This post has taken a long time to write, and kept getting really long winded and, well...crap! So i've just cut it back to something that is hopefully readable. Also, i think it needs some pics, I might add some later....
So...GO!
My previous post was about somebody else's amazing journey around a 100km trail run. Graham's Surf Coast Century in pictures. This post is about what i got out of the day, from the various people i encountered.
Watching / supporting an endurance event, such as a 100 km trail run, isn't like watching somebody do a short fun run or triathlon. In those events, you generally stay in one spot and just wait up to an hour, and the people you're supporting come back.
With events such as the Surf Coast Century, you could have just stayed at the start / finish area, but his would only allow sightings at the start, the half way and end. Even if you went to all the checkpoints / fuel stops, this would still only mean seeing people every hour or so.
Luckily, i'm fairly familiar with the area, had a good map, a 4WD and a sense of adventure. So i set about to generally catch up with Graham so often that by the end of it he'd think he was hallucinating...
If memory serves correct, i think i managed to appear by the side of the track 18 times (including the start and finish).
By the 70km mark (or thereabouts) a few of the 100km competitors, other than Graham, were commenting to me that i was everywhere. And by the 90km mark they were actually thanking me for my continued support of them throughout the day!
As an athlete myself (that bit still sounds crap - but it's what i wanted to say) i know how good the support of random strangers can be, so hopefully i helped make the 100km just that little bit easier for a few others.
There's been ongoing discussion about whether an IM tri, or a 100km trail run is harder. After witnessing both, i don't think it's fair to compare. Hopefully one day i'll be able to make an informed judgement (from experience - never say never!)
But either way - the winners from both events finish in the 8 hour range, and the rest of the field tootle in at a later stage - they're both hard work and require dedication and commitment to training, a realistic race plan, and well planned nutrition plan!
Obviously watching Graham and the other 100 km runners was a huge inspiration, and gave me a glimpse of what my day may entail on IM day.
Some of the runners i saw at the 10km mark already looked slightly stuffed and like they were in for a very long day - interestingly, most of them looked the same every time i saw them over the next 11 hours!
What i also found interesting, was nutrition plans. While some people stuck to, what would be considered, the "normal" endurance plan were going places i can't consider even when i'm not training/racing. There was one particular lady, that i saw at every food station, who had a slab of cake and a can of red bull! I suppose that just goes to show, that whatever works for you is great - but just practice!!
Unfortunately, endurances races sometimes don't go to plan and this was the case for one of the female competitors i encountered about 55km in, out the back of Anglesea. As it turns out, it was last years winner, Shona Stephenson (here --> http://trailrunningaustralia.com/) and her asthma had got the better of her.
Being the all round nice guy that i am, i gave Shona a lift back to the start finish area. Not being a massive follower of the trail running scene, i had no idea who she was at the time.
Even though she was obviously shattered from having to withdraw from the race, she was still friendly and we chatted about random things from kids, to asthma, to injuries, and running shoes - who knows, i may even check out the Inov8 range now (but i'm pretty happy with my Vibram 5F).
And i suppose that just sums up the trail running spirit...even at an elite level, it really is a friendly sport!
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