Another one over

The Kokoda Challenge 2010 has been done and conquered by the IntelliTrain Team (no. 124) in 21.32.13 (they were some of the toughest 96ks I have ever walked or ran). The Kokoda Challenge is a walking event (a lot of teams actually run) that commemorates the 1942 effort on the Kokoda Trail in PNG, where Aussie Militia held off the Japanese from taking Australia.

Our team consisted of (from the web site):
Anton Guinea: A professional speaker based in Gladstone but endlessly roaming the country, Anton has completed various triathlons, marathons and ultras (should have learned by now you would think!) Daniel Standen : A fitness trainer awaiting his professional triathlete ticket. In the interim Daniel will be kept busy piggy backing the rest of us across the finish line. Mark Hetherington: An aquatic centre manager by day (and night), Mark still finds time to train in Victoria's antarctic like conditions whilst somehow maintaining his ever cheerful disposition. Andrew Hetherington: A financial planning/broking trainer based in Brisbane (with nearly as many frequent flyer points as Anton), and clearly out of his league in this team.

The 96k event was huge, for our team of 4 (you had to start and finish with all four people in your team to register a full finish time). In the end, of the 321 teams that started the full event, we finished with 4 team members, we finished 55 overall (actually 44, of teams that finished with all members - which put us in the top 15% of finishers). Also, we were the 16th all men's team over the line (out of 97). We were really pleased with that, and to get there was, in the end, no mean fete - here is the story:

On Friday afternoon, the team and the support crew (who were just amazing) grouped at the Gold Coast and collected our gear, and collected our thoughts. After a dash to the shops for all things that you need to get through an ultra endurance event, we agreed that our goal would be a 20 hour finish time, and that is what we aimed for for the whole race. If we travelled at 6k per hour (16 hours of time on our feet), we still had up to four hours at checkpoints to regroup as required, and we would get home in 20 hours, without much trouble).

As Saturday morning came around, and the 7am start time approached, we did the regulatory toilet stops, the last minute preparations and we grouped behind the 20 hour finish time placard. We all listened, saluted and got caught up in the moment, as the Last Post was played, and after a 20 minute delay, at 7.20am, we were away and running. And, we felt great.

Team 124 was pumped and were running strong. We ran up some of the smaller inclines in those early stages, though most inclines were walked up, while the down hills were nearly sprints in some cases. How much fun were we having.

There were 12 checkpoints along the course of the run, though only at checkpoints 2, 5, 7, 10 and 12 could we meet our crew. At checkpoint 2 (12.8k), we were on fire - 1.34.59 hours had expired and we were doing 6k per hour. Then, at checkpoint 5 (36.4k), we were at 5.34.20, and travelling strong. Still on track for under 20 hours. It was during leading up to that checkpoint that the challenges started appearing. Mark
was blistering, Andrew was chafing and I was cramping. No show stoppers, but all required attention. Dan was just a power of strength, his 26 year old legs just kept pushing. He ate the house down for the entire event (and it was terrible being behind him, as it was going through his system quickly - for the whole 96k).

One thing that did happen (at the 19.37k stage) was that we came across a 16 your old (Jason) who had collapsed, and had to be rescued by an ambulance. He had not eaten or drank enough - he was in a bad way. We were the first on the scene, and Mark took the lead to make sure Jason was treated properly before we moved on (a 20 minute delay - but worth it). Mark was also involved in a 'face plant', where an older (60 years plus) guy slid down a hill on his nose. Mark was on hand to help out there too.

Prior to checkpoint 7, we hit the half way point - we did the first 48k in 8.5 hours. All little problems had been treated, and we were looking forward to the 51.4k checkpoint and a rest (we got there in 9.09). Our outstanding crew, as they did the entire event, looked after us admirably, and we were fed noodles and sandwiches and anything else we needed - we enjoyed the rest that much that we were at checkpoint 7 for nearly 50 minutes (probably too long). Off we went again, and little did we know that the Gold Coast was about to get nasty, and we were about to run into about 30k of solid hills, both ascents and descents. It was a tough stage of the event.

We ran strongly into checkpoint 10 (at 68.2k) and 13.25 hours had expired. We could still register a 20 hour finish time, if we pushed, and between that and beating some of the other teams that were ahead of us, we ran and walked on, depending on the terrain. We really pushed hard for the next 13k (there were some suburban roads running out of checkpoint 10, and we used those to run hard and fast). We were still pushing hard when we pulled into checkpoint 12 in 15.58 hours. We had covered 80.6k, and we had over 4 hours to cover the last 15k. How easy was this going to be.

