Restaurant Review: 4143 at James Barnes, Bar Food, Alexandia

I'm making the call, this is Sydney's best burger!

On my return trip to 4143 at James Barnes I decided to sample the bar food, having been so generously treated to lashings of the bistro food last time round.

The wagyu burger with beetroot relish, gherkins, cheddar and aioli is the best burger I've had in a long time. It's up there with the Shake Shack burger I ate in New York and, even if I do say so myself, the homemade burgers I made with my friend Clint back in January. No wonder it is 4143's best seller.

When I was chatting to the chef he was pretty open about the fact the burger isn't made in house. The brioche buns come from the Fuel Bakery and the wagyu burgers are also bought in (although I've forgotten where from). The first thing you notice is that it's a huge burger. Biting into the bun it is soft and light without being too sweet. The wagyu burger is also fantastically tender. This is one melt in your mouth burger. Eating the burger as a whole I didn't taste the individual elements of the beetroot relish and gherkins, but they all added to the finished product.

Now this burger is close to perfection, so any criticism is splitting hairs. However, for me the burger was more of a textural than flavorsome experience. The Shake Shack burger calls for three different cuts of meat to add flavour. In our homemade burger we were aiming for a flavoursome burger sauce. I wonder if both would help here?

The chicken schnitzel with house coleslaw was the only disappointment that I had at James Barnes. The chicken was on the dry side and the coleslaw was limp, like it has been hanging around dressed for a while. By the time I ate the schnitzel my expectations of James Barnes were so high that I was hoping the coleslaw would match the amazing slaw from Leon in the UK, but sadly it wasn't to be.

The roast baby beets with mixed citrus, walnuts and goats feta was another good example of 4143's quality and value that I got so excited about when eating the bistro food. This big plate of fresh ingredients was only $10.

If I worked closer to the 4143 at James Barnes I couldn't help myself but to go here for lunch regularly.

2 Huntley St,
Alexandria
2015



My first visit to James Barnes was as part of a bloggers lunch. On this return visit I paid full price for all the food consumed!

Restaurant Review: Grape Garden Peking, Willoughby

After the roaring success of my visit to Lao Zhao back in January, I hit up my colleague up for another Chinese restaurant recommendation and he came back with the Grape Garden Peking in Willoughby.

Where Lao Zhao was a cultural experience, Grape Garden was more eccentric. The very friendly chef / owner / waiter runs the show single handedly. You don't really need to look at the menu as he's more than happy to guide you through what to eat. Making suggestions of what would go well together. His friendly and outgoing nature was definitely one of the things that made the evening. He was very happy to talk about the recipes, dishes and different ingredients. Us foodies were lapping it up. The chef was even kind enough to give us a jar of the sugar / molasses that is used to caramelise the skin of the duck after John suggested a recipe for roasting pork with it. (I'm waiting for the dinner invite!)

There were several times when we got told off for talking too much and taking photos, letting the food go cold. In the picture above he got so frustrated with us that he started to roll our duck pancakes!

The main event was our whole roasted duck. It was served in traditional style. A large plate of duck skin (not too much meat) was served with a basket of homemade pancakes, hoisin sauce and shredded spring onions and cucumber. The duck skin could have been crispier, but otherwise it was delicious. The sweet and sticky hoisin sauce got all over my fingers and I couldn't help but lick them clean!

The decor is very stark and the restaurant was worryingly empty on a Friday night, but don't let that put you off. It's a fun experience, the food is good and you'll leave with a new friend in the chef. I liked it.

To start we had a cabbage salad, with tofu and peanuts as an appetiser. The cabbage and tofu had a nice crunch and refreshing quality. The roasted peanuts added a depth to the flavour that was enhanced by sprinkling over some of the smokey chilli dipping sauce.

It was recommended that we ate the steamed fish dumplings naturally without any of the sauces. The fish with garlic chives had a nice subtle flavour.

Next up was a plate of mixed pork and beef fried dumplings. We were instructed that these dumplings should be eaten with the aforementioned chilli sauce and a bowl of vinegar that we were also given.

Our second duck course was handmade noodles with duck bones. I loved the bite in the handmade noodles. I was expecting a bit more duck meat, but it was literally the bones. However, it was fun to suck the meat off the bones and be left with a satisfying small pile of clean bones at the end.

