just race. I was racing a long way over distance, but it turns out that it was the right thing to do. Bottom line, I just wanted to put in a performance that showed I am a good distance runner and I can run with the best.

RT: How did you find your first half marathon?

JH: It was not as tough as i thought it would be. Its a different feeling to any other race I've done. Its just one long sustained effort. Changes of pace are tough to make when you've been running along at a steady pace for 30-40-50mins, so if you can up the pace suddenly, you can get a nice little break on people. And because it was a good result, it makes me want to do another one.

RT: So where to from now? What's the next plan?

JH: Nothing is set in stone, except for National Cross where i really hope to win my second national title. I really love competing at national cross. I have ran at Nowra every year since I was 12, so its kinda like a home course race this year. Also, Ken and I are hoping that Athletics Australia will pick me in the team to go to the World Half Marathon Champs in October. I'd really like to be able race against the big boys and see what true international competition is like. I'm going to focus on qualifying in the 10000m and/or Marathon for the Commonwealth Games in 2010 over the December-March period.

RT: That kind of time bodes well for a marathon, any plans to step up to the full distance? Is that where you might be best suited?

JH: It does look good for a marathon and its in our plans for 2010. Initially, we wanted to help my 10000m, and the step up to a half marathon seemed like the right thing to do. I'm fit and strong enough now that my body can cope with the training needed to race these distances. The debut in the marathon is likely to happen in February/March 2010, but that wont mean I'm finished with track. I can't leave the track with such slow PBs. Ken and I sat down with Mona at Falls, and he told me that the training for halves and marathons will help my 5000/10000 times. So it doesn't mean you have to stop track altogether in order to do a marathon.

It may well be where I am best suited, but we will have to wait and see. My marathon debut may not be as much fun as the half was, and I may not like it. I still need to get a lot more strength in my legs before I do one, because you never want to run below your best. We will probably only get one shot at qualifying, so I have to make sure I hit it at 100%.

RT: How has your training changed leading up to the half? What had the emphasis been on?

JH: Training has pretty much been the same. Consistency has been the key. Week-in, week-out of 160km+. I'm really feeling stronger. Nowadays, i am running how I feel and paying attention to what my body tells me. If I feel crap, I run slow. But if I feel real good, I don't smash myself. I've really worked on doing my tue/thu/sat sessions hard but keeping relaxed and getting a feel for how I'm running. I'm not chasing pbs every session anymore. Mileage has always been the approach for my training. I perform well when running high mileage, so i guess you could say my bodies dropping hints as to what it might be good at.

RT: Tell us about a couple of key sessions you did in the lead up which gave you a good indication of how well you were going to run on the Gold Coast?

JH: The key sessions i had were probably my races at Sandown and Nowra. You perform well in races by running races. Sandown was a good hitout to see where everything was at, and i was happy to come away with a new 10km road pb of 29:38 in a race that was very up and down with the pace. I was disappointed to lose, but you take it in your stride. The Nowra cross country result was the best I have ever had on that course. Anyone who has ran there would know it is extremely hard to get into a rhythm, but somehow I did on the day and put in a really good result. That tortureous hill out the back still did its job but the strength I have in my legs now really minimized the damage it has caused in the past when racing. That 3rd loop round is always the killer. Running a new PB on the course by 22secs showed that everything was moving in the right direction. I was running quick in my standard sessions like Mona fartlek and Ten-Ten (10mins, 5mins float, 10mins), but it was more the consistent week-after-week training without pains or niggles. This made me confident of putting in a good result at Gold Coast.



 

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'it was a dream run. Its still sinking in that i ran that quick. I can't believe it. '
Jeff Hunt