Then, it started to go bad for team 124. At checkpoint 12, for some reason, we thought a feed of McDonalds sounded like a good idea, and we all tucked into a Big Mac and a hot chocolate - now, I never eat that sort of food anyway, and it was a food decision that I now regret. That stuff just sat in my stomach, trying to digest - what the hell do they put in it - and as we came up over potentially the toughest climb of the race, at 86k, Andrew had vomited it all up and I would have loved to do the same). With 10k to go, we had 2 hours and 10 minutes in which to travel if we were to reach our goal time. We were in trouble though, with my illness and Andrew's cramps (that really hit him hard at that 86k point) looked like being potential show stoppers.

As we tried to move on, Mark and Dan supported Andrew's weight until we could get him some trekking sticks on which to put his weight. That helped, but in short, his legs were spent. Mentally strong, physically done in. For all of us to finish this event together was now our goal. We all had to get home, and the finish time of 20 hours was soon forgotten. We were shattered to see all teams that we have been passing now going past us. This was now a battle of wills, and we were going to cover that last 10k, even if we had to carry someone over the line.

We walked across the finish line in 21.32.31. We were ecstatic. What a day and what a performance.

To Mark - what a leader - he was a tower of strength the entire way, he must have been tired, but he was focused on helping the rest of us. Mark was born to lead, and without him, we may have struggled more than we did.

To Andrew - My god - how did he did it. He trekked (or stumbled really, over 10k on two tree branches after being helped up a hill at the 86k stage). Very inspirational. I hope his body has pulled up alright.

To Dan - the youthful legs of a triathlete - Dan was still running strong at the very end of the event. To see how fit someone can be was also truly inspiring, and his upbeat attitude and (even when he was laughing at me as I lay comatose trying to digest horrible junk food) positive attitude was just great.

To our crew - Ian and Noel (and Simone and Eva (the baby girl who gooed and garred over he weekend to cheer us up), you guys were amazing. Thanks for your support, and thanks for the effort and commitment. We could not have done it without you. Ian, I reckon an event like that might be something that you could attack one day and Joel (Noel), mate, we may have put you off running ever again, but thank you for your effort and support. Nicole (Simone), thanks for the lift to the train station. I got home to share the story with the family last night.

Overall, what a great event, what a great team, what a great crew, and what a great finish time (although slower than we wanted). It was all in the aid of charity, heaps of money was raised and the diggers were remembered. We were living the dream. A good day all round. What is next, I wonder ...


PS, by the way, I thought I would just give you my perspective of the race - although it was a team race, it was a personal challenge. I suffered from chafing, more than I have ever done before. I ran and walked at least 40k with either a glove or my beanie (as it was softer) down my pants, to protect the softer sections of my groin. Groin chafing can quickly end your endurance event, and I (and Andrew) were suffering badly. My under arms and my back (from my pack) also chafed badly. It was painful. My feet held up well, which was great. The recovery from the Maccas really was tough - that cannot be understated - I suffered badly, and could not go on for about 20 minutes (at the 86k point). Before that, at 78k, as we came up over the top of a hill, and were heading down into checkpoint 12, I was also gone. I really now understand the hit the wall theory. I have not hit it like that before. I said to Andrew that I was not sure that I could make it to the end. I was shattered. The turning point was that Marc McLaren, a mate of mine and fellow North Face 100 runner was texting me at that stage. He said he was following us on Google Earth, so that gave me energy - it proved that it is always mind over mater - thinking about something else helped me get over it. At checkpoint 12, we really all were shagged. I had the feeling that I was nearly the worst, but I was probably quickest to get going again, surprisingly, which was good.

What really got me at one point was that, I looked down, and I had broken a shoe lace. And, my shoe laces are elastic. I managed a quick repair, but would you believe, with no spares, it could have been a major issue - isn't it amazing how the smallest things can cause the biggest issues.

Finally, I struggled with cramping for 80k of the event. It was amazing how early they came on. I could not shake them. I was lucky, though, as it was only the tops of my legs. They can be managed, but I was in a world of hurt at times. It did not hold the boys up for more than a few minutes, but it could have been a lot worse. Especially going from uphill to downhill was the worst. My legs would just lock up, and the pain would start, and not subside until I could completely straighten out. Absolute agony - that would have happened about 10 times. The message is to work out how to prevent them coming on - that I am not sure about, as yet.

Anyway, keep running, and keep living the dream.