Ordered by Simon purely for the English translation on the menu ants climbing trees, was a plate of vermicelli noodles with minced pork. I was expecting the noodles to be bland, but there was a nice sauce coating them.

I was trying to order a lamb neck dish my colleague had told me about, but we accidently ended up with fried lamb shanks with cumin. What fortuitous mistake! The lamb turned out to be one of the dishes of the night. Two large lamb shanks had been slow cooked before being fried to give them a crispy exterior. The shanks were liberally covered in a cumin and chilli spice mix. Tender meat with spices and fresh coriander. Heaven.

We decided to finish our savoury dishes with spicy eggplant. Not too spicy the peeled eggplant was served with mushrooms.

For dessert we have a sweet sesame pancake. A nice flakey exterior hid a soft, sweet and nutty sesame paste in the middle. A nice sugary hit to finish the meal with, without being too heavy.

This place is a great little secret where you are guaranteed to get a table. Shhh, don't tell anyone.

52 Penshurst Street,
Willoughby,
NSW

Neighbourhood Watch @Belvoir Theatre

On Tuesday night I was lucky enough to get tickets to see a preview of Neighbourhood Watch at the Belvoir Theatre. Getting the invite only a couple of hours before the show I didn't know what to expect. However, when one of the opening lines was about Kevin '07 I immediately knew I was in for a contemporary Australian play that the Belvoir seems to excel at.

Neighbourhood Watch focuses on two neighbours. Ana, a Hungarian immigrant who lived through WWII and Catherine a troubled dreamer in her early twenties. Ana and Catherine form an unlikely friendship. The play explores the friendship that develops, what they learn from each other and the history of the characters (particularly Ana). 

I really enjoyed the play. There was a surprising amount of humour and I was regularly laughing out loud with the rest of the audience. There were lots of touching moments between the characters too. I didn't think there was a particular purpose to the story, revelation or message the playwright was trying to get across. However, the play didn't feel like it was suffering from a lack of direction as a result.

The musical score was excellent and, as usual, the stage was unconventional but definitely worked. The stage was carpeted with the carpet extending up the walls. In the middle of the stage was a rotating circle that was used to great effect to convey character separation and travelling through time.

The only negative was when an hour into the play the director stopped the performance to have a light fixed. I thought it was a bit odd, but was done with very good humour and we were at a preview after all. No one in the audience seemed to mind. However, five minutes later he did the same thing again and we were all getting restless. In a real performance wouldn't you just wait for the interval to fix the light? However, once the light was fixed I did understand the directors perspective. The light in question was used to cast shadows and combined with the turn table created a sculptural element.

I'd definitely recommend you go and watch if you enjoy the theatre.

Restaurant Review: 4143 at James Barnes, Bistro Food, Alexandia

I enjoyed my lunch at 4143 at the James Barnes, A LOT. This has given me a bit of a problem.

Whenever I read gushing reviews of a place where the blogger has been hosted by the restaurant I'm a bit sceptical. Was it really that good? I'd expect you to do the same of me. However, I really want to write a favourable review of 4143. On my cycle ride home from lunch I decided that the best thing to do would be go back and spend my own money there before I wrote the review. Then you'd know I'm prepared to put my money where my mouth is. Which I did this Saturday.

So why do I like the place so much? Firstly, the building is a very cool space, being situated in a renovated part of the old James Barnes mill that used to occupy the site. There is lots of natural light, exposed brick and natural wood on show. Very urban industrial which suits it's surroundings perfectly.

Secondly, and most importantly, I thought the bistro food was very good. All of the flavour combinations went really well together and the dishes seemed to be well thought out. Everything was really well balanced, whether it was the right amount of balsamic dressing with the onion tart or the level of seasoning on the roasted potatoes.

Thirdly, it came across eating the food, and was confirmed when I spoke to the chef, that there is an incredible amount of technique that went into the dishes. The lamb shank has been slow cooked for sixteen hours, de-boned and there is a little surprise waiting inside when you cut it open. The duck breast has been cooked sous vide.

Fourthly, the presentation of the food is fantastic. Take a look at my photos.

