Steve Moneghetti calls Blackmores Sydney Marathon for Network Ten

STEVE Moneghetti talks about the difference on commentating rather than competing in Blackmores Sydney Marathon.

DEBBIE SCHIPP National Sunday TV Guide editorNational Sunday TV Guide editor

2 min read

September 21, 2014 - 12:00AM

News Corp Australia Network

Australian marathon legend Steve Moneghetti pictured at Milson's Point for the Blackmores Running Festival.

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STEVE Moneghetti is one of Australia’s most well-known long distance runners — he won a gold medal in the marathon at the 1994 Commonwealth Games and competed at four Olympic Games during an illustrious career.

But how does 51-year-old Moneghetti compare running to commentating on his favourite event. Moneghetti is a Channel 10 commentator for Blackmores Sydney Marathon on Sunday.

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“Calling a marathon is a lot different to running one. Sometimes, the control freak in me would still rather actually be doing the running.

I still run a couple of marathons a year, but I’ve been a bit busy of late (Moneghetti was the Australian team’s chef de mission at the recent Glasgow Commonwealth Games).

I’ll be calling (the race) with (former English Olympic gold medallist) Steve Ovett, which will be an absolute delight. I love his insights — he’s great to work with.

Co-commentator ... Former Olympic Games gold medallist Steve Ovett (centre) with Maurie Plant and Nic Bideau watching Ovett's son Freddie in the 800m during the Pacific School Games.

We don’t have a lot of live coverage on TV of marathons, so it’s good to be part of this — and at an hour you don’t have to set your alarm for 3am to watch it.

People still tell me stories now of getting up in the middle of the night to watch me compete in European marathons.

There are things that unfold in a marathon that you just miss if you catch just the highlights. There’s a whole back-story that unfolds that is fascinating.

Calling a marathon feels like it goes more quickly than running one, there’s no doubt about that.

You are taking information externally when you call a marathon, with time updates, runner positions lots of stats coming in from lots of locations — you have the benefit of a lot of eyes on the course. When you run one, most of your information comes from within — internally you’re reading your body, your pain threshold, your mental approach and you are in control of that inner-body experience.

Sometimes I do wish I was out there when I’m commentating.

“To cross the line ... is a very satisfying feeling” ... Steve Moneghetti is a commentator on Blackmores Sydney Marathon.

When there’s breakaways and you see the group splitting and wish you were there to close the group, or you wish you were the front-runner to push, it’s hard not to think what you would do yourself in that situation.

So you’re thinking ‘wow — if I was there I hope I’d see that this is the break that’s going to win the race so I can get on to it’. Or if you’re leading you’d think, ‘yeah, I’ll skip that drink station and keep this lead going’.

Then you remember that you have this birds-eye view in the commentary box that means you sometimes see this stuff unfolding before the competitors do.

And then you remember the pain and anguish and struggle when you are actually running in an event when you see the race changing and you can’t go with it, and you drop off. You’d like to, but your body isn’t allowing you. That’s when you’re glad to be in the commentary box.

You don’t finish marathons all that often, so I say to anyone attempting one, enjoy being at that stage when you know you are going to finish it. Finishing is the win.

To cross the line — whatever your place or time, and have someone say ‘you can stop now’ is a very satisfying feeling.

Not many people can lay claim to that. If it was easy, everyone would do it.”