THIS was "almost an act of defiance", George Fong says.
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Fong's goal was to run a half-marathon before he turns 60 years old - that is on Wednesday - and he had planned The Canberra Times Marathon Festival as the place to run. That was to have been on Sunday.
Refusing to give up, self-confessed teachnology nerd Fong set out on Skipton Rail Trail in the wind and rain on Sunday to get the job done, all 21.1 kilometres of it. Fong was running by himself but felt far from alone with his training group virtually supporting him and running their own races, alone, last week.
We had two choices and it would be just tragic if we left off...Or, all of us could encourage each other and go on our own. We all decided to go for it.
- George Fong
"We started calling our group mission Finish What We Started. We had two choices and it would be just tragic if we left off and do all that training without actually going through with it. Or, all of us could encourage each other and go on our own. We all decided to go for it," Fong said.
"I didn't think much of it at the time. Out there, in the first section, you start realising how lonely it is but you have this community around you. Physically or virtually, they were all at the finish line with you."
Evolution Runners coach Louelle Blanchard held the group together. Blanchard popped up to surprise Fong, cheering him from her car at each road crossing on his path. She took race photos for him, live-streamed his finish for the group, and even presented a personalised medal to mark the moment.
Another club member ran her first ultra-marathon, 50km, a day earlier another was determined to clock their first sub-four-hour marathon while others who had originally planned to be Canberra-bound checked off their own race goals.
For Blanchard, Canberra was to have been her final marathon.
A fifth and final marathon was a bookend of sorts for Blanchard, who ran her first half-marathon aged 40 and wanted one more go at a marathon before turning 50 this year.
Blanchard set out predominantly in Vic Park on Wednesday, struggling with nerves and a hamstring strain that forced her to walk the last few kilometres. But not once did Blanchard consider giving up.
"I'd struggled with the bigger events the past couple of years. It's really challenging to do it. My fifth marathon was to be my last then I could let it go and focus on running from a different view," Blanchard said.
"I was determined to get it done. It was a tough day...It feels good to have achieved a lot."
Blanchard said for all the months of training, her runners were initially pretty devastated when the festival was postponed to August. But they realised they could band together, despite being in lockdown, and make it count together.
Fong's intention was always to complete his half-marathon on race day. While others took advantage of better weather earlier, he said knowing they had completed their challenges was great inspiration.
"I think that's why we run so well at events. There is a real buzz when we're all out there doing our thing," Fong said. "This was such a buzz, a bigger buzz in that people were messaging me all night congratulating me."
It has been a rough journey. Fong had originally pegged Melbourne Marathon Festival last October to run only to pull out with a heel injury.
He tripped on Skipton Rail Trail, felt old niggles flare up, but refused to give in.
Knowing he can make the distance has Fong fired up to run the re-scheduled Canberra half-marathon in August, if permitted, if nothing but to finally grasp that medal at the end.
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