<h3>First Time Pace Bunny-Picton County Marathon on Sep. 30, 2018. Many thanks to Wei, Bei and Yang 🌹<br></h3> <h3>Big congrats to everyone who ran the Picton County Marathon.
I was honoured to be a pace bunny for this race for the 2:30 hours continuous group after having suffered from ITBS and THREE weeks of physiotherapy. Honestly, I have never thought of I could give back to the running world that meaningful as a pace bunny to help others reach their PBs. I signed up to be the 2:30 half marathon pace bunny for the County marathon with the help of Wei.<br></h3> <h3>I barely slept a wink last night. As early as 3:45 am, I was picked up by Wei and then we headed for Bei’s and Yang’s. After 2:30 hours good drive, we eventually arrived at our destination- the finish line to pick up our ears and bibs and then jumped on the bus to go to the start. But as soon as we got on the bus, I was informed that I had to take a separate shuttle bus without three of them. I was kind of upset with tears in my eyes upon their departure. But soon I told myself I had to take on my responsibilities when I recalled how nice and kind they were to me. </h3> <h3>Having never been a pace bunny before, I didn’t really know what to expect and how to set myself up so that I could be seen by other runners. Luckily, on the way to Picton, I was reminded several times what should be done by my lovely friends. I positioned myself roughly 3 meters away from 2:20 bunny . Soon afterwards I had many runners to say hi and asked me “Pace-bunny?” Proudly I said “yes, I will run the perfect 2:30 half marathon ”. I had everyone’s full support and we all wished each other luck and good cheer. <br></h3> <h3>Since full marathon kicked off at 8 O’clock sharp while half marathon started at 10 in the middle of course, I had a chance to see my three friends pass the starting line of half marathon. I was more than delighted to take photos for them and cheered them up through high-fives as a huge fan of them.<br></h3> <h3>Once the race got off to a start, I informed my group we would take the first kilometre easy. There was no need to rush it and get caught up in the “race”, we had 21 km to go still. But to my surprise, The first km was not slow at all( my average pace should be 7:07 while I did it with 6:45. But that was fine. I told them and myself that we could save some time for the big hill close to the finish line But I ended up with 9 minutes off the target despite my great effort to slow down.😂<br></h3> <h3>A woman by the name of Victoria ran beside me for most of the race, being joined by a few guys here and there popping in for a chat to find out what strategy I planned to follow. I tried to keep reminding everyone to relax, breathe and settle in. Keeping the group calm was important, I told them that if they could get to 10km feeling good and strong and relaxed they could bet that they would have a great race. Some listened and some didn‘t. I ran faster due to the excited and enthusiastic crowd. Once we hit the uphill and we had only 4 more to go, I noticed most people started to fade. So I turned around and spoke to them loudly, telling them to dig just a little bit deeper because they could do it.
Among them, some were first timers, some were trying to PB and some were just trying to hang on. Victoria was trying for her PB she would have to beat 2:25. With only 3 more km to go I could tell she was losing steam, which is natural at this point in the race. I kept reminding her to smile, look up and enjoy the spectators that are here to see her. She smiled a little.
I knew what made me want to get to the finish line-my dear friends. I asked her whether there was anyone at the finish line waiting for her. She said its her boy friend. I said “ so sweet. Think about him and how proud he would feel if you PBd your race!” She started to smile harder and then step by step I could see her digging in and picking up her pace. The crowds helped by yelling out “chase the bunny”, or “go catch the bunny”. At the end of the race we hugged and I was so proud to be a part of her moment, which was even more impressed than I PBed. Many others came up to say thank you, but it‘s them that deserve the thanks. They trusted me to get them to the finish line not knowing who I was. They believed in me and made me all the more determined to do this right. <br></h3> <h3>Thanks to everyone who ran with me. It was a pleasure being a part of their lives for 21km. The experience of the pace bunny is quite exhilarating. You get the chance to help other people look for the goal and encourage them. It’s really a fun time. But what made it special and unforgettable was my THREE friends who helped me make it happen. Thanks for everything.❤️❤️🌹🌹</h3> <h3>One of the most valuable medals in my life.</h3> <h3>My favourite lovely pace band❤️</h3> <h3>Victoria and I crossed the finish line hand in hand.👏👏</h3> <h3>PS: I just heard from the pace coordinator- Erin that golden bunny ears 🐰went to Wei, finishing just 1 second off his target of 3:20 for the full marathon! (Honestly, I had no idea how he could make it after 2:30 hours’ drive🌹)And Yang was only 3 seconds off! Congrats👏💐👏💐 </h3> <h3>Official photos</h3>