Budapest Marathon, 13 Oct 2024

Going into the marathon I was very nervous, having had to pause and then change the last few weeks of training due to an injury. I felt rather underprepared and also not sure how my knee would be, my goal/hope was just to finish.

However, during the race I felt so strong and the easier than planned weeks due to the injury meant I was very fresh. I felt really good but worried that it was just adrenaline. I made a conscious effort to keep to a 5:30/20 pace. It soon showed that the blocks of training I’d completed over summer had paid off. As I reached 30km I still felt strong and was loving the atmosphere so started to increase the pace. The last 5km dragged but the crowds were so nice to see as I came to the finish. I finished in a time of 3:46 - a lot faster than the 4 hours I’d predicted.

This week I’ve taken it easy - a few social rides and easy swims but I’m so excited to get back to triathlon training.

Zoe Palmer