rocky riverbeds

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I know that the 4 hrs on the treadmill during my 14 hrs of hell at the PSLC was mentally draining but I can honestly say that I have never had a more focused 10km run as I did yesterday. You see Niamh and I picked up our new compact lodgings on Monday morning and then went to Sumner beach the finish of the coast to coast. A small beach nothing special except for 2 things one the coast to coast and the second the amount of houses devastated by the recent earthquakes. Houses literally falling off the cliff side and others halved as the foundations gave way. The roads are in a brutal state and will make for an interesting ride into the finish especially if in a bunch. Puncture kit essential on Saturday I think.



So we collected the brand spanking new Kayak that Jan of JKK has hired to me and then we hit the road. We drove along the route that will be the final leg of the race and Niamh was trying to get landmarks she can reference when driving to the finish. We visited the transitions from the Kayak to the bike and the Bike to the Kayak. The river is quite low so I’m hoping for a little rain to bring it up, but the rivers here are not like the ones at home. The river beds are extremely wide and the rivers keep breaking up into narrow braids, sometimes if you choose the wrong channel it might quite simply dry up, then you take the kayak for a walk.



We stopped overnight at Klondyke Corner the transition from the mountain run to Cycle and when we went to recci the finish of the stage all we could see was the riverbed I am expected to run along. Rocks and blocks from small potatoe sized to ones so big I’ll be running around them.



Niamh had booked accommodation for our camper at Jacksons Retreat (campsite) and what a gem. Superb facilities and the river flows no more than 100mtrs from the gates. We registered at the site got into our running gear and drove to the first transition, from the bike to the mountain run. We went upstream for an hour our ankles screaming from the obscure angles we were asking them to go and then turned around and back to the van. Niamh drove back to the campsite while I was going to ask serious questions of my body. 26 degrees heat 10km of braded riverbed I was going to attempt 75% effort. Did I survive? Physically yes, burned yes (factor 50 my ***), ankles intact but mentally drained. Some days you go into auto pilot when on a run not yesterday, I had to look down where I was placing my foot, look up to where I was trying to go, drink 2 cups of water from the beautiful alpine fed rivers every time I crossed one (that’s what the pros reckon you’ll need if not carrying water in a bag) and everyone knows that men cannot focus on 2 let alone 3 things at once so I was shagged when I finished the run. 10 km 31 river crossings 62 cups of water and to think the mountain run is 33 km, can’t be that bad can it???



Weather forecast when we left Christchurch was for fine weather Tuesday with it deteriorating daily up to and including Saturday, nice weather for the ones with white, freckled skin, latest forecast is sun, sun and more sun up to and including Sunday, Anyone know a good sun block ?

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