Kokoda Challenge - One week away

Well, it is too late to pull out now. I am actually looking forward to the event, it will be good fun, but fairly tough, I am guessing.

The team element will make it unique, with a four man team having to come into and out of all check points together. All four must start and all four must finish. Very unique as far as endurance events go, as they are usually single person events.

Our team consists of me, consultant and average runner, Andrew, Financial Planner and good runner, but with bad knees, Mark, Andrew's brother, very good runner, but missed a few weeks of training and Dan, on the verge of professional triathlete. We will make an interesting bunch.

My goal the whole time, and over the last two months, when the focus has been to run 100k every week, week in, week out, is to not let the team down. I will not make them wait for me, if it comes to that. I will pull out, before letting the team down, though I am confident that I have done more than enough to help the team get over the line.

See, we are aiming for a finish time of 20 hours, and that will be achievable if we run a fair portion of the race, which should not be a huge drama, I wouldn't think. From what I can gather, the terrain is not nearly as gruelling at the North Face 100, so that should give us some respite.

Anyway, gear is packed already, body is a bit shabby - sore left knee and sore right achilles (3 physio trips last week with the latter). Will let you know all about it in a weeks time.

Till then, keep running, or go to www.antonguinea.com.au for more ideas on how to stay motivated.

Kokoda Challenge - two weeks away

Well, here we are, only two weeks out from another ultra marathon event. Bring it on, I am really feeling quite ready for this one ... unlike the North Face 100.

For the last 6 weeks, I have run no less than 100k per week, and it has been huge. It really is a big ask to pull that off for so long - and the body is feeling it - I am suffering with some overuse issues like tendinitis in my right Achilles tendon.

The knees are holding up well, though, which is great (lucky probably). Really, though, most of my running has been on treadmills (which is good or bad - depending on your preference - it is winter, and cold outside - yes, I am soft, and my work is still taking me to the Kimberleys, where there are snakes - big ones out after dark. Mind you, apparently, they are asleep at this time of the year - but who is taking chances - yes, soft again - do I look like Bear Grylls).

As I am working away for the next two weeks, I have to take all the stuff that I need for the Kokoda Challenge. It is going to be tough, with at lest 7 river crossings - sound interesting.

It really is going to be a special event, as it commemorates the sacrifice of the diggers on the Kokoda trail in 1942. If it was not for that battle, Australia, or the top half of it at the very least, would now be owned by Japan. Very scary thought.

After the Kokoda Challenge, I am down for an 18 hour run. Not sure if I will do that yet, or not, stay tuned.

Half Marathon Event

Well, with a stroke of luck, the Rocky Road Runners club held a half marathon last weekend, and the family and I were able to make the trip up there the night before and compete in the event. Julie did the 10k (the second of her life) and the boys did the 5l (go lads). I did the half marathon, and did a time of 1.34.56 (on my Garmin). I think the course was a few hundred metres short, but hey, it was a great run, the time was way better than I expected, and the time was an average of 4.5 minute ks over the whole distance.

Looking back through the Garmin results, the first k was one of the slowest (about 4.47, then they got progressively quicker, down to 4.20 for most of the rest of the run. At the 16k mark, I struggled, and 17, 18 and 19ks were back up around the 4.50. The last k was 4.23, so finished strong. The half marathon started and hour earlier than Julie and the boys run. I knew the boys would do about 35 minutes for 5k, so I was trying to beat them home, and I just made it before Toby crossed the finishing line. Zac has some stomach issues, so was a little slower on the day.

For me, the half marathon was not really an event, but it was just part of my 100ks for that week. No real taper or change, just another run on a Sunday morning, with a bike ride with the cycling club on the Saturday morning. During the week, up to the Friday, I had run 78.9ks, with Thursday and Friday both being double sessions.

I pulled up a bit shabby, though.

I had Monday off running, then was back into it on Tuesday morning, with 15k in about 4.40 minute ks. I really should not have backed up like that, and I will learn for next time, as I was very sore on Tuesday after that run. From a sore Achilles Tendon, to more hamstring tightness, even the knees were a bit dusty. Walking was a struggle.

There is a lesson in that. But, since then, this week has been OK. By tomorrow night, I will have done another 100k this week, on sore legs (building endurance). It is funny, but my legs seemed to be getting used to the torturous schedule. If you include the North Face 100 as a 100k week (mid May), this will be the fifth week in a row that I have run 100k. Big job. I am aiming for 11, as that will take me through the Kokoda Challenge, then through the Relay for Life, which are 96k and over 100k respectively.

Then it will be triathlon training for the half and full ironmans. Bring that on.

