D Day (have a cuppa to hand it's long)

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February 18th 2012

Published: February 18th 2012

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ac1975

106

I woke at 2am having dreamt that I had slept through the start of the race and then settled back down until 03:45 when I woke before the alarm went off. I set about getting kitted up and cooking my Flahavans porridge. The tension amongst the competitors was tangible and each competitor was left alone to carry out their pre race routine.

At 04:45 Niamh was up and ready to head to the transition at Aikens and we had a final run through of the transition requirements and approximate times that I would hope to be at them. As Niamh exited the racecourse turning right I headed left on the 5km cycle warm-up to where we positioned the bikes and shoes. They were positioned numerically and all kit was left there with the exception of the cycle helmets which had to be worn to gain access to the start area. I met up with Kane (Lynch) who is from Auckland but is now living in Westmeath and we walked the 3km from the bike stands to Kumara beach. It was at this point that the true reality of what we were undertaking was hitting home. Of all the competitors I

downstream

only one way to go

met Kane and I were the only first timers, with the others having completed the 2 day as teams and then 2 day individual races. We went down to touch the Tasman Sea hoping that in 14.5 hrs we would be in the Pacific Ocean.

The cameras were rolling, the favorites being interviewed I was stretching then Robin Judkins (the creator of this event) hollers out that we have 3 minutes till kick off and everyone moves to the start line. Then it’s all go. Running up the embankment down the 800mtr gravel track turning the bend onto the sealed road and then it’s uphill, steep uphill for a further 800mtr before it levels out, through the intersection and on to the bikes. It amazed me as o how many of the towns people came out at such an early hour to offer support to the competitors. I ran the first 3km in 11minutes 30 seconds and was thrilled as I had planned to run solid for the entire distance. I wondered if my plan was working as it appeared everyone was pelting down the track full tilt but once we hit the hill I gradually peeled competitors off.

access all areas

everthing gets stickered up, including the van

A quick change of footwear back pack with fluids on and then hit the road. I remember Richard Usher and Steve Gurney (both recognized as legends in the world of multisport) say that you have to work hard for the first 10 minutes of the cycle as it can make a huge difference to your stage time, so when I saw 3 guys up ahead I decided it was now or never. I pushed hard, as hard as I could for 5 minutes and began to get close, within spitting distance close in fact but they must have heard me coming (I was breathing heavy) and they pushed harder and slipped away. I held on and then when I was 100mtrs behind I gave it one more push but with no joy.

Having pushed hard I wondered how far back the next group was as I wanted to save a little effort, I looked behind for the first time and to my horror found I had been pulling about 20 other cyclists in my draft, I was sick, I should have looked back before then, they should have contributed to catching the other 3, I should have known

freebies

icebreaker top for ompetitors

better.

I dropped to the back of the pack to rest a while and let the others organize themselves. We worked well as a group initially averaging at about 38kmph but when we hit the hills it all fell apart and to make matters worse the leaders weren’t interested in breaking away from the slower cyclists in the group, dilemma, do I push on and expend so much more energy on my own or hold up, I chose the latter as I knew the group could reel me in at will and it was going to be a long day. The pace dropped as we rolled through the hills and I knew I was looking at a time closer at the higher end of my schedule. We came in to the Aikens transition at 2 hrs 11 minutes; we were already over half an hour behind the pros.

Niamh was waiting at our prearranged meeting point, I dropped to the ground, ate a banana, changed my shoes, changed the bag, took off the helmet and hit the trail, slow and steady at first and as I loosened up I quickened. The trail (if you could call it that)

here we go

no turning back

was parallel to the train track, as they lay the tracks they must have thrown all the rocks onto the trail side. Having picked my way along the trail I reached the Deception Footbridge, instead of going over we crossed the river under the bridge, now the Deception river is alpine fed therefore damn cold as I found when I was baptized as I slipped when crossing much to the amusement of the spectators who had gathered at the last view point for the next 30 km.

