London Marathon 2022: Brett Robinson, time, 2:10, Robert de Castella
4 min read
Robert de Castella was quick to text Brett Robinson after his tremendous run in the London Marathon on Sunday, moving swiftly to congratulate Australia’s newest member of the « under 2:10 club ».
When Robinson stopped the clock at 2:09:52, the 31-year-old became just the sixth Australian to have conquered the 2:10 barrier.
De Castella, Steve Moneghetti, Derek Clayton, Pat Carroll, Lee Troop and Robinson form a special group.
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De Castella holds the Australian marathon record.
« He just said, ‘Welcome to the club. The marathon is a tricky business and it’s good that you’re starting to figure it out’, » Robinson told Wide World of Sports.
The two-time Olympian has had the privilege of getting to know de Castella in recent times, allowing him to soak up invaluable knowledge from an Australian marathon legend.
The owners of Australia’s two fastest marathon times, de Castella and Moneghetti, are both in regular contact with Robinson.
« The main thing was before the race, speaking with (de Castella) when I went to this lunch with him … he was just so open about what he did for training and what worked for him. That’s always a good person to have in the corner, » Robinson said.
« Mona (Moneghetti) is the same, to be honest. He reaches out to me. I know him actually a bit better than Deek (de Castella), and Mona is always happy to offer advice when I want it.
« Having those two guys in my corner is definitely reassuring. »
Robinson became the first Australian to crack the 2:10 mark since Troop, who posted 2:09:58 in the London Marathon of 2004.
« You look at all those guys — they’re very good runners, » Robinson said.
« I’m very honoured to be in that company.
« The new guys that are coming and trying to break their records — they’re still happy for us to do it. »
Robinson, a 5000m finalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has had a turbulent time since stepping up from the track to the marathon.
He’s recorded two DNFs, in the 2018 Fukuoka Marathon and 2020 London Marathon, and battled stomach pain in all seven marathons he’s run.
His performance in last year’s Tokyo Olympics marathon, which saw him finish in 66th in the time of 2:24:04, left him shattered.
« I’d say (it’s) a big relief, to be honest, » Robinson said of breaking the 2:10 barrier in the London Marathon.
« It’s something I’ve talked about doing for a fair while, and I know a lot of people are interested in it and were waiting for me to do it. Been a few races where I thought I was going to do it and I didn’t. So to actually just do it, to get that monkey off my back (is pleasing).
« Now that I’ve done that I can be a bit more aggressive in my future races and go even faster. »
The stomach pain that arose in Sunday’s London Marathon hit Robinson around 26 kilometres into the run, forcing him to ease the pace.
Midway through the year, he saw a highly rated physiotherapist in the USA and began working on a program aimed at improving his strength and mobility.
He says the fact the stomach pain continues to hamper him is « so frustrating ».
Sorting out that issue is a key priority as he hunts de Castella’s Australian marathon record — the 2:07:51 he ran in the 1986 Boston Marathon.
« I know there’s a bit more there to go if I can not get (the stomach pain) and really push the whole way to the finish, » Robinson said.
« It’s the No.1 thing I think about during the race. I’m always thinking, ‘Is it going to come on?’.
« I do think that all the mobility stuff that I’ve been doing helps with the way I run.
« But I think I just need more of it and (need to) maybe get a bit more specific.
« I changed my breathing patterns a little bit during the race (in London) and that actually helped a little bit. So I think there could be a breathing component to do with it, as well.
« I need to see more people and try to get some more answers.
« But I think it was a positive where I maybe got a few more answers from this race, whereas a lot of the time it’s just kind of, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing to try to get rid of it’.
« I think if I can run a full marathon without that hindering me I’ll take a big chunk off my time and (it’ll) put me more down towards the Deek and the Mona times. »
Robinson will be lacing up his Nike shoes for another marathon in less than two months’ time, having set Japan’s Fukuoka Marathon on December 4 as his next target.
He’s hoping his London Marathon breakthrough has set him up for another sizzling time.
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