- Posted October 11, 2022
Mick Greener runs a new PB at the Berlin marathon
Congratulations to Mick on his incredible PB in Berlin. Here's what he had to say about the race.
'I knew I was in decent shape coming into Berlin, as I had put in 18 weeks of work and my marathon pace workouts were nice and consistent. Dropping several miles with Marcus [Lovell], who is in the form of his life, certainly helped, and my confidence was boosted further by a 34-minute 10k in Bedford 3 weeks earlier. I decided on a goal of sub-2:45, and to set off controlled and keep the splits for the first half as even as possible on Berlin’s notoriously flat course.
'The weather was perfect – 10 degrees and cloudy with barely any wind – as I squeezed into the starting area. I was across the line less than 30 seconds after the gun. The first half was completely uneventful and I felt very fresh as I went through halfway in a little over 82 minutes, taking a gel at 14k and 21k. The crowd support was phenomenal. While I was on for my goal pace, I decided to take a risk and up the tempo. I was making up places and I continued to take on gels and water at every aid station.
'Still feeling good at 32k, I took another risk and put the hammer down. My 5k splits crept below 19 minutes for the first time, and I kept drinking and fuelling myself with my fifth and final gel as the sun appeared for the first time and the temperature began to increase. I knew the final 3k of the course well, having run this section the day before on my shakeout. I made the final turn onto Unter den Linden (Under the Lindens) and at last I could see the Brandenburg Gate. Kicking on at a pace just slow enough to keep the calf cramps at bay, I crossed the line strongly with a second half split of exactly 80 minutes – just as Eliud Kipchoge’s award ceremony was beginning. However, I was focused only on the line and the perfect negative splits – and most importantly, on my new PB of 2:42:20.
'And then it was time for a sports massage to prepare my legs for their next big task – the 75km Transvulcania in 4 weeks’ time!' (The Transvulcania is one of the world's toughest mountain ultramarathons. It's held in La Palma, Spain, and features an elevation gain of 4,415m and an elevation loss of 4,100m. Not for the faint-hearted!)
Congratulations to Mick! We wish you all the best for your training for the Transvulcania.
Full results of the Berlin marathon are at: https://berlin.r.mikatiming.net/2022/?pid=start&pidp=start