As an outsider to this area and rookie to the race I could only comprehend what lay ahead from video footage, they couldn’t have gotten it more wrong. I trained in the Wicklow and Kerry Mountains for this event but what lay ahead was 30 kilometers of hell. If anyone has seen the rocky shoreline between Malahide and Portmarnock? Put it at 10 degree slop and try running it for 23 km. At least that’s how it was for me. All too often I would look ahead to find other competitors hop out of the forest having taken a trail through the woods. If I was close enough as they went in

bullring

mayhem as competitors enter the transition area

I would follow and save some time but I was beginning to appreciate why people were looking at me strangely when they heard it was my first trip over the mountain pass. As the sun rose the valley remained cool as it was cast in shade but the closer we got to big boulders the heat began to intensify. Kilometer after kilometer of high leg raises as you stepped up onto a boulder only to have to jump down to the next and up again to the next. Then the vegetation changed and when it took all 4’s to scramble to goat hut I knew the pass wasn’t too far off. Then downhill but not for long, the problem was that you couldn’t get into any regular stride pattern as the ground changed so often. Twisted knees and ankles were injuries of choice of the competitors that I passed on the descent but when we hit the Mingha valley we were hit with the full force of the wind that we had been sheltered from s we climbed from the west side, not only the wind but also the heat from the sun and the reflection off the river bedrock

tented village

overnight accomodation for 2 day eventers

was astonishing. I have to say it was tough but a different type of tough from when I stuffed my Dublin Marathon last year when I changed my nutrition on the day. Today the nutrition was working extremely well, drinking Boot’s Hydrate formula eating Paula Mee’s energy bar mix, Jacob’s fig roll bars(thanks Mam) and drinking mountain fresh water when I crossed every river but the terrain meant I had to have 100% concentration 100% of the time because if I didn’t focus on where my feet were going I would have ended up like the poor souls I passed on the way down, injured and no way out but to walk out knowing you weren’t going any further.

I reckoned 3.5 to 4.5 hrs would suffice for the 33 Km on the day it took 5hrs 7 minutes, I ran into transition where I was met by Niamh and Kane’s brother, unlike the 2 day event there was no fanfare or music or tented village today was different it was serious business today. I changed again for the bike and asked Niamh for a slight change of plan; I was going to have creamed rice before I got

early bird

I woke early on race day

into the kayak so she was going to have to root through the bombsite that was the campervan in search of the rice, tin opener and a spoon. I hit the road for the 15km cycle and Niamh quickly overtook me. I was drinking like a fish trying to hydrate myself again but after 5km I hit a 2km hill climb (the equivalent of climbing the hill of Howth from Sutton), down 1km flat (ish) for 2km and then up for 2 down 1up and a final 2km push up to the transition area. The last 2 uphill sections were like climbing the hill of Howth (steep side to the right of the church) and were ball braking in the heat. Having stumbled off the bike the Ozzies we met the day before the race came to my assistance putting the bike and kit aside while I put on the Kayak shoes for the 800 mtr run down to Niamh at the water.

Creamed rice was such a comfort food then the Ozzies and Niamh got me kitted up into the boat and away. I was half an hour ahead of the cut off time of 15:00 and knew

not so hectic

on the longest day the crowds weren't as big as for te 2 day

with the low water levels it was going to have to be a full on assault of a river I was running blind. As like my training run earlier in the week the braided rivers are unlike anything we have at home so reading them was the main concern, take the wrong channel and it could possibly run dry. I was paddling a JKK Total Eclipse XL (earlier in the day a kayak specialist reckoned I was about 10km too light for that boat and it might sit too high on the water), a composite kayak and it was quick but as I headed downstream I realized why they reckoned the paddle was going to be a slog, the southerly winds predicted hadn’t materialized and we were into a strong headwind with gaelforce gusts and it pushed the boat into places I didn’t fancy going. I had to second guess the wind on all critical cliff faced meandering turns. I could take the fast flow knowing I could hold my line but if the wind gusted I ran the risk of being pushed onto the cliffs or I could choose a slower line running the risk of the bow of

looking for water

water bottles, bouyancy aid race bib all set to go

the kayak hitting the eddy lines or whirlpools and these in turn spinning the kayak wrong way around. Most of the time I was ok and only twice got spun. It was a long, long slog down the river with spectacular views and as time slipped by I lost count of how far down stream I had paddled.

One rule of the race is that if you encounter a competitor in trouble you must offer assistance so when I saw the paddler ahead capsize when rounding the next bend and then get caught in a small cove I shouted ahead to check on his wellbeing, no response was tendered so I pulled out of the flow and into what appeared to be calm water, it wasn’t. It was a whirlpool, as I struggled to maneuver the 6mtr kayak to get back into position the guy I went to assist got back in and headed off downstream, I was fuming. 11 minutes later I got moving again and set off in pursuit of the 5 paddlers who overtook me and the mystery paddler who I stopped to help.

