GNW race report

TOUGH!!!!!!!!!! After only 2-3hrs sleep as I just couldn't sleep I got up at 3am. Legs felt perfect. B'fast down at 3:45am and we left at 4:30am. Stayed at my Mum's at Belmont so was only 15min from the start.
We got running right on 6am. My plan was to run easy but not too easy for the first 6k. Got there around 100m in the lead. I then slowed down and took it really easy on the down hills & walked alot of the up hills. Just before Freemans Dve I could see Clarke Mclymont just behind me. Got to Freemans dve in 1st place & still felt great. Top of the big hill at the communications tower and still felt good. No view on any other runners behind me. In to the rain forest & really took my time so I wouldn't slip. Thats when Clarke, Matt Cooper & this other 100m runner caught me. I still lead until the last hill before the flat bit to CP1. Slipped over and now they were about 1min ahead of me. Just ran easy into CP1 about 1min behind them.
I left there around 5min later in 2nd place and this is when the heat was really getting strong. Ran very steady on this section. Made to Congewai with seeing any other runners behind me. Ran most of this section but stopped and walked every 15min for about 30sec just to break it up a bit. Just before CP2 I see the other 3 runners coming down the hill. I was only about 5min behind them.
At CP2 I made the mistake of having an up&go. Tasted good at the time and after 50km of running it's hard to know what you want. Changed my shoes & socks at CP2 and the leading female came in not long after me.
Made my way on to CP3 and saw about 3 other runners heading into CP2. Just befor the hills start I came within 1/2 meter fro a stepping on a brown snake. Now the run really gets tough. The hills now were like over vertical! It took me soooo long to get to the communications tower. I had to grab 2 sticks & use them as walking poles to get up. Almost to the top & I saw the leading female not far behind me.
Now my feet were starting to get really sore. Was finding I was feeling great running but felt sick if I walked so I was taking advantage of all the flat & down hill trails. Got down to Watagans ck and wanted to just lie in the water to cool down but had to keep going. Looked behind & I could see the female about 300m away. I knew the next hill she would catch me. She did and she was walking up those hills like it was nothing! Finally to the top I stopped at the unmaned water stop to fill my drinks up. The rest of the way to the basin was great.....until I came across that friggin tree! Track just came to a dead end. I thought I was on the wrong track so I turned around and ran back to the 2.5km sign then ran back again. Looked up, looked down I thought how the f....k do I get around this thing. Spent 20min stuffing around. 2 100mile runners caught up to me. Finally after x-country I get around. Into CP3 and took my shoes off to change them & there were leeches everywhere. Over 100 on my right foot & over 50 on my left. Plus another 50 or so in my socks & shoes! 20min later I got out of there. Now in 4th spot I decided to just finish this race. The climb oiut of the basin was tough & my right tendon was getting really sore. On to cedar bush rd & I was still feeling good but my foot now was killing me. Thought only 11k to go! ran strong to the end of that rd then onto Yarramalong rd. 3.5k to go! Saw another 100mile runner just ahead walking. Stopped to see if he was ok then got running again. Got about 500m and my ankle just wouldn't let me run. Thought I'll just walk to the finish. Within 2min of walking I was starting to get really sick. Somehow I made it to the end after spewing up 6 times. I was almost in a crawl by the last 200m. That last 3km took around 1hr to complete!
Finished in 4th spot in 14hrs37min