Edward Ovadia writes for the Runners Tribe Lisa Weightman has a record in the marathon that almost anyone would be jealous to have to their name. After years of stress fractures, Weightman has - in the space of three marathons - finally found her distance and cemented herself as Australia's top marathon runner.
Weightman came to running relatively late in her childhood. "It wasn't until secondary school that I started to give running a good go. My Dad encouraged me to run cross country to build strength in my cardiovascular system as I was born with a weak chest. I didn't enjoy it back then – running around muddy Bundoora Park for fun on a cold day, where's the fun in that!"
But she began to taste success immediately, even without any proper training. "In my late teens I made it to the State Championships for the 1500m. I didn't train and finished 7th, racing in heavy trainers and a netball skirt - the school sports uniform." One race changed it all. "After that, I said to Dad that the next year I wanted to win a medal."
Weightman started training with the boys team at Preston Athletics Club under the guidance of Jeff Hawkins a few days per week, and the following year she won the State Championship 1500m and made the Victorian Junior team.
"The closer I got to winning and running better the more I committed myself to the next stage," says Weightman. "But I had a few false starts along the way and lacked a lot of confidence through my early 20s due to lack of preparation with injury in the lead up to major races."
Her first big breakthrough came when she made her first Chiba Ekiden Relay team. "I ran a PB in the 10km and absolutely loved the event! I gained a great deal of confidence from being part of the successful Australian women's team that year." Weightman used that confidence to continue her progress and made her first World Cross Country team in Kenya a few years later.
"I struggled with recurring stress fractures for many years - 7 fractures! - and the idea of being able to run a marathon seemed increasingly impossible." Most of her stress fractures coincided with track training, so she turned her attention to the more forgiving surface of cross country. "I became a better cross country runner for it."
But despite being a successful track and cross country runner, Weightman knew that her future lay on the roads. "I always thought that if I was to represent Australia it would be in the marathon," she says. "The marathon is definitely my fit. I love the training. I love the racing and I am really excited about the coming years."
But Weightman's story can't be properly told without knowing the story of those three, life changing marathons. The debut occurred in London in April 2008, where Weightman ran amoung some of the world's best. She placed 13th in 2:32:32, and a marathoner was born.
Then there was the Olympic Games. Weightman's brilliant London run qualified her for Beijing later in the year where, in tough and hot conditions, she made her way through the field to come 33rd in 2:34:16. It's testament to her Championship ability that she always runs at or close to PB pace, even when the Championship pressure and tactics are on.
"The Olympics was a surreal experience," says Weightman. "Everything about being an Olympian is exactly what athletes dream of. [I realised] that I belong here. Prior to completing the race I still didn't feel like I was one of them. After the Olympic race I knew I could do well at the marathon. I knew I had the right fit."
And then came the third, and best, marathon - this year's World Championships in Berlin. "Berlin was a dream. My training leading into the race was great. Unfortunately I tore my hamstring during my first training block for the marathon which set me back a couple of weeks, but apart from that I trained better than ever before in the lead up."
Having learnt from her success in Beijing, Weightman, along with her coach Dick Telford, decided a conservative start would be the best approach, given the blistering heat. It was a tactic that payed off as Weightman sat in 43rd place after 10km; moving up to 34th place at halfway in 1:15:12; and then continuing strongly to grab 18th place in 2:30:42, a new personal best, and a perfectly split marathon. Weightman had arrived on the international scene as a big player, who had confirmed her ability to perform in when the pressure is on.
"I learnt so much from Dick about the marathon and about myself while preparing for and racing the marathon at Berlin," says Weightman. "I learnt that I can cope very well in the warmer climate, with the right preparation. I know exactly what my body responds to training-wise and from a nutritional perspective. I learnt the importance of earlier pace setting to conserve glycogen stores. But most importantly, we learnt that I have a lot more improvement to make. The marathon is an exciting event! If you run too fast in the first 10km it can set you up for a disastrous performance, but if you run too slow then you never reach your full potential."
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