Finishing 91st out of over 2300 entrants during the Run Melbourne half marathon was an astounding achievement, but, for Sub-Lieutenant Claire Miles, it was just another day of training.
In the middle of a marathon training block, running 60km a week, Sub-Lieutenant Miles had two hours of running scheduled for July 16, the same day as the race.
Despite starting with the 1hr 40min pace group, she felt fresh enough after 15km to push her speed and finished with a time of 1hr 37min.
“I felt pretty good the whole race and finished feeling pretty fresh. I probably could have hit it harder on the back end,” Sub-Lieutenant Miles said.
“I’d been jogging around Watson, which is pretty hilly, and getting just over my splits for a hilly course, so I knew going into a flat course I’d be doing pretty well.”
Sub-Lieutenant Miles ran her first marathon, the virtual London Marathon, during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, as a way to maintain her mental and physical health.
“I picked a road and ran up and down it, with my friend riding on a bike throwing Gatorades at me. COVID-19 pretty much got me back into it. It was the only thing I could do to keep sane.”
During marathons, Sub-Lieutenant Miles tends to focus on the atmosphere of the race around her rather than listen to music, preferring to be swept up in the energy and adrenaline of the crowd.
“The bigger runs have things along the course to keep you entertained. There was a choir at one point and a mariachi band at another, and it’s easier to soak all that stuff up if you don’t have music.”
Sub-Lieutenant Miles grew up in Melbourne and started running with her school club, but dropped off during university, playing sport instead.
She joined Navy in 2021 as a maritime warfare officer and is in training at HMAS Watson.
As a member of the ADF Running and Athletics Association, Defence covered her race entry.
“It’s good Defence sponsors the runs and you can get involved without costing you anything. Nothing gets you fitter quicker than running,” she said.
Her goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon, one of the biggest events in the world, which means running under 3hr 30min, and aims to hit that pace at the Run Melbourne event in October.
“I want to get at least 3hr 15min as a buffer, and if I maintain the pace I ran in the half for the entire marathon, I’ll get it,” Sub-Lieutenant Miles said.