The fifth reason I'll offer to you is that the prices are very good. Restaurant price inflation is something I've really noticed recently. It seems to me that it's pretty uncommon to get a main course for much under $30 in a bistro setting like this these days. They do small main courses at $16 which are still a decent size (large mains $28) and sides for $7, desserts $10.

If I like it so much will it be going onto my list of Top Eats? On balance I've decided that as a restaurant it won't because there are a few draw backs to the place. The restaurant is located on its own in the middle of industrial Alexandria. Although it doesn't take that long to get there, it isn't on the way to anywhere and there isn't much around it to check out after lunch.

On both my Saturday lunchtime visits the restaurant has been quiet and lacks some atmosphere because of this. In winter all the glass windows make it a little bit cold and the background music should be tweaked (slightly) so it is more soothing.

Caramelised onion tart with goats curd and balsamic

There is texture form the flaky pastry, soft onions and melting goats curd. A great combination of flavours from the sharp balsamic, sweet onions and slightly sour curd. What is not to like?

Braised lamb shank en crepinette on parsnip puree with muscatel jus

This one was a real favourite. The lamb is very tender and there is a spinach, garlic and parmesan sauce inside the lamb. The parsnip puree and green beans go nicely with the lamb. Hard not to like.

Duck breast on green lentils, spinach and brussel sprouts

This dish didn't change my opinion that duck in Australia is pretty bland. However, the sauce nestling underneath the lentils and wilted spinach is awesome. I asked the chef for the recipe and he wouldn't give it to me! You won't hear me say it very often, but I actually liked the brussel sprouts.

Sides of: Roast baby beets and beans, Buttered brussel sprouts with pancetta 

and Roasted chats, garlic cloves and rosemary

The roasted chat potatoes really distinguished themselves. Their heady smell had us all drooling! The potatoes have been coated in a spice mix of rosemary, garlic, paprika and salt.

Desserts of: Tiramisu and Bread and butter pudding with 

rhubarb and macadamia ice cream

I was a fan of the tangy rhubarb in the bread and butter pudding and I scoffed a whole tiramisu even through the gluttony of all this food!

Chocolate mousse with hazelnut biscotti

The pop rocks on top of the chocolate mousse provided a fun crackle in your mouth. The chocolate mousse itself was rich and intense.


Thank you to Denéa for organising and the friendly crew at 4143 for hosting me (the first time round).

Cooking: Wholemeal Spelt Sourdough

After only three months into this sourdough game I have successfully passed on the love of making my own bread to a good friend of mine Fodder Fan Boy. I gave Clint some of my starter when I was in the Gold Coast and he's already baked a couple of times.

It's slightly scary having a mentee when I'm hardly a pro. However, one of the great things about Clint is that he's a researcher, refiner and constantly striving for perfection. We're two friends sharing tips. From speaking to Clint's wife the results sound awesome. "Tastes like Sonoma" was even said!!

Clint recently sent me the below from an article he'd read online:
A sourdough starter actually consists of 2 separate organisms which exist in a symbiotic relationship. There is the yeast and the lactobacilli.  Here's the cliff notes version of what's happening: All flavor really comes from the lactobacilli, all the puff from yeast. The yeast operate well at high temp. The lactobacilli at any temp.  Therefore, to develop highly flavored dough put it in the fridge. The yeast will be mostly dormant, giving time for the lactobacilli to produce flavor. The flavor takes a day or more.  So you have to keep the yeast on ice that long. Then you take it out of the fridge and let the yeast take over and produce gas. The yeast only needs an hour or two to do this part.

I hadn't read anything about the two different types of bacteria before so it was interesting to understand a bit more about what is going on. The recipes I've been following call for an 8-12 cold prove to let the lactobacilli do their thing. But could you go for a longer cold prove?

A piece of advice I had from the person that inspired me to bake sourdough is that you have to control the bread and not let it control you.

I've had a busy weekend, so it actually suited me to prepare the dough on Thursday evening and not bake until Saturday morning. This would mean an experimentation with a 36hr cold prove.

Baking Notes
This was my first time baking with spelt flour. I had a wholemeal spelt instead of the white spelt which the recipe recommended. I wasn't sure if this meant I should adjust any of the water quantities etc... I decided against changing quantities, but did do a mix of 80% wholemeal spelt and 20% white flour.