What I am finding at the moment, is that:

* you can run through injuries
* maybe you shouldn't
* the secret is to run slowly, when you are tired, sore, stiff or injured
* just use the runs as low intensity cardio sessions while you recover to a state of being able to run fast again (that takes up to a week - depending on how much time you take off running to recover after a fast run)

Maybe this is the wrong attitude, but at the moment, it is about putting ks in the legs.

This week, each day it is 8.5ks morning and night.

Next week will be more of the same, up to the 100k mark.

Keep running.

6 weeks till the next hit out

Well, with only six weeks left until the Kokoda Challenge at the Gold Coast, life is rocking. I have done two weeks in a row of 100 kilometres. They were big weeks, and yesterday, to get the ks done, it was a 30k run before the sun came up, then a 10k run at Ecofest in Gladstone.

Yesterday was a momentus day - it was my wife's first 10k run. She is training for the Noosa Triathlon and she is living the dream. She is going really well, and I am very proud of her. She did about 70 minutes, but that was great, she stopped a few times for short walks, but generally, she got it done, and worked really hard. Very inspiring. I ran with her, and we came home second last, but that was ok. Good fun. It was gret running with her. She did not say a word for 10k, was just breathing hard, so I did all the talking. She said it was like her own personal trainer there the whole time. She is on fire, and going really well.

Anyway, six weeks out, life is good. Really looking forward to the next challenge. Bring it on. I am really confident, after yesterday, that we could run most of it, even though it will be 96ks. After the 30 in the morning, and an hour spell, then to run 10 with Julie, and felt great. And, feel great today.

What am I learning - long ks really do create endurance. THey also seem to create the ability to run fast, which is nice, too. But, on the long runs, I take a back pack, I have heavy shoes, and make sure that it is all hard work. Nothing easy. Others I think would say my times are slow - 30k in 3 hours - it is slow, but carrying an extra nearly 10kgs makes a big difference. I use rice in my backpack to weigh it down.

For the next few weeks, it will still be 100k per week, I think. We are going to Rockhampton this weekend, for a half marathon, and another 10k for Julie. Pumped.

Until next time, keep running.

Next ...

With The North Face 100 out of the way, it is with enthusiasm that I look to the next event. The next event will be slightly shorter than the last, thank God.

It will be the Kokoda Challenge, 2010, which is only a 96k walk through the mountains around the Gold Coast. It is a team's event of four people, and you all must finish at the same time. Bring it on - I think the team wants to run some of it, which is fine, I know I can finish the thing, now, so I am not too worried. Mind you, I am going to change up my training program over the coming weeks, to include hills and harder runs. Pumped about upping the training.

My goal is also to run 100k per week for the next 7 weeks. That will be tough, but I am focused. It might mean running twice a day at times.

On the weekend, I did over 21k up and down hills out the back of Gladstone. That was tough, though good fun. And, only one week out from the 1ook event last weekend. I ran over 10k over small hills on Thursday, then only 4k on Friday, though with the treadmill cranked up to 15% incline. That was tough. I am going to try and run 4k on the treadmill, 15% incline, under half an hour. That is the next challenge.

The North Face 100 - 2010

As I lie here in bed, I am starting to drift off to sleep. I notice that it is 8am on a fine Sunday morning in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia; and I am just lying down to go to sleep. I am going to bed at this early hour of the morning because I have been up for a little while running – actually, I have been up for well over 24 hours running and walking a 100 kilometre ultra marathon.

Right now, I am 37 years old, and my journey to this point has been a chequered oneI start to reflect on the last 30 years, as I struggle to stay awake and savour the moment.

It was at around the age of 7 that I can remember spending a lot of time being ‘baby sat’ by my Grandmother. Grandma lives in a house at Tannum Sands, just south of Gladstone, in Queensland, Australia, and she lives on a huge block that adjoins a park (that has actually been named after her and her late husband, John Walters – who died that year. 1979). My brother Joseph and I spent many, many hours running through the park, and up and down the beach, which was only one street away from Grandma’s. Grandma, at the age of 60 at that stage (she is still alive and living in the same house), struggled with our energy levels as young boys. I still have her words ringing in my ears; ‘gee you boys have got some energy’. On reflection, we were a bit like Forest Gump, and ‘if we were going somewhere, we were running’. I was a slightly built child, unlike Joey, who has always been heavier than me, even though I am the elder of the two of us, by only eleven months. It would be another ten years before mum and dad had more children, when they added two more boys, William and John, to the fold. Back to the age of seven, it is amazing to think that at that stage, I had no idea that those same legs, those same calf muscles, those same quadriceps, now thirty years on, would carry me for 100 kilometres through the Blue Mountains, as part of an ultra marathon called the North Face 100. Gee we loved running when we were kids. All kids do, though.

