THE BIG RACE

Race day dawned. Actually it was a relief to finally be here after waking up every half hour during the night to see if the alarm was still working.
At 3.30am I decided to get up and get ready. I was awake anyhow. The carbo loading the night before (in fact the whole week before) must have done the trick. I felt good but knew eating was out of the question. Bad case of race nerves!
Loffy rocked up at 4.15am to pick me up from the hotel and off we set on our big adventure.
At 4.30am there was already a good gathering signing up and getting their numbers. The race is a regional run attracting runners from all walks of life - locals and far-awayers.
Everyone looked so fit and able at the start I was getting terrified. With the likes of RITH, Kelvin, RUN67 and Fat Bloke not to mention Tess and Karisma running - I was just hoping I would finish before they packed away the BBQ!

The Gold Coast Running Club did a good job, with so many late entrants and payments on the day the 5am start was only delayed about 6mins.

Off they went - those doing the full 50km and also those doing the 25km first leg starting together. First leg is from Kurrawa surf club up to Point Danger (my kids were fascinated when I told them the run was from QLD to NSW but they didn't believe me!!) and then it turns around and comes home again.

After the race start most of the second leggers in the relay moved out to meet their partner at a water stop and provide support.
This was the most fun of the day - driving 5km then jumping out and yelling at everyone and taking photos and hoping back in the car and doing it all again. Hooting as you went past....
Tesso got all the supporters to do the mexican wave as the runners came over the bridge and down a yukky hill and this seemed to bring out the most smiles! One poor lass who we all clapped and cheered on got so confused as she came down the hill - she was just out for a jog and not part of the race. Doh!

Too soon it was time to head to the halfway point - or the start/finish for the relay members. I think I did a record 7 toilet stops before I started I was so nervous! I had been waiting for this for many weeks.

Got down there and waited for Loffy to come in. Hubby and kids could see that I was nervous and kept their distance so they headed up the hill to get an action shot of my race start.
The worst part of the whole day was the waiting - not being able to go when others were heading out.
Then quite quickly Loffy came over the hill and I got all pumped up and ready to go, slapped his hand and off I took...who the hell's idea was it to put a big hill right there? I ran 500m and was stuffed! I only had 24.5km to go.

After a week of rain and storms the clouds moved aside to let the beaming sun burn our skins. I have lovely red marks on my legs where the leggins ended. Glad I didn't wear my shorts.
Yet as humid and hot as it was, I coped well and really had lots of fun. You could tell how hot it was by the water stations having two attendants - one that gave you water to drink and the other that hosed you down! I was keen to stop at all the water stations - but mainly to get directions. I was terrified of getting lost.

I got very excited when I ran down a couple of runners but it turned out they were doing the 50km so I felt a bit like a cheat running past them all fresh whilst they shuffled along. Still it consumed some time to get their heads into view then slowly hunt them down and pass them, only to look ahead for another head.

Hubby and kids (support crew) got lost and were waiting for me to arrive at a designated drink point but I had gone past it already as they had detoured via McDonalds for breaky. I wasn't too fussed.
The next drink stop was empty of water though and not wanting to stop and wait I kept going. It was now nearly 8km without water and very hot. Loffy and Mrs Loffy cruised past in their car and cheered and clapped but I managed to convince them I was not smiling but grimacing for water. They met me 500m up and handed me water and then stuck with me each 5km to the do same. Unfortunately they got caught with a good water supply so most runners got a drink or a drenching - whatever they needed as they went past.

Soon enough I had hobbled down the stairs from Nobby's Point and was on Hedges Ave.
It was the longest road in the world to run yesterday - you could not see the end of it but you knew by the cramps and knee pain that it had to end soon.
I caught a few more runners here. I think knowing this part of the course really helped psych me up for a strong finish. I dug in hard and told myself to get my poor battered body home. At this stage this was the longest and furtherest I had ever run..but I was still smiling . Went past Kurrawa Surf Club and looked for the finish line. I think I heard it before I saw it! Tesso and Loffy and Karisma and many other coolrunners and fellow racers were all cheering the finishers to the line. It was such a great feeling. You would have thought I was the winner the way they were carrying on.
Did the distance in 2:14 and felt like a winner. Still smiling - still sore and stiff mind you, some sunburn but a damn good day. Great BBQ and great friends new and old. They presented all the finishers with a trophy glass as a momento.
Hard to believe the man that won the race did the full 50km and broke the record by 13mins - doing a negative split with the two 25km legs. That is tough!
I will definitely be fronting up for next years run. Determined to cut it down to sub 2:10.
Tess was amazing. She took a wrong turn down one street but quickly corrected, still managing to finish in 2:00:22. I am sure she will be chasing that sub 2hrs next year! The most supportive person of the race award goes to her. She cheered everyone on in the first half then after finishing cheered and clapped all the finishers as they came in. She even collected their momentos for those who had to leave early. I know that without her constant encouragement at the various groups that we run together in, I would not have had the motivation to do all the training and to push myself when I least felt like it. It was great to have someone you could talk to about the run as well and share your training secrets (though I'm sure she's got some more up her sleeve...will just have to keep running with her).
Now to keep the feet up for a few days whilst they try recover. Feeling quite good aside from the left foot - which was sore prerace anyhow.

The best start to Christmas ever - now I can say I have run from NSW to QLD. That's Cool!