Message posted by: matthieu c.

For my 3rd Marathon I wanted to go to a city a had never been before. So after finishing Boston, i was already looking for the next race and I chose Montreal.

Unfortunately I injured myself a few weeks after because over overtraining and shoe misfit…I had a very painful ankle for 2 months and I had to quit running up until the end of july … therefore I basically did not train for my race scheduled in Montreal on sept 5th. My last run longer than 13 miles before the race was actually on May 31st…

I aslo didnt watch neither alcohol drinking nor diet habits this summer.

I was not well prepared to race, I decided just to enjoy the race, the trip and do whatever I can.

Being french living in NYC, I felt Montreal was a great city being a north american city with a strong french european flare. People are nice and the marathon yet very small (3000 participants) was well organised.

The course is overall flat with a few hills between mile 16th and 20th with the finish in the olympic stadium. Outside of some areas in the city and the finish which is amazing I have to say (you see yourself arriving on the stadium screen with the crowd cheering on you!!!) the marathon is pretty quiet and boring. This time it was also very windy. God, it was my first marathon running against wind. I can take rain, heat…i dont care but wind ruins it all!!!

As far as my race. I finished in 3hrs05mn, a little disappointed not to have gone sub 3…but without having trained and with the amount of partying this summer I have done this summer I could not expect much more I guess. I stll think I ran too conservative the first half finishing in 1.32mn and I finished up the last 2-3miles at a 6.40 pace I felt fine. The good thing that you finish on same course of the half marathoners that start later, on the few last miles you are being passed by Elite Half runners which kind of kick you ass until the end…;-)). Overall I finished 66th, 11th of age group.winner finished in 2.17mn.

MATTHIEU COMMEAU 892 Long Island 8:40:08 1:31:34 2:22:02 2:44:15 3:05:47 3:05:40 61 (H) 11 (H25-29)

Winner

CHOGE JULIUS KIRW 25 KENYA 8:40:00 1:08:17 1:44:35 2:01:44 2:17:41 2:17:41 1 (H) 1 (H18-24)

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