Fast forward to the age of 17, and those same legs had carried me through onto football fields and onto cricket fields around Queensland, as part of both local and representative teams. Cricket was my passion, and wicket keeping was my speciality. With some solid sporting achievements under my belt (including state carnival and school first eleven appearances, as well as a season of A grade cricket), running was always there. The prestigious boys boarding school that I attended for years 11 and 12 (Nudgee College) had an outstanding athletics and cross country team that I trained with, though never competed as part of (although I did place well in short distance sprint races). My legs remained strong from the squats required to keep wickets, and my fitness was amazing. That was, until I started smoking ... It was the worst decision that I have ever made, barring none. It would be a habit that destroyed my fitness and my ability to run fast or long. It took me the next 13 years to finally ‘mature’ enough to completely kick the habit and wake to myself. In life, although we should have no regrets, taking up smoking is one of my very few. Why is it that as teenagers, we are willing to do things we know are bad for us, only for the accolades of friends who have developed the same silly habits for the same silly reasons. Up until the age of 17, I still loved running.

Fast forward another ten years (to the age of 27), and although I had suffered terrible burns at the age of 21 (in a workplace accident), I was still playing cricket, and football. It was mostly bush sport at that stage, though, as we were living in mining towns around Australia. I did spend one season playing at a high level in Brisbane, which was an amazing experience. I continued to smoke though, again regrettably, and although I had also taken up cycling to work at that stage, my fitness had suffered significantly. Oh, and I had stopped running completely. I had neither the fitness, nor the inclination to run far. The extent of my running was 6 kilometre jogs occasionally round the streets of the towns that we moved to during those years. It was at the age of 27 that I was starting to think about giving up playing football, as my body was starting to take longer to recover each week. I used to make the comment that; ‘I will give up playing football when I hurt my knee or shoulder, and cannot play any longer.’ In retrospect, that was a crazy thing to say, because as with all self fulfilling prophesies, it was not two years later that I completely destroyed the anterior cruciate ligament in my left knee, and had to endure both and arthroscopic surgery and a full knee reconstruction. My left knee has not been 100% since, though it is close to being back to its best only now (and now that I have learnt how to stretch the muscles around the knee correctly). So, how did that affect my running – well, as I walked away from the surgeon’s office after the reconstruction, he told me never to run for fitness, and never to put on weight. The result of doing either would be the development of osteoarthritis in the badly damaged and cartilage depleted knee. By the age of 34, I had done both of the things that the surgeon recommended against. My weight had ballooned from a health 80 kilograms in my twenties, to a plump 100 kilograms in my mid thirties. Finally, again, after many years without running in my life, I had started to run for fitness.

During the last two years, two things have happened; one, I met Marc McLaren, who at 12 years my senior, is as fit a person as I know (from running), and two, I decided that it was not only good for my knee to lose some weight, but it would be good for my overall health.

Firstly to Marc, and how he has influenced my running; in 2007, Marc and I were working together in a little Queensland mining town (Emerald), when he asked if I wanted to go for a run after a hard day at the office. Although I was touching one hundred kilograms, my mind went back to when I was 17, young and fit, and able to run long and fast, and I took no convincing to go for a run around the streets of Emerald. After all, Marc was older than me (and I had given up smoking at about the age of 30), and I ‘used’ to be able to run. So, off we went, all pumped up and ready to sweat it out. We had reached about 500 metres down the road before I had to stop. I was bent over in pain was everything from shortness of breath, muscle soreness, knee soreness and general fatigue. Marc was good enough to encourage me through, and we continued for a few more kilometres, on and off, before we gave it all up as a bad joke and headed for the hotel so that I could rest up after my huge effort of running about 3 kilometres (with about 5 stops along the way). To make matters worse, at dinner that night, the waitress told me that I looked older than Marc (now, I am not overly vein, but 12 years is a big age gap, and it showed that I must have looked horrible for someone in their mid thirties). Alternatively, Marc may have looked a lot younger - the result of a fit and healthy lifestyle, no doubt (this is probably more the case, as he does hide his age well).

