for those that just want the summary, I think this photo sums it all up.
Here is what was planned for the day:
Leg 1 – Swim 1.5km
Started at 7am, it was light, but the sun hadn’t come over the hills east of the lake. We all started together (47 teams ranging from 4 to 12 members, mixed teams and 2 solos). A good swim, non-eventful really. It’s fresh water, so I only thought about sharks for about 10% rather than 50% of the time. The water was cool, but perfect in my wetsuit. Leif was there to cheer me out with encouragement and my gear for the next leg.
Time: 25:44 (27:15 in 2011)
Transition time to Paddle: 2 mins
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348255
Leg 2 – Paddle 9km
I brought my Dorado surf ski this time as it’s faster than the Mirage Sea Kayak (used in 2011). Had a good leg as I sat behind a lady in a K1 type boat most of the way who was going just the right pace for me to conserve some energy yet pretty fast, otherwise uneventful. Was passed by a few, but passed many.
Time: 52:18 (1:01:00 in 2011)
Transition time to Run: 1 min
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348274
Leg 3 – Run 7km
A relatively flat run considering the area it’s in – basically follows the lake shore. Magic views that time in the morning. Didn’t pass anyone, but passed by a few. It was hard having people run past you, but I had to remember that I’m a pretty average runner and it was just the beginning of a long day.
Time: 38:40 (58:32 in 2011)
Transition time to Bike: 1 min
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348298
Leg 4 – Bike 8km (technical)
This is all single track and very technical. Although it’s not long in distance this is the first use of the hills surrounding the lake. I had my same BMC Trailfox 01 – great bike, didn’t let me down once. I did manage to smash both knee caps into the head stem/handlebars when trying to get my feet out of the pedals while getting stuck in some tricky terrain, but I was certainly not the only person swearing out there. Passed a couple, got passed by a few.
Time: 47:36 (1:01:06 in 2011)
Transition time to Swim: 6 mins
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348316
Leg 5 – Swim 2.5km (long)
Jeez it’s hard getting into a wet wetsuit, but with two and a half kms in cool freshwater it’s worth it. You swim right past the dam wall, and I only breathe to my left, so I got a good view of it for a while. I replaced my limited thoughts of sharks with ‘what would happen of the dam wall broke?’ Didn’t get passed, passed a few.
Time: 48:45 (55:57 in 2011)
Transition time to Paddle: 3 mins
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348329
Leg 6 – Paddle 5.5km
The best part about this leg was that I didn’t get lost. Last time, I just figured I’d turn the corner and follow the other paddlers – I turned the corner and there were no paddlers to be seen!! This time I was 46 minutes in front of my 2011 time and there were paddlers everywhere. Passed and got passed by a couple.
Time: 36:17 (56:45 in 2011 – got lost and added 2km to the trip)
Transition time to Bike: 2 mins
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348342
Leg 7 – Bike 11km
Wow – looking at my time in comparison to 2011, the extra kms in my prep surely showed off. It’s a funny ride – wide open fields on farmers’ dirt roads and some parts just through the grass. A couple of times you have to climb over barbed wire fences with makeshift stairs made from milk crates tied together – a little wobbly, and certainly didn’t want to get that wrong wearing only thin tri pants!! Passed a few, didn’t get passed.
Time: 34:23 (44:17 in 2011)
Transition time to Run: 2 mins
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348355
Leg 8 – Run 12.5km
This is the leg that completely overwhelmed me in 2011 and marked the end of my race. I simply wasn’t prepared for how hard it was. Being that I am not designed to run up hills, this is a killer. It’s a 12.5km run with 562m of vertical. That’s like running the Balmoral Burn up Awaba Street over 8 times. For a leg that I had thought about and worried about for years, in only about first 100m from the start I screwed it up. I missed a turn off and was lost, adding about 1.2km to the leg. I found two other lost guys. We questioned each other about which way to go and what to do. We bitched and moaned about how hopeless the trail markers were until we saw them……then shut up and just got on with running. This year they made us cross the Thredbo River. Not wanting to run in wet shoes for two hours I chose to burn the time and take them off before wading through the water…some passed me just ploughing through the water. Even though I had trained for this hill, it still got me. I walked the steeps and ran the rest. I didn’t pass anyone, but was passed by many. Best news of the day – finished ahead of the cut off time!!
Time: 2:01:01 (2:27:38 in 2011)
Transition time to Bike: 3 mins
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348390
Leg 9 – Bike 43km (long)
Now in uncharted waters…..though a more appropriate saying would be “back in the bloody hills”. After surviving the vertical challenge of Leg 8, Leg 9 starts off with what is one of the two most mentally challenging parts of the day – more vertical in the form of 8km of up. No flattening off, no undulations, just up. And with no shade in the middle of the day, it was hot. It was mentally hard as I didn’t know when it was going to stop. I was on my own – couldn’t see anyone in front or behind. I knew the leg was 43km, was hoping to finish it in around 3 hours, but when I had only completed 8km after 45 mins I was worried. The up finally finishes at Rennix Gap 1600m above sea level. The tar road is then soon replaced by dirt roads for a massive downhill. It was natures air conditioning – shaded by trees and flying down more vertical decent than I’d just climbed – I was nice and cold by the bottom. Didn’t last long – the next climb was on loose, rocky, dirt roads that were steeper than the tar. Many times I was off my bike walking, only to realise my legs had had enough of that from leg 8, so back to pedalling. I passed many on this leg, as others were hurting/walking more than I was. Good feeling riding past those who ran past me in the last leg (although they were different team members). There was lots of talk of the cut off time for this leg and would we make it – everyone seemed to have different information. I knew this leg finished at lake level, so there had to be another big downhill. Knowing that pushed me up and over the last of the climbs before the fast, steep and free flowing roll to the bottom…so excited to see the water and Leif with my dry wetsuit!!!
