TNF100 from a crewing perspective

TNF100 from a crewing perspective

So what do I do when I can’t race?  I do the next best thing and help another runner in their quest to run 100km.

2 weeks before TNF100 I was doing a training run with the Terrigal Trotters on the GNW and somewhere on that run I hurt my back and I hurt it bad! I was waiting until the morning of the race before I gave in and decided to live to fight another day. So with no race to run had being there I thought I might as well help Greg Brown out the best I could.

I had my Mum up with me as she was going to crew for me if I was able to run so we both followed Greg around the Blue Mtns for the day.

Now it begins I guess at the Start line. We got to the start at Scenic World about 6am and Greg was in wave 4 so he didn’t start until about 6:45ish so when he gave me his pack to hold while he went off to help Marina get a couple of last minute things from the registration area I went for little walk to where I had a better view of things. Maybe I should’ve let Greg know I’d moved from where he left me and with the event getting closer to it’s start time I start to look around for Greg but can’t see him anywhere.
With wave 1 about to start I try calling Greg to see where he was. His phone was turned off! Wave 1 are off and within 3min wave 2 will be getting under away. Greg’s in wave 4 so I take his pack and start to walk around hoping I’ll see him near the start line somewhere. It wasn’t too long and I spot Gary Pickering and he tells me Greg’s just over here and he’s in a panic! Now I know where he is and I’ll have time to give him his pack I tell Gary I’ll let him sweat it out a little longer! I see Greg but he doesn’t see me yet and I see fear and panic in his eye’s so I put him out of his misery and hand him his pack. Relief is now on his face and he has just enough time to take his jumper off put his pack on, get to the start line before he sets off!

Now I won’t have much to do until 47km later at CP3 as we can’t go to the first two CP’s so I hopped on the rail and which took us down the cliff to about the 5.5km mark. By the time I got there I saw Marc Person and Gill Fowler go running by. I walked a few hundred meters on to the single trail and started to take photo’s. A little down from where I was I saw a couple of people trip over then another and a minute or so later I saw another trip over all in the same spot. I walked over to see why everyone was falling on their faces and saw a small rock that getting everyone. After two more fell I started to warn the runners about this rock. I did that until I saw Greg come through then was about to leave. As soon as I walked away another tripped on the rock and fell down the embankment. So I now decided to just stay until the last runner came through and warn the rest.

When they came through I took the train back up to Scenic World, found mum and went off to Katoomba find a bakery.

Next stop – CP3 at Megalong Valley. We got here about 9:30am and I wasn’t too sure what time the leaders would be coming through but thought somewhere between 10:10am and 10:20am. I walked a few hundred meters up the track to take some photos. About 10:15am Stu Gibson came flying by! For the next hour I’m snapping away at the runners and cheering them on. The NSWIB had an esky at the cp so while I wait for Greg to get in I’m quite happy taking in the sunshine drinking beer. I then decided to tease the runners by walking back up the track with a couple of beers and drink them as they ran past me. The drooling from some of them told me they were getting thirsty. A few said “that’s not fair” a few just said “oohhhhh” and some just looked and held their hand out hoping I may give them one. Then out of nowhere Greg comes in. I can’t remember what time it was as I’d had about 5 or so stubbies by now. He had drop bags at this cp and had what he needed in them so all I had to do was see if he needed anything else and make sure he didn’t stay too long. Within a couple of minutes and a couple of photos of him leaving he is gone.

Next Stop – Katoomba to the bottle shop and the supermarket for some food

Next Stop – CP4 at Katoomba aquatic centre. With mum now driving and me drinking this is day is going well! We get the CP4 and I just chat to some 50k runners that had finished. Took photos of some of the 100k runners that I know and also chat to some 100k runners that I don’t know and try to encourage them along. We were here for a couple of hrs and Greg comes in still looking pretty good. I see if there’s anything he needs and tell him to get out of here and get back out there which he does and he’s off again.

Next Stop – CP5 and The old Queen Victoria Hospital at Wentworth Falls. Time to start rugging up as the sun is now starting to go down and the temp is getting cold. This was quite a wait as I knew it would be. We got here around 4:30pm I think and I thought Greg would arrive between 7pm and 8pm so with that I grabbed a few more beers and headed over to where the runners came in and happily cheered them in. They have now run 78km and the smile are vanishing from their faces. They are now shuffling along except for a few who still look rather fresh. I chat here to Allison Lilley for a bit then some other people I’ve never met before.  After drinking my beer I decide it’s time to get some coffee into me and start to warm up.
Around 7:10pm Cathy Duffy comes in and is looking a little lost. I go over and see if she needs anything and she tells me she can’t find her crew. I’m thinking with 9 family members all with blue hoddie on with team Cathy on them how could you miss them but can’t see them anywhere. I give them a call for her and they said they are stuck in traffic and about 2min away. So all good. I help her out and it’s not long later they are there and we get some food and warm clothes on her and send her off. About 10min later Greg comes in and within about 3min he’s off.

Next Stop – Finish at Scenic World. The end is so close now but so far away. It’s taking most runners between 3hrs30mn and 4hrs to do the last section of 22km of stairs, stairs and stairs. So I gather Greg should be in between 11:30pm and 12am. I find a nice warm area to sit and Mum sits down and rests up. We are going to be here a while! I just wait now cheering the finishers on and clapping them on their final 50m. It’s amazing watching them finish. I saw them start and to see them 15hrs, 16hrs 17hrs later still going is quite amazing! Greg came in about 11:50pm in 17hrs6min and a 25min PB! Now we wait for Marina to finish so we can give her a lift home. With mum sleeping on and off  in the chair, Greg relaxing eating hot chips and drinking the cold beer I had waiting for him Marina comes in in a little over 19hrs!

Next Stop – BED! Home by 2:15am, bed by 2:30am