Andrew Pask was the sole GRC representative in the increasingly prestigious Valencia Marathon in Spain, joining around 30,000 other runners. With world records at stake, the elite field was impressive for this flat, fast race which is almost always ran in perfect conditions.
Coming into the race in a poor run of form, Andrew had realistic expectations and was not targeting a repeat of his PB run of 3:05:10 at the same race in 2019. Running purely to feel, Andrew didn’t look at his watch during the race to relieve the pressure. Running freely and with a smile on his face he simply concentrated on keeping running in whichever way possible.
Supported by Sam Jepson, the GRC Men’s Captain, Andrew gave the thumbs up at the 17-mile point as he was about to enter the ‘business end’ of the race. Lapping-up the atmosphere in the final miles, he continued to enjoy the race in what was declared his last marathon of 15 attempts at the distance. Crossing the line at the Ciudad de las Artes he was surprised that the clock read 3:11:48.
After the race Andrew and Sam kicked back at a beach bar for the afternoon, consuming all the beer and paella they could stomach.