Jackson overcomes odds for brilliant win

BY SAM WORTHINGTON

Victoria Jackson was up all night last week as she prepared for her first marathon.

But the 30-year-old doctor from Glasgow wasn't tossing and turning about race tactics; she was slogging through night shifts at Hutt Hospital's emergency department.

Not the ideal preparation, but Jackson overcame the odds and the driving rain to win yesterday's Harbour Capital women's marathon in 3h 8min 33sec.

"This was my first marathon so it was a brilliant debut," Jackson said.

"You always have ideas, you have the dream of what you would like to do but I didn't really know what to expect. I guess I was more curious than competitive really, but it went well."

Jackson was concerned that working through the night would mess up her body clock "but everybody was saying it doesn't matter, it's what you've done up until the last week that counts. I guess it was."

Jackson has been in New Zealand for five years and is now settled in Wellington, a city she describes as a "runner's paradise".

"I've met some fantastic people to run with, first thing in the morning when it's dark and windy and cold and wet."

She is not affiliated with a club but is now eying up the famous Boston Marathon after easily meeting the qualifying time of 3h 40min.

"That was the one thing that I had hoped for. That's something I would love to do. My granny actually came from Boston and so I thought it would be really cool to go and do that."

Jackson said her first marathon contained the "full spectrum of emotions".

She began the 7.30am race "just chasing boys" and was worried her adrenaline-fuelled start would cost her later in the race.

"There were a couple of corners where the wind really hit you and you could barely move forwards. When I got to the finish line I could barely speak.

"There were times when I just wanted to sit down and cry and get somebody to take me home. So I'll definitely be keen to do more marathons, but not this week."

And how did Jackson celebrate?

"I had a nice bowl of leek and potato soup that I made. It's the food of marathoners, I've decided."

Daniel Clendon won the men's marathon, leading home Dave Parsons and snapping the five-year reign of third-placed veteran Grant McLean. Steven O'Callaghan and Aine Hoban were the men's and women's half marathon winners, while Cameron Goldsmid and Maria Bentley, last year's marathon champion, were the 10km victors.

- © Fairfax NZ News