So, I started going to the gym, to lose some weight. That was great fun, and Joey and I competed in body building competitions. It was just before my third body building competition that I pulled out of body building to concentrate on training for a half marathon. That was a real turning point in my life, and one that has meant that I now run consistently, though still somewhat slowly compared to other competitors. From that half marathon, my passion become triathlons, and the ability to train for multi sport events has provided a real variety to my training, and of course, running has been ever present in that training regime. The next year, at age 36 was another half marathon, with another sub 2 hour finish.

More and more, whenever Marc and I got together, we ran. We ran because we could, we ran because we enjoyed each others company, and we ran because we were secretly thinking that there could be an event that we could train for that would test us both physically and mentally. We had both recently read a book by Dean Karnazes, who is an ultra marathoner, and he made ultra marathon running sound so easy. We were in, we were pumped. We signed up for last year’s North Face 100 event, a 100 kilometre run that Dean himself ran, and described as the hardest 100 kilometre event in the world. He ran the 2009 North Face 100 and he finished in about 14 hours, only 5 hours ahead of Marc, who finished in just over 19 hours. I had trained hard for the race, though three weeks out I got whooping cough, and was sidelined from all exercise for about 3 months whilst recovering. I was at the finish line when Marc finished in the early hours of the morning, and I was shattered to not be sharing the experience with him. So, on the spot, we decided to do the same event next year. I would then be 37, and the year would be 2010.

It is now 8 am on Sunday, May 16, 2010. There are still people finishing the event, as the cut of time is 28 hours. Marc and I are finished, and are back at out cabin in Katoomba, drifting off to sleep. It has taken both of us nearly 24 hours to finish the event, nearly 4 hours more than we wanted to take. See, if you complete the event in 20 hours or less, the reward is a belt buckle, to mark your achievement. We were to go home empty handed … this year.

On reflection, it is amazing that either of us finished the event. Marc had a severe case of gastro pains, and had all but pulled out of the event at the 54 kilometre check point. For me, my issue was cramping, and at 30 kilometres, I was stuck in between rock walls, trying to clamber down a steep incline, when my calf muscles locked up. I couldn't move. I was in agony. This year, I had only trained specifically for this race for about 5 weeks, given that I had competed in an Olympic distance triathlon only 6 weeks previously, and that had been the focus of my training. It was clear that my legs were not up to the rigours of running through the terrain of the Blue Mountains. I really thought my race was over. Fortunately, I was assisted by another runner, who had also suffered with cramping (even earlier in the event), and he had take some ‘great tablets’ that he took to relieve his cramping; would I like some – heck yeah. He assured me that, with these pills in my stomach, the next 70 kilometres would be achievable. I duly swallowed two of these little pills, and it was as my fellow runner has predicted; I started to loosen up. That was until about the 40 kilometre mark, when I experienced it all again, though now the cramping was in my upper legs. This time, I was on my own, and was able to stretch and move enough to rid my legs of the awful pain that cramps bring with them, and soldier on. I was resigned to the fact that I would be walking the next 60 kilometres. My goal of a 20 hour finish and a belt buckle were gone, but my spirit was not. I was determined to finish, and not be one of the 170 (of 600) entrants who would eventually pull out of the event. I would finish, and finish strong. I readjusted my goal time to 24 hours, knowing that it would mean an enormous feat of beating fatigue and muscle soreness. The finish line was waiting, and I would not go home without at least a certificate to show that I had completed this thing.

After running (where possible) for a large portion of the first third of the event, my legs were fatigued more than I could have imagined. The problem was that I had not trained on hills. The terrain that the event is staged over cannot be described to those who have not seen or experienced some of the horrendous conditions around Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia. The Blue Mountains are a beautiful spectacle, though to the uninitiated, conquering them in a running event is not for the faint hearted.

Marc and I walked the last 46 kilometres of the event together and crossed the line in 23.43 hours. The elation at that point also cannot be described. If it was not for Marc, we would not have made the 24 hour finishing time, as he pushed hard for the last 10 to 20 kilometres, with me in tow, asking when we would be having our next break. Thanks mate, it was great to be able to share the experience with you.

So, having beaten a near death workplace accident, a smoking habit, ballooning weight and a knee reconstruction to run and walk a 100 kilometre ultra marathon was something that will forever be lodged in my memory.

Now, as I drift off to sleep, the last thing that enters my mind is the burning question of ‘how can I finish the event faster, next year’ …

Note: A huge thank you to our support crew, Judy, Martin, Dave Paul and Di, who where there with enthusiasm, encouragement, nutrition and warmth at all of the check points. You guys rock. Thank you also to the event organisers – what a wonderful job, to pull all that together. See you in 2011.