Just like with the Miller's Loaf using wholemeal flour seems to create a stiffer mix to work with than a regular white loaf. More hard work kneading by hand!

The dough didn't seem to have any visible side effects from being kept in the fridge longer than usual. I was worried a crust might have formed on the dough, but that didn't seem to be the case.

I did my usual trick of creating a hot (~30 degrees) and humid incubator in my oven for the final prove and went out shopping. When I got back and checked the dough after 2hrs it felt like it had over proved. When I pressed the dough it didn't spring back fully, leaving an indent in the bread. I decided to get it into the oven asap. The Bourke St Bakery book says not to score your bread if it is over proved. As I had two 500g loaves I decided to score one and leave the other as an experiment.

When the bread came out of oven there was no noticeable difference in size between the loaf I had proved and the one I hadn't. I really liked the shape of the loaves, which I made without using the bannetons again. I'm fearing they might have been a slightly wasted purchase.

The bread is a really tasty loaf with a nice crust (yay!), but I'm unconvinced that it is a true sourdough. The flavour or the wholemeal spelt flour is dominating and I'm not able to detect the characteristic sour flavour you'd expect.

Is that a facet of the flour or some error in my baking process? I'm wondering if the wholemeal spelt flour might as equally suited to a yeasted bread?

Restaurant Review: Erciyes, Surry Hills

A couple of Saturday's ago I went to Erciyes to celebrate the birthday of two friends. I was expecting a lot of the Turkish restaurant as it's been talked up friends and I've tasted some of their humus before and it's great!

You enter the large dining room via the takeaway section of Erciyes.  It looks like any other kebab shop and not overly promising! However, the restaurant was buzzing with people enjoying themselves when we arrived.

Before I get onto the food I have to mention the belly dancing. There are two 'shows' on Friday and Saturday and we got to see both of them. I've previously had dinner at the Lebanese restaurant, Emed, just down the road. The belly dancing there was a bit of a token effort and I was expecting more of the same. However, at Erciyes they go at it with real gusto! Both performances lasted for about fifteen minutes each. The dancers were good and crowd participation was encouraged. Be warned if you sit near the aisle!

We started with a plate of dips and bread. The dips were fantastic, packing a lot of flavour, a little bit of chilli and were very moorish to eat with the warm bread. I couldn't tell you what all of them were beyond the usual suspects of humus, baba ganoush and a beetroot dip. I'd happily eat many more plates of these dips.

The first main course we ordered was the Tava a lamb caserole with onion, tomato, capsicum, garlic and eggplant. The lamb was nice and tender and the caserole had a rich sauce. Definitely my preferred main of the evening.

Our second main was the mixed grill. A combination of lamb, chicken kofte and lamb cutlets. To be honest I was quite disappointed with the grill, there just wasn't the tenderness of the meat or the lovely smokey flavour that I was expecting.

I admit it's pretty unlikely readers with have been to both places but Meze Mangal (back in the UK) is still my favourite Turkish restaurant. The wood fired oven baking delicious breads and kleftiko, and the charcoal grill cooking kebabs, impart such fantastic smoke and flavour to the food. It's hard to beat the smoke.

Ericyes
409 Cleveland St
Sydney, 2016

Restaurant Review: Singapore Shiok!*, Haymarket

When I was living in Bangkok I visited food courts four or five times a week. A fantastic way to grab a quick, cheap, delicious and varied meal on the go. When I moved into my apartment in Sydney within a stones throw of China Town I thought I might keep the food court habit.

However, after a hard day in the office I've found that I prefer coming home to unwind and cook, so have rarely visited the food courts on my doorstep. However, when I recently returned home late from the Gold Coast I decided to stop off at Singapore Shiok!* in the Eating World Food Court.

I've previously had the chicken rice from Shiok!* (excellent rice and chicken, disappointing sauces) so decided to go for the Har Mee this time.

It was really good. The soup had a nice fish stock flavour and a decent amount of chilli without being too much for a weakling like me. There were good amounts of prawn, crispy shallots, two types of pork, some greens and half a boiled egg. There were lots of noodles buried underneath to fill you up too.

