So it started like this. Thursday I'm having a look on facebook and Graham Fowler puts a post on saying "all the 100km runners from Terrigal Trotters are over 50" so I say "I'm almost tempted to break that statistic" and Sharon Byrnes says Andy Hewitt has a free entry he's giving away so after about a 15second think I give Andy a msg asking if he still has that entry. He tells me he gave it away earlier that morning. So I decided to leave it at that.
Then just as I'm about to go to bed I have a look at the Northface page and someone has put on she has an entry she is giving away...first in can have it. Without even thinking I send her a msg saying I would love the entry if it's still available. She say's yep and next thing I know I have a 100km in just over a days time......ohhhh dear what have I done?
Now this isn't a race you can just turn up to and race. This is a race where you need a whole shop load of gear to run with and it has to be very precise in the materials you need to take. So at 10:45pm I set out the task of finding my
- polypropylene long sleeve thermal top
- polypropylene log leg thermal pants
- Waterproof hooded jacket
- Waterproof long legged pants
- Buff
- polypropylene thermal gloves
- headlamp and my backup light
- my space blanket
- my very precise compression bandage
- my waterproof map case
- my 100-weight long sleeve synthetic fleece top plus a few other bits and pieces
I pack my tent and drive to Katoomba caravan park put up my tent then head to the registration to get my gear checked and transfer the entry into my name with about 1000 other people. 90min later I'm all done!
I catch up with Graham Fowler and Greg Brown and we head off to dinner then after a trip to Coles to get some last minute food for breakfast we retreat back to the caravan park where I use their cabin to work out how I'm going to put all that gear in my pack. All rugged up and actually really warm I head off to my tent to sleep. Now did I sleep? No. I toss and turn thinking "f**k I'm racing 100km in a few hours!" Next thing it's 4am and I have to get up. So 2 days of no sleep I'm ready to race 100km.
I use their cabin again to get ready then 10min before we leave I can't find my bib. Christ! I panic running back to my tent, back to the cabin, back to my tent then I find it! Phewww. Ok off we go to get the bus to the start line...all good I'm ready to go. Then I think "where's my phone" Shit! Race back to the cabin find it...I wouldn't have bothered but its an item you must take.
Now that's the lead up to the race
Now for the race
How am I going to do this? Easy I'll just run until I get to the finish line. So that's what I set out to do. Since it's a last minute race I just take it easy. Get to the first checkpoint 2hrs and feel good, get 3km before the second checkpoint and I feel a bit dizzy so I slow down, relax get to the checkpoint where they want to see both lights and my waterproof matches. Headlights I find, matches I search and search and search. About 7min later I find them 2min later I get all the stuff back into my pack grab lot's of food and about 11-12min (10min too long) I'm gone. Feeling good again I just keep moving along in my own happy world. Get to the 50km sign in 5:48 thinking I'm doing ok. Get to the 54km checkpoint and 3min later I'm off. Passing a few runners feeling good I manage to run to the base of Nellies Glen. Now Nellies Glen is a never ending set of mixed terrain steps that just doesn't seem to end and must go for about 1km and after running over 60km it knocks the shit out of you! Once I get to the top it takes about 5min before I could turn a walk into a run. A few km later I'm at the 65km checkpoint where I need to use the 1 toilet they have which someone just had to be using it. 9min later (again way too long) I get going again. Cool only 35km to go.....I feel good and at this rate I reckon I've got a sub12hr in the bag...that is until Kedumba. Now Kedumba is a hill that goes about 8 or 9km down hill then about 1km uphill then about 1km or 2km down hill then you see a sign saying you have done 80km. I see that sign and know I have a 8km-9km climb of up, up, up and up. So without further ado I get into a walk/run mode. Within 500m I feel funny in the stomach, 100m later I can only manage a walk as any faster makes me feel sick. Another 100m and I have to throw up. Next thing I know I can hardly walk feel like I'm falling to sleep and getting really cold. The sun has decided to go to bed and the moon has decided to wake up. I get out my visible vest and headlamp and Marc Pearson catches up to me who was pretty much running the same as me earlier but was now also reduced to a walk. He tries to encourage me to walk with him but I'm just too slow and after another vomit he makes his way off and I put one foot in front of the other, have every runner who passes me ask if I'm ok and when this lady runs by and gives me a hug I know I couldn't be looking too good! I get to the 84km gear check but instead of getting my gear check the first aid checks me out.
With 5km to the next checkpoint which is all up hill then another 11km of terrain that takes most runners 1hr30min-2hrs30min to complete I decide to call it quits!
10min later I'm in the first aid car with a knee injured victim and we get a lift to the last checkpoint. I get my blood pressure checked, blood sugar checked and all this other stuff done and told all is good and they get some random folks from Sydney who were on their way back to the finish to give me a lift.
Back at the finish I have a hot shower, order some chips have a coke and I feel all good again! WOW!
So all in all I'm happy to get to 84km off no mental training and no sleep for over 2days.
I go back to the caravan park and sleep in the warmth of the cabin and spend Sunday having a massive breakfast, massive lunch not long later with a bunch of friends and after all that has happened since Thursday night at about 10:45pm I'm sitting back with a beer relaxing thinking........WHAT A FUCKING AWESOME WEEKEND! :-)
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