Marlborough 50 2005

I had found it a little difficult to get as much training under my belt as I had hoped for, not least because it had been so hot in Upper Hutt leading up to the race. There were also some days where the training just did not go as planned. With a longest training run of only 42km, I thought I might be a little under done.

Running past High Field Estate, a little before the
7km mark.

As it turned out, the heat in Upper Hutt had been a good thing, as we were in for even hotter temperatures in Blenheim. Temperatures soared from less than 10 degrees celsius at the 7am start to an official 30 degrees celsius in the early afternoon. The temperature was 36C in the sponsor's vineyard, which must have been about the same temperature that we were experiencing on the road.

First Half
Lap 1: Jamie took off at a fast but relaxed pace, and within 50m I had resigned myself to not being first, not that I ever realistically expected to be. Of more concern was that I was in second and no one else was challenging me, not even Annie who had been to the 100km World Cup last year. Maybe I was running too fast? At any rate, I settled into my routine of running to the 5km mark, walking for 5 minutes, and then running to the 10km mark for another 5 minute walk - a routine that would be unbroken for the first half of the race.

Lap 2: Jamie had more than a 4 and a half minute lead on me by the end of this lap. Everyone exchanged pleasantries on the out-and-back of Hawkesbury Road, but otherwise it was fairly much a solo run. I had good walking form on my walk breaks and everything was going well. By the end of the lap Jamie had extended his lead slightly to 5 minutes.

Lap 3 passed without incident, and soon it was on to Lap 4. At the start of Lap 4 (30km) I started fueled up on a hot cross bun as I walked the first 5 minutes of the lap. Initially a little dry, but a nice change from sports gel. Only a few km into the lap, we found out from one of the local vineyard owners that the temperature was already at 34C!! Hailing from the somewhat cooler climes of Dunedin, Jamie was starting to feel the effects of the heat and didn't seem to have gained any extra ground during the previous lap. Much to my surprise, from about the 5km mark I started to catch glimpses of him in the distance, and the gap between us seemed to be narrowing. Jamie, Norilie, and I came together in a bunch almost exactly at the 39km mark. I caught and passed Norilie, then within a few metres I had also passed Jamie. I was in the lead! Times at the 40km mark were incredibly close: I recorded 3:35:36, Jamie 3:35:51, and Norilie 3:35:59.

Second Half

The final turn-around on Hawkesbury
Rd, about 1 mile into the last lap.

Lap 5: After a longer than intended stop at the start/finish aid station, it was off again to record my time for the marathon (3:47:49). I was starting to feel a little tired now, so the walking breaks were a little more frequent. However, I was conscious that Norilie and Jamie were right behind me, so I made sure that I kept up a good pace and passed quickly through the aid stations. At the start of Lap 6 I availed myself of the "Portaloo", providing Norilie with an opportunity to slip into the lead. The challenge was short lived, however, as I managed to regain the lead by 3km into the lap. From this lap onwards we started putting ice in my cap at each aid station. The half hour between aid stations was almost enough time for the ice to melt, and it certainly made a huge difference to just how hot I was feeling.

At the start of lap 7 (60km) I refuelled with some "Backcountry Cuisine" mashed potato - very welcome, as I had been starting to get more than a little hungry. By now the heat and lack of training were starting to take their toll, and I was down to walk 1km, run 1km. Norilie would close the gap while I was walking, and I would extend it again while running. I was also still moving quickly through the aid stations, whereas the others were stopping for a short break. However, I was feeling increasingly tired in the heat, I was also starting to wonder whether I should withdraw, but I kept telling myself that I couldn't do that now that I was actually leading the race.

Lap 8: The last lap! Continued with the walk 1km, run 1km schedule. From 9km walked 500m to the corner, then ran part of the way to the 10km mark. Walked a bit more to get to 10km, and then ran the rest of the way to the finish, 450m down the road.

Prize Giving

Final Standings
Only three people finished the 50 mile event. I was first in 8:07:39, Norilie Lopez was second in 8:12:20, and Jamie Sinclair was third in 8:38:16. Annie Faletanoai withdrew at the 50km mark, although apparently this was planned. Jim Kerse withdrew at the 60km mark.



And what they went on to do...

Norilie Lopez took honours as 1st female at the Coburg Harriers 24 Hour Carnival, 16-17 April 2005, recording a distance of 162.800km;

Karen Neale was 26th female at the IAU 100km World Challenge, Lake Saroma, Japan, 26 June 2005, finishing in 11:05:40; and

Jamie Sinclair and Jim Kerse both completed the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, 25-26 June 2005. Jamie's time was 24:04:13, and Jim's time was 29:01:07.

Some Related Links:

Omaka Springs winery

Backcountry Cuisine