Having made the places back I passed through several checkpoints and

wet feet

Niamh gathered spare troops to help us get going

received good info at one when they told me I had 10km to go and looking at my watch I had a little under an hour to complete it, as I was averaging 4:30 per Km I was hopeful that if I stayed in the boat I would make the final 3 checkpoints. I kept a push on and at the next check the stewards looked down, I asked how far to go and they told me I wouldn’t make it I had 14Kms to the second last checkpoint and at that point the first of the Kayakers that had been taken off the river was being transported by jet boat to the Woodstock (2^nd last Checkpoint). I knew my race was up; there was no way I could make the cut off. My heart sank a little but as the numbers of non finishers being transported by jet boat increased I paddled on hoping to at least be taken off having paddled in.

The officials had the unenviable job of informing participants that they had to exit the river. I pleaded with the timekeepers to overlook the 24 minutes that I was over but not too strenuously as

deck on

cover the cockpit, with any luck it wont come off till the finish

I wouldn’t have liked to be doing their job. I sat in the boat a short while and the officials made contact with Niamh to come up my direction to pick me up, and then I could see the importance of all the required emergency gear. Within 3 minutes of getting out and stopping I had put on all the dry emergency clothes as I was freezing I was eating my emergency rations and sharing the remainder out with people who thought better than to bring the food. A few minutes had passed and a local girl paddled in. She just broke down and was inconsolable, I said that she shouldn’t feel so bad as she hadn’t traveled half way around the world only to be taken off the river with 7Kms to go, she smiled for a minute and then broke into tears so I gave her one of Paula’s energy balls and life didn’t seem so bad to her, she kept crying though.

Niamh had a 30 minute drive from Gorge Bridge the official Kayak transition to Woodstock where I was taken off, I know that for safety reasons there were cut off times but in my

100

heart of hearts I know that I could have completed the remaining 7kms in about 32 minutes getting me in under the 8 o’ clock cut off at the Gorge Bridge.

So there it was 18 months training and to come up 24 minutes short (or long depending on how you look at it), the frustrating thing is that I felt incredibly strong when I was taken off the river, others around while I won’t say they were relieved to be taken off they just seemed to be drained or running on empty.

We overtook the final cyclists on the road to Christchurch and Niamh was asking if I was disappointed that I wasn’t finishing and I had to say no. I had given it my everything, my pulse rates throughout the race were spot on, I had eaten every half hour as scheduled, I still felt strong when taken out of the race and most importantly I enjoyed every moment of it. I now know why they recommend you participate in a 2 day before you apply for the one day, reason being it is the toughest one day multisport race in the world and you have

mankini

Adam was physically scarred while we were mentally scarred

to have been over the course and know it like the back of your hand before you can well and truly race over it.

Finally thanks to so many people,

Vanessa Mc Cann of Glencar Medical and

Rafik Kamil of MI Oils for coming on board and supporting Debra Ireland as principle sponsors.

To the Coynes and O’ Rourkes for everything they have done to get me to the start line,

Paula Mee for sorting the bad cholesterol issue and then all the weight management issues and nutrition.

Evonne Walters, Gail Ennis and the Viva Fitness staff for their training advice and programmes.

Susan Wilson and Claire Richardson for raising so much money for Debra Ireland.

To each and every person who sponsored a kilometer of the journey, you are far too numerous to mention you know who you are and thank you, together we have raised over 5,000 euro for Debra Ireland,

Glen, Emer, Ian and Luca Richardson for all the support (official Irish Tracksuits, worn with pride in NZ) and for being there when I needed training partners or a wakeup call or kick up the arse

aikens

running to get changed into themountain kit

Colin for all the hard work on getting my legs right for the event payment will be tendered with electrical work and finally

Niamh, the one constant in my life who helps get me through these crazy challenges, I don’t know of many people who could put up with the schedule I live by. To have your partner put up with you being self employed (and having to drop everything if someone blows a fuse is one issue), to put up with the constant need to be out training (you never think you’ve done enough) is another but to travel across the globe to carry boats, get kit together, put up with race briefings and being there is true dedication. I often ask myself (usually when out running) who is more mad me? Or you for marrying me?

You know how much you mean to me and all I can say is that I’m loving my life and it’s because of you.

So where to now?

Speight’s Coast to Coast 2013 entry forms have opened ?????????

To be continued!!!!!!!

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