Sub 2:30 up next for ex AFL star turned marathoner Kane Cornes

Looking down the list of the official results for the 2017 Melbourne Marathon many people would have done a double take at the name Kane Cornes next to the number 22 in the placings list.

It was in fact the former Port Adelaide star midfielder who clocked a very impressive time of 2:35.12 in his third marathon and first proper attempt following a beefy training program served up by Team Tempo coach Adam Didyk.

The goal of running marathons has been with Cornes, who is now 34 and working in the football media, for some time but was always something he was unable to pursue during his 15 years with the Power.

So, following a stellar career that featured 300 league games, a premiership in 2004, two All-Australian honours and four club best and fairest awards he is now a fully-fledged marathon runner.

“I played footy for 15 years, so left straight out of school and joined Port but even growing up I always had the goal to run a marathon one day but footy was always a priority,” Cornes said.

“My mum had done a couple of marathons in pretty good times so it was always on the bucket list to do, so once I finished footy I sort of dipped my toe in the water and did it on my own training program.

“So, I just sort of winged it a little bit and did the Adelaide marathon the year after I retired in 2015 and got through okay, did it in 2 hours 52 minutes.

“A couple of months later I went over to New York and did that marathon, so I got the experience of running without doing it properly.”

Cornes was well known as a ball winner in the midfield who was capable of closing down the best players in the league with his fitness and strength around the contest.

Now he cuts a much leaner figure training with national distance coach and head of Adelaide-based training group Team Tempo, Didyk, who has directed his preparation for Melbourne and welcomed him into his group’s sessions.

“I then got in contact with Jess Trengove,” Cornes said.

“I’ve known Jess for a while as she’s a physio and did some work at the club, just spoke to her about having a proper crack at doing one.

“She invited me out to the group that she trains with, Team Tempo in Adelaide.

“So that just opened my eyes up to a whole new world, I knew very little about running and the intricacies of it and still know very little, but obviously know a lot more after training with those elite guys who are just phenomenal athletes and hanging out with Adam and him taking me under his wing a bit has been incredible.”

Got home in 2.35.12 in the @melbmara.. what a brilliant event. I’ll be back pic.twitter.com/XZ5pXQ0ddT

— Kane Cornes (@kanecornes) October 14, 2017

Trengove has her own ties to AFL with brother Jack playing 86 games for the Melbourne Demons and she was more than happy to assist Cornes in his bid of posting a time under 2:40 on Sunday.

Her own form on the roads has been impressive clocking a personal best of 2:27.01 in London earlier this year as she eyes a spot on the Australian team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

The bronze medallist in the marathon from the 2014 Commonwealth Games recently placed ninth at this year’s world championships that were also staged in the English capital.

“So, I started to learn and I guess about four months out from the marathon started to have a really good crack and ramped up my training, started to run every day, sometimes twice a day three or four times a week,” Cornes explained.

“Probably got the kilometres up to about 175 and they were pretty confident I could run a good time in terms of that.

“That gave me confidence and it’s always nice to actually achieve what you set out to do on the day, which was a good reward.

“Initially when I started I wanted to get under 2:40 that was the goal and even waking up Sunday morning I would have been pleased with anything under 2:40 and really disappointed with anything over 2:40 if you know what I mean.

“Once I started hitting some training goals we readjusted the expectations to run 2 hours 35 minutes, so that was the goal Adam and I spoke about pre-race.

“So really the plan was to go out in 3:40 min/K pace – so my 5K splits were about 18:20 and I was just trying to hit that and I was pretty consistent with the run if you look at my splits.

“I found the last four kilometres really difficult and my time probably blew out a little bit just because of some gradual inclines around the Tan. 

“In the end to finish 22^nd in the time I did was great, but the next goal will be 2:30 for sure.”

With a solid time already on the board Cornes is already looking ahead to bigger things in the marathon and was already running out some stiffness in his legs on Monday morning a day after his superb run.

“I really enjoyed Melbourne Marathon, actually they’ve all been just a great experience, but with work doing a marathon in footy season is really difficult for me as I work weekends doing the footy,” Cornes added.

“It doesn’t leave to many options which is why Melbourne is a really good fit for me.

“There’s a couple in Japan I wouldn’t mind doing, I’d love to do Boston but that’s in footy season and so is Gold Coast – so it won’t be the last one I do.

“I’ve got the bug, yes.”

Due to work commitments with his career in the media Cornes has not been afraid to get out in the dark and trudge out a few early long runs well before the sun rises in preparation for Melbourne.

His Strava account has been the topic of conversation around the Tan in the lead up to Melbourne Marathon with many elite runners stunned by the work he has put in and debate about what time he was capable of putting down.

“I probably do 60 per cent of the running on my own and then 40 per cent with that group Team Tempo in Adelaide,” Cornes said.

“I’d prefer to do most of my running with the group but usually you can find someone to run with, Riley Cocks has been a great support to me, he’s a young elite runner.

“He’s been great I’ve done a fair few runs with him and Jess as well.

“I probably only hit 31km in the build-up, so I was a little bit concerned that wasn’t quite enough.

“Adam assured me that it was and said that the intensity that I had trained at would put me in good stead, so he was pretty reluctant for me to go anything further than two hours.

“I felt pretty strong at about the 37-kilometre mark and I was running with a guy there who finished just in front of me and with nine to go I turned and asked what time he was going for and he said 2:34-2:35.

“I said it’d be great if you could get me through in that so he sort of took me under his wing.

“I was really lucky to be able to get in the elite start section and be able to warm up at the MCG with those facilities.

“Even sharing the pre-race experience with those elite runners, I get a bit fanboy-ish around those elite runners, it was good to watch what some of the best in the country do.

“It was just a great experience all up.”

Trengove may want to remind Cornes that he is still some eight minutes away from her personal best if he starts walking around the training track with his chest puffed out.

“She hasn’t actually (said I’m a fair way off), she’s pretty humble,” Cornes laughed.

“I think she was pretty impressed and she understands the amount of work that goes in to getting a time that you’re happy with, so it was good to give her a hug at the finish line and have a chat.

“She finished second yesterday in the half, so she had a good day as well.”

Naturally there has been a significant physical transformation for Cornes who is now quite a bit lighter than what he was while playing for Port Adelaide.

Funnily enough it has been the longer slow runs that Cornes has had difficulty keeping in check, not used to just getting the required time on feet to improve aerobic fitness and stamina rather than running hard all the time.

“I reckon I played footy between 80kg and 82,” he said.

“At one point I got down to about 72kg about two weeks before the run and then with the taper I probably ran at about 74, but I felt good.

“I love it (being fit), always have, but not for this level so it’s interesting because with footy running is really managed with your program.

“The thing that took me the most to get my head around, these runners, a lot of their runs are slow, they just go out for a slow run and I just could not get my head around that.

“I got a few stern chats saying, hey mate you are pushing it too hard and you’re going to break down and not get the benefits.

“So that was the hardest adjustment to go out at 4:30 min/K pace for a long run I found difficult, as I would always be trying to push it.

“My body has enjoyed just not trying to tackle people and the quick change of direction and running at high speeds, so I’m sort of better suited to running long distances than playing footy if that makes sense, in terms of my physical make up.”

It is unsurprising given how he played football that Cornes has easily adopted the typical long-distance runner’s mentality of soldiering on through the program despite the obstacles running 100 miles a week can throw at you.

“Once I decided to run every day, well on Sunday morning we have a TV show and start at seven, then I fly back to Adelaide on Sunday afternoon,” Cornes said.

“So, the only time to get it in was four in the morning.

“Just get it done, it wasn’t that smart, but I guess you got to do what you got to do.”