Read about the race, getting lost, why I am only a 99% nut case, what I ate and who I did this for.
Every single moment of those 26 hours 2 minutes and 57 seconds I was running was worth it for raising awareness and Food Van funding for Youth Off The Streets. I am grateful for the support of my family and friends, NRMA Motoring and Services and the Sydney AFL community.
I’ll bore you with the stats first:
- Distance covered: 168.8km (I got lost for nearly 2 hours and did an extra 7km!)
- Time: 26 hours 2 minutes 57 seconds
- Position: 26th of 58
After an interesting night’s sleep in the back of the ute, I got up at 4.30am and prepared myself for the run of my life. The race started at 5.30am and for the next 12 hours I was treated to some brilliant scenery. My nutrition plan of potatoes, fruit, lollies and coca cola was working well and by the time night came I had covered the first 100km in under 14 hours. Why so fast? A combination of a good preparation, race tempo and the fact that the climbs were nowhere near as big and technical as those in The North Face 100.
Then the debacle…. I missed a turn-off somewhere around the 112km mark and got lost for a few hours in a pine tree plantation. It was just me, my mind and my headlamp with nothing else around but some animal noises! For a while there, I swear a bird was hovering above my head at the same pace as I was running but soon realised it was just my race bib rubbing against my Camelbak belt, proving I wasn’t a complete nutcase (just about a 99% nutcase….). I eventually got back on track and reached the next checkpoint but after running out of food and water for 2 hours, I wasn’t exactly looking like a lean, keen fitness machine!
My mind is scarily strong though and I knew why I had to keep on going. I had to finish the race for the thousands of homeless youths in Sydney, my loyal family and friends, the Sydney AFL community and Youth Off the Streets charity partners Sydney AFL and NRMA Motoring and Services….….and that’s what I did. One step in front of the other through the night. Just me, my mind and whatever was beneath my feet.
I ran the final 12.5km leg in the morning sun and crossed the line just after 7.30am on Sunday. I didn’t care about the time, what place I came. All I cared about is who I had helped by doing this race.
The relief when I crossed the line was something I could never have prepared for. The moment I realised I didn’t have to run anymore was a trigger for my mind to tell my body to ‘stop’ and that’s exactly what it did. I collapsed on the ground under a weight of emotion. I was put on a seat and within 3 more minutes I started getting wobbly then passed out. Apparently this series of events is pretty ‘normal’ for an ultra-marathon runner!
Now, for those of you who decided to wait until I finished to sponsor me – here’s your chance! My fundraising page is open until the end of September. http://www.everydayhero.com.au/ultra_marathon_dan. For those of you on Facebook, I’ve created a photo album for the race.
Thanks for sharing this experience with me. I hope to see you around town, at work, on an AFL field or in the Youth Off The Streets Food Van with me soon.
Last Modified on 27/09/2012 08:20