Eating World Harbour Plaza Food Court
Shop 213,
25-29 Dixon Street,
Haymarket
NSW 2000

Gold Coast Marathon: Post Race

As I drove for the line I thought collapsing wasn't too far away. I was preparing to stumble, stagger and need to lie down as soon as I'd finished. Luckily I had enough energy left to stay on my feet. I thought I'd need to make a beeline for the toilets but the desire to have a wee, which had been with me since the fifth kilometer, left as soon as I'd crossed the line.

I remember thinking how empty the finishing area was. Shuffling towards the water table I took a bottle and scoffed down three or four segments of orange, before going for a sit down. A kind lady untied the timing chip from my shoe for me.

My quads were sore, but otherwise I felt weak but ok. I shuffled out of the finishing area, collecting my medal and t-shirt on the way. I headed to collect my bag from near the start line. Goodies! I put quite a bit of thought into what I leave in my bag to bring me back to life once I finish.

I sat down on the grass. In between stretches I had my sports drink, banana and protein shake. The breeze was making me quite cold, so I decide to change out of my running singlet into some dry clothes. I must have looked pathetic trying to take my shirt off, it took ages! I was obviously still pretty weak.

More snacks were needed to so I started on my box of cereal bars and sent text messages to friends and family letting them know how I'd got on. My quads still felt as though they were burning so I decided to go and stand in the sea as a substitute for an ice bath. There were a few other runners who had the same idea and I swapped stories with a couple of others.

After I got out of the water I headed to a shower block in the park to rinse off. In the changing rooms I got talking to two guys who had also completed the race. Even though I was feeling shattered it was reassuring to see people in a worst state than me!


Shortly afterwards I met up with Jennie, April and Jannice who I'd travelled up to the Gold Coast with. We decided to take the obligatory cheesy photo on the winner's podium. We even managed a little boogie when the live band were playing.

Cooking: Miller's Loaf Sourdough

On the weekend I baked another loaf of sourdough. This time I decided to use some of the flours I bought from Alfalfa House. Trying the Bourke Street Bakery's Millers Loaf, a combination of white wholemeal, rye and white flour.

I having had a busy week I hadn't put much thought into my loaf and was quite tired while baking so I know I made a few mistakes. However, I was pretty pleased with the results. The crust had a great sourdough flavour (which is where I've decided most of the action in sourdough is). The wholemeal and rye flour gave the bread a much earthier flavour. Overall I was quite happy.

Baking Notes
Having been away last weekend I put my starter in the fridge for the first time. I took it out on Thursday morning, giving it a feed Thursday morning, evening and then again on Friday morning before using the starter Friday evening. It didn't seem to have suffered any ill effects from being in the fridge.

I found the Miller's dough tougher to work with. It seemed to be a bit heavier and wetter. When kneading I didn't get anywhere close to being able to form a window with the dough. As with the previous two loaves I kneaded for longer than the book said and then just gave up! It doesn't seem to be affecting the end result too much though.

I decided to use my batard banneton for the first time. I'm definitely still struggling with the bannetons. My loaves look a little lost in them, like there isn't enough dough. I also seem to get slightly odd shaped loaves out of them. It might have been luck, but I had much better looking loaves when I didn't use them.

The crust was awesome, just like in my first loaf. Crunchy and full of flavour. I left the bread in the oven a touch too long and in places it was bordering on the burnt. Luckily I saved it just in time and was definitely still very edible.

The rye and wholemeal flour added more flavour to the bread. It's almost a shame to put anything on the bread as it distracts from the natural flavour!

Botany Bay National Park

When I was living in London and needed to re-charge at the weekends I headed home to my parents house. It was amazing how much longer and refreshing weekends in the countryside feel.

On Sunday I took advantage of the car I temporarily have use of, heading to Botany Bay National Park with my friend Kerensa. Being a complete dunce I hadn't realised that the national park was on the site of Captain Cooks first landing in Australia back in 1770. I just thought I was going to see some whales!

The park is quite attractive. Near the visitors centre there are some landscaped lawns, a commemorative flag pole and stone circle. We had a picnic on the lawns before setting off to walk across to the coast. The limestone cliffs are pretty dramatic with big waves crashing against the rocks.

Despite it being a record whale season we only saw the puff of a single whale breathing once. However, it was just lovely to be out of Sydney and seeing somewhere new.

