This Sunday 17th November, Queensland marathon champions Tim Vincent and Ella McCartney will race in the
Kobe Marathon in Japan. Kobe Marathon is the “sister marathon” to our own Gold Coast Marathon and each
year, Queensland Athletics and GCM offer an all expenses paid trip for Queensland marathon champions (at
GCM) to run in Kobe. This is a fantastic opportunity for Queenslanders as it’s a big international race on a fast
course in cool weather. Plus a great way to recognise Queensland’s best!

Benita Willis, Qrun manager and four-time Olympian, has interviewed both Ella and Tim ahead of Sunday. On
behalf of QA and GCM, we’d like to wish you both all the very best for Sunday! 

**Please note Ella placed 2nd in the Qld marathon championship but 1st place getter Gen Gregson, had another
opportunity to race a marathon around the same time so this race entry was given to Ella. We want to also wish
Gen all the very best in her upcoming marathon in Valencia!

BW: Congrats on your recent senior Australian team debut at the World Road Running
Champs (half marathon – 48 th / 1:03:40min). What was your most memorable part of the
trip?

TV: World Road Running was an awesome event and I was fortunate enough to be a part of
the team. My most memorable part was our low-key team meeting the afternoon before
the event in our hotel. Our team manager Nic handed out our race numbers at this meeting
and this was a memorable moment for me to see my surname on a World Athletics bib
being my first team.

BW: I know a supportive training (work/ family etc) environment enables us to perform at
our best. Who are some of those in your corner who have helped along the way? How
important has Jacko and GC Run Co. been in your rapid improvement over the years?

TV: I’m very lucky to have many supportive people in my corner including my family, my
partner, my first running coach (Gavin Jackson) and my team at Gold Coast Run Co. Jacko
has played a very important role in my last 12 months as I’ve transitioned from the
university lifestyle to working as an exercise physiologist around 25 – 30 hours per week. I’m
now completely Brisbane based so I train mostly alone and via correspondence. He’s a very
busy guy and I appreciate the time I’m given to make things work.

BW: Going back to GCM in July – congrats on 1 st place in the Qld Marathon Champs running
a brilliant debut of 2:17:17 (14 th overall). How did you find your first marathon? Were there
hard stages in the race?

TV: My first experience at the marathon was a positive one. I feel like I am still learning from
it the more I look back at it. My build up was good but I feel my execution was not when
compared to my best races over the shorter distances on the roads. I ran quite passively
which got me to the finish line but I hope to run with a bit more intent for Kobe Marathon. I
found the first 10 km of the marathon the hardest as my mind was very active and I was
aware of how far I still had left to run.

BW: What mileage do you typically run in a marathon prep and what’s your favourite
session in this block?

TV: This marathon block has been quite different to my first. I have only completed one
specific marathon session due to all the racing I’ve been doing. I typically run between 175 –
180 km a week in preparation for a marathon. I was able to complete a 3 week stint at
1800m above sea level prior to Riga in Livigno, Italy where I ran 180 km per week and I
believe this has given me the base which I’m continuing to build off for the upcoming Kobe
Marathon. My favourite session would have to be 1 km hard, 1km recovery for 24 km as I
felt much more in my element than the longer reps I’ve done of up to 8 km at a time.
BW: Looking at your prep for GCM, has it changed much getting ready for Kobe marathon
later this month? If so, what changes have you made?

TV: Jacko and I have reduced mileage for this preparation and included more racing and
anaerobic sessions. We’ll continue to refine this I’m sure as it’s only my second marathon.
We both have ideas which we share to the other and what I complete is usually somewhere
in the middle. I don’t believe we’ve hit the nail on the head yet regarding preparation but
we’re going in the right direction.

BW: I know you quite often run on grass or trails or roads – how important is it to you to run
on different surfaces within your program?

TV: Quite important regarding load. I reduce load for a given number of kilometres per week
by altering the surface (grass ovals). I find my body responds well to trail hill sessions so 8 x
800m hills was a staple for me in Livigno. I think there is a lot of merit for the strength it
provides the intrinsic muscles in the feet.

BW: How do you motivate yourself to get through races that are tougher then they should
be (or training sessions)?

TV: I find racing much easier to be motivated as I’m emotionally invested in the outcome. I’ll
usually find a memory from my preparation and use this as positive reinforcement. On the
other hand I found my first marathon sessions quite difficult to stay motivated as they were
so long and I was very tired. I usually try and think about the people closest to me and what
they give up to make what I do possible. Common things include my mum, dad or my
partner riding beside me when they could be in bed before a full day of work.
BW: Good luck in Kobe! We can’t wait to see how you go and what a great 2023 year all
round!

TV: Thanks very much for your time Benita, looking forward to completing my final
preparations and having another go at the marathon in Kobe!