Time: 3:10:47 (didn’t do in 2011)
Transition time to Swim: 4 mins
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348431
Leg 10 – Swim 1.4km
It’s now nearly 5:30 in the afternoon. I’m so happy the bike is over and I can get in that cool water. My happiness soon turned to worry when my legs started cramping. I was so thankful for my wetsuit – just float my legs, don’t move them and the cramps would stay away. It worked and I made it to the end. A mouthful of Enduralytes after the swim made those the last cramps of the day. Smashed about 6 pieces of watermelon in transition, so refreshing and cleansing after drinking my fuel mix all day.
Time: 27:26
Transition time to Paddle: 8 mins
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348450
Leg 11 – Paddle 9.5 (long)
This was hard. The afternoon wind had arrived, whipping up some surface chop which was hitting us on an angle for most of the way (did you like how I said ‘us’…..as I still had company!!), so I was burning energy just balancing. It was certainly slow, but knowing there was only a run to go made it easier. I paddled with another guy for most of the leg. We chatted about the sun that was now behind the western mountains that I’d run and biked up and down, and how long ago it was that the sun was on the other side of the lake rising in the morning. That gave me some perspective of what a long day it had been so far. I’ve got to get a new ski – my bum goes numb in the seat, then my left leg, which is not good with a run to follow.
Time: 1:11:14
Transition time to Run: 3 mins
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348468>
Leg 12 – Run 5km (flat)
What can I say…..all I wanted to do now was run the whole way without walking - and I did. It wasn’t fast. I was body tired. I always wonder what is the limiting factor – heart, lungs, legs/arms or your head. I felt like I was having a conversation with a third party when checking in on my legs, they surprisingly were up for it. My heart was ticking away in the low 140s and my head had nothing but the finishing line in it. So it was my lungs that set the pace. I kept looking at the mins/km on my watch and so wanted it to be less than 7mins/km….why I don’t know. I was passed by two, but happy with my 6:47/km. I watched the 0.1 of the kms tick by so knew when I was close. When I turned the last corner and saw the finish chute, expecting a wave of pure happiness to hit, I was quite caught by surprise when my first reaction was a welling up in my eyes. Instead of arms in the air with muscles flexed in victory, I was again surprised with the lightly clenched fists on my chest matching the emotion in my eyes – more of a quiet thank you to my body. Ok, with that done I crossed the line – ABSOLUTELY STOKED. My trusty mate Leif was there again, like he had been all day at every transition, to welcome me in. I can’t remember smiling with such joy from crossing a finish line like that before. Almost immediately they presented me with the 2nd place Solo Trophy – so wasn’t expecting that. You can choose how to remember it – there were three solo competitors signed up, one pulled out at registration and joined a team, two started and two finished, so I either came 2nd or last.
Time: 32:20
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454348491
From the official race report:
Only two solo entrants toed the line at Kalkite Waters, joining the teams' start at 7 am. A small contingent they may have been, yet they provided – for the first occasion in the event's history – a 100% finish rate for the whole solo field. Graham Hammell from Gerringong, was originally entered with a mate as a team of two, yet when his friend was unable to attend, rather than withdrawing himself, Graham decided simply to step up to the next level and race the whole thing solo. His time of 11:13:03 was a sensational return for the courage, commitment and daring to take on this challenge: he even collected a new course record (for soloists) for the MTB1 course along the way. David Shirley of Castlecrag (NSW), is another who came and conquered on his second attempt, finishing in 12:47:12 after a steady and focussed race throughout. We salute both soloists – your cheerful demeanour and constant respect and appreciation for the efforts of all the course marshals and helpers along the way demonstrated both your humility and magnanimity, which combined with your sheer guts and determination gave us all tremendous inspiration and joy in your achievements.
Distance: 115.4km (Swim 5.4km, Paddle 24km, Run 25km & Bike 62km)
Race time: 12 hours 6 mins
Transition time: 40 mins
Average Heart rate for the 12 hours 46 mins: 143 bpm
Elevation Ascent: 1,957m
Elevation Descent: 1,950m
Thanks to my Danielle, Jasmine, Saskia & Bella who supported (put up with) me through all the training, the endless talking about, and the time away from home. A MASSIVE thanks to Leif who gave up his weekend to come help me achieve this. A thanks to Mark Rechner who was a backup in case Leif couldn’t make it.
Thanks to Stan, who, whether on the ride or not pushed me in training – what has Strava done to us?!!?
It’s a great event of camaraderie and support from the fellow competitors, helpers and course officials.
TICK – never again as a solo…….who’s up for a team? Bags not do leg 8 or 9.
