Shelley's consistency and hard work over many years is testimony to his Commonwealth Games success. A third at the 2009 national 10 000m champs (27:59) set him up for a respectable 2hr 13min marathon at Rotterdam (12th place) in March. This result was enough to send him to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games. However, the Delhi games provided a serious challenge for endurance athletes: the heat.
The Heat is On
The great advantage Shelley faced leading up to the games was his ability to handle the heat. The Victory Sports athlete from the Gold Coast trains in the hot humid Queensland conditions. Shelley's long runs of over 2hrs around the Gold Coast streets worked well in preparing him for the conditions in India. It all paid off as the 27 year old took silver in the Games marathon.
Come From Behind
Shelley timed his run perfectly in the hot conditions. He was in eighth place around the halfway mark. By the 30km he had moved to sixth. However, as the pack faded in the heat, Shelley powered on, working up to third, passing Kenya's Amos Matui and then into silver in the final kilometers. He crossed the line in 2.15.28 (Kenya's John Kelai won in 2.14.35).
Shelley comments, "It's my first Commonwealth Games. I thought it was a learning experience and we'll see what happens. Initially I would have been very happy with a top-10 finish. It's only my second marathon and I didn't know the conditions or what to expect."
Michael Shelley now returns to training for the domestic season and plans his next marathon as a stepping stone to the London Olympic Games.