April 3, 2026 • 7 mins
With the Christchurch Marathon kicking off next week, the men’s champion has decided not to defend his title.
2025 Champion Oska Baynes has instead become heavily involved in mentoring athletes in the art of long-distance running, including Nick Bewley.
The two caught up for a chat ahead of next week’s event.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
I am coming back, but not to defend my mouth
and title. I'm going to come back and run the
ten p just to be a part of it. And
a couple of the boys are shooting for world half
marathon spots, so I think I'll be an able bodied
pacemaker through halfway for those guys.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Fantastic. Well, of course, with your front runner business, you
have been evolved, as somewhat of from an advice standpoint,
for many novices like myself out there giving one of
these respective races ago, there will be a few nervous
folks out there. So what would you be doing this
this Easter weekend? Somewhat do we eight sleeps away to
(00:38):
sort of settle those nerves and make sure you're in
the right place both physically and mentally.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, that's a good question. I think. You know, particularly
the last two weeks, you're just trying to consolidate what
you've done over the last eight to ten In the
best piece of advice I ever received for that sort
of last ten days was if in doubt, don't anything
you do now should be adding to performance rather than
take away. So eating well, sleeping well, doing enough running
just to keep the rhythm, just to make sure it
(01:06):
leads to ticking over. You feel like you've you've got
a little bit of get up and go. You're not
getting to the lethargic contrary to pop your belief. You
don't need to cram yourself full of past the seven
nights in a row, just sort of. I think it's
keeping things as normal as you can for as long
as you can. And then really that sleep piece and
just good eating. And then the third thing, you know,
I like to concentrate on is don't take yourself too seriously.
(01:28):
I think we can get in our own heads quite
a lot. So one thing I like to do heading
into you know, big races that mean a lot to
me is a daughter. I just make sure that she
tells me a joke every day the week of the
race or something. I can just laugh and find a
way to keep some enjoyment hector, And I think that's
really important too.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
You hear a lot about tapering Oscar, and obviously you
sort of stress that point there, and I see from
your plan, you know, from myself at eighteen kaya a
couple of weeks ago, I think it was. Now, how
important is reinforcing that message of not overdoing it so
when it's so close now.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Ultimately the training plan is about putting in adaptable stress
on your body to a point where you cause an
adaptation in terms of fitness and then a little bit
of confidence mentally as well. And as we get closer
to race day, we obviously don't want to keep forcing
those stresses if we do it for too long, as
we end up perhaps getting sick. You know, we just
want to bring that down. So the idea of tapering
(02:27):
is lots of things. One is to give you a
bit of a mental rest. That's important too, that you
turn up on the start line feeling mentally refreshed, and
then obviously with sort of the physical refreshment, you just
want to make sure that those niggles that might have
come have gone away. You're feeling sort of light and bouncy,
you're not in the hole as we call it, so
you have really that lasted of ten days to two
weeks is just about freshening up all over, consolidating the
(02:50):
training that you've done, and then letting that sort of
super consensation is what the exercise for the physiologists would
call it start to happen. So when you turn up
on race day, you can't rip it and rearin to
go getting very excited, but just making sure that first
k is always under control.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Just speaking of that first k under control, it's another
question I have personally around pacing. When you haven't been
used to this distance, we're to use sort of lean.
You see some that you know, I want to slow
and steady, nice and early, then settle in and then
helpful weather towards the end. Do you subscribe to that?
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Yeah, Look, it really changes depending on what the person's
goals are, and I think that's important to understand when
you're going with your plan for race days. So for
some people, they're aiming to complete, So you probably want
to run as even as you can, as consistently as
you can, and mainly for the reason that you don't
want to ever get down yourself during that sort of
ninety minutes to three hours for the half or you know,
sort of three hours to six hours more longer for
(03:45):
the marathon. So just that consistency pieces is really key
if you're aiming to try and run a time. So
if we pick a random time out and met, so
you're trying to break ninety minutes for a half marathon,
ideally you probably want to leave something and reserve. It
is one of those events when you get to sort
of about five k to go for everyone blanketly across
the course, whether you're running like Toby probably will in
(04:06):
about sixty three minutes or for someone running two hours,
that last five k is really tough. So if you've
got a little bit of reserves in there, you've set
yourself up. Well, you've got through the sixteen k mark
and then you can kind of dig in. Sometimes it
feels like you're speeding up when you're not. That's okay too,
You're just maintaining an effort with sort of a bit
of lactic in your leg. So you know, I'm a
big fan of it feels good to pass people towards
(04:28):
the end rather than be passed, So I'd be looking
at doing that and trying to run consistently. But don't
panic if that first sort of fifteen hundred meters to
two k, that does take a little while to settle in.
