My Sydney Marathon Recap
By Coach Nic Baxter | NBx Running Coach
What a day! Sydney showed up and did not disappoint.
If you've been reading my build up to Sydney, many of you will know that I was having slight issues with an old, recurring hamstring injury. On arrival in Sydney, in the days leading up to the marathon, I ran different parts of the course and completely changed my race day strategy. As this was going to be the first of four marathons in twelve weeks, I made the decision to run smarter, not harder. My plan was to negative split and to finish strong.
For anyone unfamiliar with the term, a negative split simply means running the second half of a race faster than the first. It sounds obvious on paper — go out easy, save something for later — but it is one of the hardest disciplines in marathon running. Every instinct on race morning tells you to go out with the crowd, to bank time while your legs feel fresh, to match the energy of forty-four thousand other runners around you. Negative splitting means resisting all of that. It means trusting that patience early will be rewarded later, when so many other runners are fading.
Here is exactly how it looked.
RACE SUMMARY
Finish time: 4:21:19 Average pace: 9:54–9:56 per mile
THE SPLITS
5km — 10:18 pace 10km — 10:11 pace 15km — 10:10 pace 20km — 10:04 pace Half marathon — 10:03 pace 25km — 10:00 pace 30km — 9:58 pace 35km — 9:58 pace 40km — 9:58 pace Finish — 9:56 pace
Look at that progression. Every single split faster than the one before it. That is not an accident....that is exactly the race I set out to run.
HOW IT FELT
Starting at 10:18 pace when I know I am capable of running faster felt genuinely strange. Runners streamed past me in the first five kilometres, and every part of my brain wanted to go with them. I let them go. This race was not going to be about proving anything to anyone in the first ten kilometres. It was going to be about crossing that finish line strong, healthy, and ready for the three marathons still ahead of me this fall.
By halfway I was still holding steady, still resisting the urge to chase. The hamstring stayed quiet. My legs felt like they had more to give, which is exactly the feeling you want at 21 kilometres into a marathon, not the feeling of already fighting to hang on.
From 25 kilometres onward, something shifted. I started picking runners off, one by one, all the people who had gone out too fast in that first nervous, excited rush. My pace kept dropping — 10:00, then 9:58, holding steady through 35 and 40 kilometres, then finding just a little more in that crowded, narrow final stretch to close in 9:56.
Crossing the finish line at the Sydney Opera House, one of the most iconic finish lines in the world, having run every single kilometre faster than the one before — that is a feeling I will carry with me for a long time.
WHAT THIS RACE TAUGHT ME
Running smarter beats running harder. I did not run my fastest possible marathon today. I ran the smartest one I could have, given an ageing hamstring and three more marathons on the calendar this season. Sometimes the win is not the clock. Sometimes the win is finishing healthy, strong, and already looking forward to the next start line.
Trust the plan, even when it feels uncomfortable. Letting hundreds of runners pass me in the first five kilometres was uncomfortable. It went against every competitive instinct I have. But trusting a plan built on patience rather than adrenaline is exactly what I ask every one of my athletes to do, and today I got to prove to myself that it works.
Adaptation is not weakness. Changing my race strategy in the days before the marathon, based on how my hamstring was actually feeling rather than what the original plan said, was one of the best decisions I made this entire training block. Listening to your body and adjusting accordingly — right up until race morning — is a skill, not a compromise.
WHAT'S NEXT
Sydney was the first of four marathons in twelve weeks. My legs, my hamstring and my mind are already turning toward the next start line-in 5 weeks time. But for today, I am simply proud. Proud of the training, proud of the patience, proud of a negative split executed exactly as planned, and endlessly grateful for a city, a course and a community that made today unforgettable.
Sydney, thank you. This one will stay with me for a very long time.
If you're building toward your own marathon and want expert guidance on race strategy, pacing and everything in between — I'd love to help.
Book your free 30-minute intro call at nbx-runningcoach.com
Coach Nic Baxter is an RRCA Level 2 Run Coach and ACE-Certified Personal Trainer based in Morristown, NJ. She has now completed 61 marathons, most recently the 2026 TCS Sydney Marathon.
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