Despite the national park itself being lovely there is no escaping the fact that Botany is now a very industrial part of Sydney. The Caltex oil refinery was almost always in view and if the wind was in the wrong direction it whiffed a bit too. Planes were overhead every minute as they headed into land at Sydney airport. Finally there was a very strange clanging sound in Botany Bay. I couldn't work out of it was coming from the refinery or a dredging boat.

Restaurant Review: Lime on Chevron, Gold Coast

Another tip from Tracey was Lime on Chevron located two doors along from Duo Deli Café. We decided to visit for lunch before I had to fly back to Sydney. Taking up seats in the window and it was a good feeling to have the warming sun on my back.

There were lots of fresh and enticing sounding things on the menu, particularly the salads. I decided on the homemade tart of the day, which was a pumpkin and spinach quiche. I was a little bit underwhelmed by my lunch. The salad tasted like it had just been dressed in oil and was crying out for a flavoursome dressing. The tart was nice, but could have done with some more oomph.

We ordered a side of handcut chips. They were crunchy, moorish and went well with the aioli. I was able to have a quick taste was the special of the day, a crispy skim barramundi with risotto. The barramundi tasted, well, quite fishy. I'm not a seafood expert, but barramundi usually has a much more mild flavour. The accompanying risotto was good.

It was great to see all of the food being prepared fresh in the kitchen and it was all beautifully presented. However, three of the four of us thought our lunches just missed the mark, even if they did look great. With a few tweaks so that the flavours lived up to the presentation and the portion sizes matched the prices, Lime could be fantastic.

I'd have to be honest and say the next time I'm on Chevron, I'll be popping back next door to the Duo Deli Café over another visit to Lime.

64 Thomas Drive
Chevron Island
Gold Coast
Queensland

Restaurant Review: Duo Deli Café, Chevron Island, Gold Coast

Checking out my marathon time in the paper

Researching where to eat on the Gold Coast was a tough gig. As I suspected from everything I'd heard about Surfers Paradise it was full of fast food, chains and restaurants where competing on price for the $10 lunch trade takes precedence over quality.

I managed to find one fellow food blogger and she was kind enough to give me a few tips. A couple of suggested places were close to where I was staying on Chevron Island, a little bit inland from the main tourist drag.

It was tough deciding what to eat for my post marathon breakfast. I eventually opted for the sweetcorn fritters with asparagus, avocado and a tomato and chilli salsa. The sweetcorn fritters we nice and moist, which is always the first test for me. The asparagus went surprisingly well, despite not being a combination I would have thought of. The generous amount of ripe avocado was a nice touch. While the tomato salsa was good I thought it could over power some of the more delicate flavours.

The quinoa porridge kept my gluten free companion happy. I only managed to sneak a quick taste.

The café come deli would probably struggle to stick out from the crowd in Sydney where we are lucky enough to have a multitude of independently run cafés serving up good breakfast options. However, all you can do is beat the competition and Duo Deli Café seems to do that on the Gold Coast. It was a great place for a marathon recovery breakfast.

58 Thomas Drive
Chevron Island
Gold Coast

Gold Coast Marathon: Race Notes

I felt strangely calm on the start line for the marathon, lining up behind the 3hr 30min pace runners. I had my plan to let the pacers get away from me in the first half of the run and then try to reel them in. I knew I'd never be able to keep up with them the whole way. It was an odd feeling not to have my run club companions with my on the line to chat with.

It was going to take a huge effort and I'd really be pushing my limits to to achieve my goal of running sub 3hr 30min.

0 - 11km: Southport to Mermaid Beach
Without much fanfare (I was at least expecting a starting gun) we were off. There was a bit of stopping and starting as we queued to get across to the start line. A guy behind me wasn't alert to what was going on and ran into the back of me. Luckily no damage was done.

I was feeling quite comfortable and had to make a conscious effort not to run too quickly. Making sure my per kilometer splits were slower than 5mins. At the 6km mark I saw the Irish guy that I had run part of the way along the Great Ocean Road with. We exchanged pleasantries and then I dropped back as he was running quicker than I wanted to.