So for most people, I'd say turn the watchover, don't
look at that too much, and try and use a
(04:48):
bit of RPE. So how am I actually feeling does
this group that I'm with feel like is where I
should be and then kind of settle in there. And
then when you get through five K or four K
for some people, you'll get a really good indication of
how you go and and then you can say, Okay,
I'm working a bit hard ego check or actually I
think I can push a bit more. I'll be okay.
But yeah, it depends on a person.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Oh that's a sage advice, Oscar. Just last year you
sort of touched on it there around getting away laugh
out of your daughter each day to just sort of,
you know, keep things nice and sort of zen any
other superstitions or the like a go to meal the
night before or a snack the morning off.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, I'm a pretty rigimendum person when it comes to
the big dance event. So yeah, I do like I
try and spend a bit of time my family, fill
that cup up. Distract yourself as long as you can
during the week, because I think, you know, again you
can get to I certainly am a bit of an
excitable person, so try and do other things that are
off my feet to save the energy. But definitely distractions
(05:47):
are good. That Friday, that Friday run for a Sunday event,
it is often for me sort of thirty to forty
five minutes, not go somewhere a bit more scenery, maybe
on my own, just kind to start dialing in a
little bit of visualization. You know that how's the morning
going to look? Has a start light, going to look?
What faces am I going to see? How am I
(06:08):
going to feel? Those types of things, to start implementing
those I guess strategies. And then yes, Saturday is just
a little shakeout run in the morning that might be
thirty minutes, twenty five to thirty minutes, and then feed up,
may watch game of basketball, and the pre night meals
always a Ti green curry, which is a bit risky,
but it has not let me down, so it has
(06:28):
not let me down, and it does make sure that
the morning of the race you cleaned out so you're okay.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
And then regard outstanding, Well, why change a successful formula?
Hey ask you there. There's a lot of great stuff
there that I'm sure our listeners will appreciate. Her are
involved in the christ Church Marathon or across the several distances.
So hey, thanks so much for your time, enjoy your
Easter break and enjoy next weekend. April twelve can't wait.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yeah, may Thank you very much, and good luck to
all those people who have put in a pile of
work and are going to turn up on that start
line and whatever the finish line looks for them. I
look forward to catching up and sharing some war stories.
For more from News Talk st B, listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
I am coming back, but not to defend my mouth
and title. I'm going to come back and run the
ten p just to be a part of it. And
a couple of the boys are shooting for world half
marathon spots, so I think I'll be an able bodied
pacemaker through halfway for those guys.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Fantastic. Well, of course, with your front runner business, you
have been evolved, as somewhat of from an advice standpoint,
for many novices like myself out there giving one of
these respective races ago, there will be a few nervous
folks out there. So what would you be doing this
this Easter weekend? Somewhat do we eight sleeps away to
(00:38):
sort of settle those nerves and make sure you're in
the right place both physically and mentally.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, that's a good question. I think. You know, particularly
the last two weeks, you're just trying to consolidate what
you've done over the last eight to ten In the
best piece of advice I ever received for that sort
of last ten days was if in doubt, don't anything
you do now should be adding to performance rather than
take away. So eating well, sleeping well, doing enough running
just to keep the rhythm, just to make sure it
(01:06):
leads to ticking over. You feel like you've you've got
a little bit of get up and go. You're not
getting to the lethargic contrary to pop your belief. You
don't need to cram yourself full of past the seven
nights in a row, just sort of. I think it's
keeping things as normal as you can for as long
as you can. And then really that sleep piece and
just good eating. And then the third thing, you know,
I like to concentrate on is don't take yourself too seriously.
