2019 Guangzhou Marathon Experiences: Ms. Maine

The 2019 Guangzhou Marathon was held on Sunday, December 8. Ms. Maine, the coach of AISG’s APAC Cross Country team has participated in the half marathon event.

It was Ms. Maine’s tenth time attending the half marathon. She has experience running in the United States, Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh, Presque Isle, Allegheny National Forest, and Johnstown. She has also been running marathons in regions in China as well, such as Guangzhou, Yixing, and Xiamen.

The Guangzhou Marathon is known for its good organization and management. In an interview with Ms. Maine, she discussed her thoughts and experiences regarding this year’s Guangzhou Marathon.

“The Guangzhou Marathon is a large event, but Pittsburgh has more runners and utilizes more roads around the city. I was impressed with how well they ran the events here.”

Ms. Maine mentioned the processes of picking up the race packet, checking the chips for timing in advance, and the overall event communication was one of the best that she has seen.

According to Ms. Maine, there was great attention to detail to make sure everyone had a fun time: “The security ensured that everyone was where they were supposed to be for a well-managed event. They had runners that were medical experts and others for security that were available on the course if needed, and there were many water, fuel, and emergency stations along the way. “

Ms. Maine received her time by a message immediately after the finish line. Then she got access to her times through each checkpoint and what number she finished later that day. It was a very comprehensive breakdown of her run, and she was very impressed with how quickly the information was sent.

It was Ms. Maine’s second-fastest event. Her goal before was to match her fastest one, but she is still very pleased that she finished at 1:58:45.

Ms. Maine’s suggestions for the runners who are willing to participate in a marathon are to train and be willing to run four or five days a week because the vascular endurance and speed can only be improved through constant practices.

“You learn a lot about what your body can do and how to treat it with respect as you are training. Use the runs as an opportunity to explore your neighborhood and your city. “

Ms. Maine thinks that running a marathon is really something that people can do if they set their mind to it. It is one’s mind that gets in the way. Ms. Maine likes running a marathon; she thinks that it is fun to run a race with a large number of people and see others cheering her on along the route: “Their enthusiasm keeps you going as well as the encouragement from the other runners around you.”