12 - 15km: Miami Beach to Burleigh Heads
I saw the leaders heading back north as as I was going south. I was just before the twelve kilometer marker and they were already nearly 8km ahead of me. It's unbelievable how fast they can run! Seeing the leaders fly along made me run a bit faster. I had to deliberately slow myself down.

I'd been expecting to keep the pace runners in my sights most of the way, but this hadn't turned out to be the case. At the turn around at Burleigh Heads I used marks in the road to work out that the pace runners were 300m ahead of me. This was a little bit less than I thought it might be at this stage of the race, so I was fairly comfortable even if I couldn't see them.

16 - 21km: Burleigh Heads back to Mermaid Beach
Everything was pretty calm during this phase of the race. I was running on my own to a rhythm and not really falling in with anyone else. I was aware of two guys who I kept seeing who seemed to be doing a run three minutes, walk one minute type of thing. There was a constant scenario of the hare and the tortoise going on. I'd over take them as they walked and then they'd sprint back past me.

I was making a conscious effort to keep my fluids up, drinking one or two cups at every drinks station. More than I'd normally consume.

21 - 27km: Mermaid Beach to Main Beach
Now to execute the difficult part of my plan. It was time to accelerate. I wondered if I could leave it a bit later, but I knew I had to start speeding up now.

I was aware that my body was running at a pace that was a little bit quicker that I was naturally comfortable with. My muscles were extending a little bit longer and I was using more energy. This is where it was going to get tough!

There was a 2km stretch where the sun came out and even though it was only 9am it started to get very hot. I was extremely grateful when the clouds came back over and the sting of the sun went away.


28 - 35km: Main Beach to Runaway Bay

I finally had the pace runners back in my sites. It had taken longer than I thought it would but I was pleased to see them. At the 28km mark I recognised a lady from the gym as I overtook her. I was thinking about saying hello, but kept my head down and pressed on.

We ran near the finish line and I saw some of the top fifty finishing. I recognised Magnus Michelsson who had finished fourth at Great Ocean Road giving high fives to some of the crowds and guessed he can't have been in contention for the win this time round!

At around 34km I saw the Irish guy that had left me at the 6km mark. It was a great moral boost to have pulled him back. We ran together for a short time, but I was too puffed to talk and was managing to push a little bit faster than he could run.

There were two pacers carrying balloons signalling that they were running 3hr 30min pace. I saw one of them untie the balloons from their shirt and let the drift up into the sky. He started slowing down. Perhaps they aren't invincible after all!

My quadricep muscles were very sore.

36 - 42.2km: Runaway Bay to the Finish Line
I'd finally over taken the pacers! It was a great little feeling, but I was too exhausted to experience much.

In my previous two marathons from the 30km mark onwards I've seen a fair number of people walking or standing at the side of the road stretching sore muscles. There weren't too many people doing that in this race, however, I did see five unconscious people lying on the side of the road being tended by medics. I also passed one guy swaying dangerously with buckled legs. His body was clearly going into shut down and there was a marshall trying to get him to stop and sit down. He wasn't listening, but it was only a matter of moments before he'd collapse I felt sure.

I experienced reflux a couple of times and was slightly worried I might vomit. Luckily it didn't happen.

I just kept pushing, pushing, pushing. I was seriously tired in the last couple of kilometers but drove myself to keep going. As we approached the finish line I managed a strong sprint over taking quite a few people. It was a good feeling to be finishing strongly.

I staggered to the drinks table for a bottle of water and to stuff down several orange segments. A kind lady untied the timing chip from my shoe laces.


I finished the marathon in 3hr 27mins 51sec. I was 740th out of 4,549  finishers. Top 17% which is pretty good!

The official results are here. It is good to see all my 5km splits getting consistently faster. My second half marathon was 5min quicker than the first.

The data from my watch is here.

Gold Coast Marathon

On Sunday I ran the Gold Coast Marathon. I'd set myself the target of breaking the 3hr 30min barrier and managed to finish in 3hr 27min 50secs. I was delighted!

It was a tough run and I had to push really hard to run that quickly. There wasn't much left in the tank as I crossed the line. I finished 740th out of 4,549 runners which I think is pretty respectable.

I'll write more detailed notes of my run over the next few days. In the meantime here's a map of my run.

You can see details of split times, heart rate, elevation etc.. by clicking on the map above or here.