Under the Auld Pump: Training days on end secret to marathon success

Born: May 4, 1987 at Mordialloc.

Wife: Anna.

Parents: Ian and Lisa. Siblings: Kylie and Lauren

Education: Stella Maris Primary School, Beaumaris, before going to St Bede's College, Mentone.

Sporting highlights: Kenyan marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge breaking two minutes in a controlled marathon in Austria in 2019 and being at Wimbledon for the tennis championships in 2018.

Jason, what was it like being at the tennis championships at Wimbledon in 2018?

It was great. A friend of mine was getting married in Manchester, so it worked out really good to go to the wedding and the tennis.

It was really lucky that the tennis was on before COVID closed things down.

Wimbledon is just a special event. The grounds are well maintained and the tennis is always top class.

Tennis has played a big part in my life and that of my family. I think I was four years old when I started playing in the pee-wee tennis at Beaumaris before going on to play senior tennis for the club.

I have never rated myself as a top tennis player but I did play in grade one competition against other tennis clubs from Kooyong, South Yarra, Dendy Park and Grace Park, to name a few.

Was the tennis over the summer months?

It was over various times of the year. The winter tennis season in Melbourne is pretty big.

During the winter months, tennis is played on En Tout Cas courts. They are designed to soak up water. A lot of tennis in Melbourne is played on that type of surface.

I've been lucky to have played in single and doubles pennant tournaments over the years.

I came down to play in the tennis tournament over the Labour Day weekend in Warrnambool from 2002 to 2012. It was a great tournament to have played in.

The tournament has grown over the years. It's a busy time in the Western District over the Labour Day weekend, with events like the Port Fairy Folk Festival but the tennis tournament in Warrnambool is also a very big event and puts a lot of money into the local economy.

I'm like a lot of other people over the summer period, I go to the Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne. I've been going for years.

It's an incredible event, with the best tennis players in the world playing in the tournament.

I watch with amazement the skills that all the tennis players produce in their games. The strange thing about the tournament is television doesn't do it justice - just being there is a wonderful spectacle in itself.

Jason, earlier this year, you caught the attention of many when you won the Port Fairy marathon. When did you move to Port Fairy to live?

It was in early 2020. Anna, my wife, has relations who live around the Western District, while her parents live in Port Fairy.

Anna is an architect and has clients all over the place, including Melbourne and the Western District.

I work with her in the business. We do a lot of residential work and some commercial work. The business, which trades under Dot architects.com.au, has really taken off through word of mouth amongst people. I've got a background in electrical engineering.

Where did your love for marathon running begin?

It was when I was at secondary school. I used to take part in cross country events before I took part in my first marathon when I was 17 years old at St Bede's.

My parents never wanted me to run in my first marathon because they believed I was too young and not strong enough to run the 42 kilometres but I still took part in the event.

It was from Frankston to Melbourne. My parents were proven right as I walked about 10 kilometres of the marathon.

How many marathons have you taken part in now?

It's probably around 50.

I've taken part in 13 Melbourne marathons and six Great Ocean Road events, plus 11 Oxfam Trailwalkers.

They are an endurance event over 100 kilometres and I've taken part in seven Ironman Triathlons - four of those have been in Melbourne, one in Western Australia, one in NSW, while the other one was in Cairns.

What do the Ironman Triathlons comprise of?

There's a 3.8-kilometre swim, 180-kilometre bike ride and a 42-kilometre run.

They are gruelling events and require a lot of training before you're ready to take part in them.

I was training for about 25 hours a week before taking part in the Ironman Triathlons.

I started in the Ironman Triathlons when I was 24 and competed in one a year for seven years.

I was lucky to get a coach who has helped me with my training for marathons.

The triathlons were heartbreaking, as often you would underachieve, so I switched back to running in marathons.

Did you put in much training to win the 2022 Port Fairy marathon in February?

I trained every day for six months.

My training revolved around running about 120 kilometres a week and I was also taking part in the Saturday morning Parkrun. The Parkrun is over five kilometres.

What time did you run the Port Fairy marathon in?

I ran it in two hours and 29 minutes.

The time was a personal best for me. I was aiming at two hours 30 minutes, so to run it in two hours 29 minutes was a big thrill.

I'm probably being a bit biased here because I live in Port Fairy but it was a wonderful course for a marathon.

The event took in the east and south beach areas, plus the Moyne River, the rail trail and the footy ground.

The course showed everything that Port Fairy offers.

The 2022 Port Fairy marathon was an outstanding success and the date for the 2023 event has already been pencilled in for February 19.

I'm confident next year's event will be even bigger and better than this year.

It's wonderful to see that little athletics will be in Port Fairy this summer.

The little athletics kicks off after school on October 14 and will be staged at the Port Fairy showgrounds.