(01:28):
I think we can get in our own heads quite
a lot. So one thing I like to do heading
into you know, big races that mean a lot to
me is a daughter. I just make sure that she
tells me a joke every day the week of the
race or something. I can just laugh and find a
way to keep some enjoyment hector, And I think that's
really important too.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
You hear a lot about tapering Oscar, and obviously you
sort of stress that point there, and I see from
your plan, you know, from myself at eighteen kaya a
couple of weeks ago, I think it was. Now, how
important is reinforcing that message of not overdoing it so
when it's so close now.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Ultimately the training plan is about putting in adaptable stress
on your body to a point where you cause an
adaptation in terms of fitness and then a little bit
of confidence mentally as well. And as we get closer
to race day, we obviously don't want to keep forcing
those stresses if we do it for too long, as
we end up perhaps getting sick. You know, we just
want to bring that down. So the idea of tapering
(02:27):
is lots of things. One is to give you a
bit of a mental rest. That's important too, that you
turn up on the start line feeling mentally refreshed, and
then obviously with sort of the physical refreshment, you just
want to make sure that those niggles that might have
come have gone away. You're feeling sort of light and bouncy,
you're not in the hole as we call it, so
you have really that lasted of ten days to two
weeks is just about freshening up all over, consolidating the
(02:50):
training that you've done, and then letting that sort of
super consensation is what the exercise for the physiologists would
call it start to happen. So when you turn up
on race day, you can't rip it and rearin to
go getting very excited, but just making sure that first
k is always under control.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Just speaking of that first k under control, it's another
question I have personally around pacing. When you haven't been
used to this distance, we're to use sort of lean.
You see some that you know, I want to slow
and steady, nice and early, then settle in and then
helpful weather towards the end. Do you subscribe to that?
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Yeah, Look, it really changes depending on what the person's
goals are, and I think that's important to understand when
you're going with your plan for race days. So for
some people, they're aiming to complete, So you probably want
to run as even as you can, as consistently as
you can, and mainly for the reason that you don't
want to ever get down yourself during that sort of
ninety minutes to three hours for the half or you know,
sort of three hours to six hours more longer for
(03:45):
the marathon. So just that consistency pieces is really key
if you're aiming to try and run a time. So
if we pick a random time out and met, so
you're trying to break ninety minutes for a half marathon,
ideally you probably want to leave something and reserve. It
is one of those events when you get to sort
of about five k to go for everyone blanketly across
the course, whether you're running like Toby probably will in
(04:06):
about sixty three minutes or for someone running two hours,
that last five k is really tough. So if you've
got a little bit of reserves in there, you've set
yourself up. Well, you've got through the sixteen k mark
and then you can kind of dig in. Sometimes it
feels like you're speeding up when you're not. That's okay too,
You're just maintaining an effort with sort of a bit
of lactic in your leg. So you know, I'm a
big fan of it feels good to pass people towards
(04:28):
the end rather than be passed, So I'd be looking
at doing that and trying to run consistently. But don't
panic if that first sort of fifteen hundred meters to
two k, that does take a little while to settle in.
So for most people, I'd say turn the watchover, don't
look at that too much, and try and use a
(04:48):
bit of RPE. So how am I actually feeling does
this group that I'm with feel like is where I
should be and then kind of settle in there. And
then when you get through five K or four K
for some people, you'll get a really good indication of
how you go and and then you can say, Okay,
I'm working a bit hard ego check or actually I
think I can push a bit more. I'll be okay.
But yeah, it depends on a person.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Oh that's a sage advice, Oscar. Just last year you
sort of touched on it there around getting away laugh
out of your daughter each day to just sort of,
you know, keep things nice and sort of zen any
other superstitions or the like a go to meal the
night before or a snack the morning off.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, I'm a pretty rigimendum person when it comes to
the big dance event. So yeah, I do like I
try and spend a bit of time my family, fill
that cup up. Distract yourself as long as you can
during the week, because I think, you know, again you
can get to I certainly am a bit of an
excitable person, so try and do other things that are
off my feet to save the energy. But definitely distractions
(05:47):
are good. That Friday, that Friday run for a Sunday event,
it is often for me sort of thirty to forty
five minutes, not go somewhere a bit more scenery, maybe
on my own, just kind to start dialing in a
little bit of visualization. You know that how's the morning
going to look? Has a start light, going to look?
What faces am I going to see? How am I
(06:08):
going to feel? Those types of things, to start implementing
those I guess strategies. And then yes, Saturday is just
a little shakeout run in the morning that might be
thirty minutes, twenty five to thirty minutes, and then feed up,
may watch game of basketball, and the pre night meals
always a Ti green curry, which is a bit risky,
but it has not let me down, so it has
(06:28):
not let me down, and it does make sure that
the morning of the race you cleaned out so you're okay.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
And then regard outstanding, Well, why change a successful formula?
Hey ask you there. There's a lot of great stuff
there that I'm sure our listeners will appreciate. Her are
involved in the christ Church Marathon or across the several distances.
So hey, thanks so much for your time, enjoy your
Easter break and enjoy next weekend. April twelve can't wait.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yeah, may Thank you very much, and good luck to
all those people who have put in a pile of
work and are going to turn up on that start
line and whatever the finish line looks for them. I
look forward to catching up and sharing some war stories.
For more from News Talk st B, listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
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