Barcelona Half Marathon 2023 — Smashing My Record in 1:53

After a break of about four months from racing, it was time for a comeback with a new half marathon in Catalonia! I travelled to Barcelona with my family and couldn’t wait to give everything on that Sunday. The weather was glorious that Saturday 18 February — around 20°C in the early afternoon, which felt strange coming from Paris the day before where temperatures barely reached 10°C.

Saturday: Race Pack Collection

As always, the race pack collection stage. My sister and mum were hoping for some decent goodies but there wasn’t much to take from this expo. The village wasn’t very large, but at least the queue to pick up your bib was virtually non-existent. I left with the bag, the t-shirt, the bib, and — a first for me — a tracking chip to attach to my shoes. Normally these trackers are pinned to the back of the race number.

The Course

Sunday: Race Day

First, a scare three days before the race: a jog run too fast triggered fears that the shin splints that had plagued me the year before were coming back. I’d been doing eight weeks of physical conditioning on top of marathon training, and this half marathon was going to be a real test of my fitness.

I came into the weekend without a specific time goal, beyond breaking the symbolic two-hour barrier.

Being about 2km from the start, I left around 7:45am to reach my corral before the 8:30 gun. The weather was beautiful — around 7°C — so I wore a light jacket for the warm-up. Two kilometres at a jog is enough to warm up and prepare the body for the effort ahead.

I met a mix of Spanish, French and British runners in my corral, which made for some good pre-race chat. Despite a slight delay at the start as large numbers of runners made their way in, I set off around 8:45 to a fantastic atmosphere.

In the opening kilometres I focused on managing my effort — starting moderately before settling into 5’40/km territory, the pace I’d need to go sub-2h.

Everything went to plan until kilometre 6 or 7. My body felt great with no sign of pain. Then I started to accelerate — I felt I was holding back given the energy still in my legs. Internally I knew it might be too soon, but I let my legs guide me towards around 5’10/km.

One thing I forgot to mention: the first aid station only had water cups — nothing to eat, and you had to stop to drink. Result: a few seconds lost.

Further into the course, after passing the Arc de Triomf, I could spot the Torre Glòries in the distance around the halfway point. Still running at pace, I used each aid station as my next landmark — a complete change from my previous half marathons in France.

Mentally I tried several times to tell myself to slow down and save it for later, but I never gave in to the temptation. Another thing: this was the first race I’d run without music from start to finish, and I think it helped enormously — listening to my body and managing my effort much more effectively. I’d strongly recommend trying it.

The final aid station had a gel in addition to drinks. I accepted the few lost seconds, knowing I was well ahead of my target. Past kilometre 17, the course reaches the seafront and I just soaked it in.

At that point, only 4 kilometres left. I held my pace and began to wonder whether I could maintain it all the way. But I held to my motto: “pain is temporary, quitting is permanent”. I wasn’t letting go, and the crowd carried me to the twentieth kilometre marker.

Just 1,100 metres to the finish. Since the start — or more precisely since km 6-7 — I’d done nothing but overtake other runners, and that kept me going. I finished with a long sprint, giving absolutely everything.

Final Result

Race over. I looked at my watch: 1h53 and a few seconds. No need for more — I knew I’d crushed my previous record (2h02m30) and I was over the moon. Official time: 1h53m52 — a monumental improvement, and I immediately started dreaming of the next milestone.

After the finish came the medal ceremony, the post-race refuel (fruit, yoghurt drinks, water bottles) and the chance to celebrate with family by the sea. A well-earned seaside lunch.

Highlights:

• A brilliant course to see Barcelona (Arc de Triomf, seafront)
• Entry fee around €30 (much cheaper than Paris)

Lowlights:

• Post-race refuel area poorly managed — a lot of waiting to get out
• Quality of mid-race aid stations

Next up: Italy on 19 March 2023 for the Rome Marathon!

Official race info: eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona