Support Crew at Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour

About 5 minutes after the start. From left to right: Kim Allan, Patricia
Stitchbury, Heather Andrews, Wayne Botha.

This year I was support crew again for Heather at the Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour. The day dawned with atrocious weather: heavy rain and very strong winds. As we were driving to the track the rain was pouring when we were just a kilometre away. But by the time we got there the rain stopped and the weather started to fine up. It was windy all day, but for the next 9 hours the rain stayed away.

As is usual with these events, there were lots of people there that I knew. Michael Rodliffe was running to win the men's 6 hour, Cliff Harrison was walking the 12 hour, Wayne Botha running the men's 12 hour, Mark Guy running the men's 24 hour, and Kim Allan, Tracy Benjamin, and Penny Kirkwood in the women's 24 hour. There were also the supporters: Fiona Harrison and David Sim for Cliff, Simon Clendon for several runners, Amy Campbell with the world 24 hour champs still fresh in her legs, Philip Sharp (NZ Centurions), and Steve Neary and Vicky Plaistowe who both turned up to see the madness.

Summer running.
 
 

By late morning it was so hot that the runners were in t-shirts and singlets, and even as a supporter it was very warm. For the couple of laps in between handing supplies to Heather I would sit beside the track in a fold out chair, feeling much as if I were at the beach (minus the sand that would be blowing in our faces). Simon Clendon was even handing out iceblocks to the runners! But the wind continued unabated and by mid-afternoon runners were starting to layer up again.

Heather battled with nausea again this year, and as a consequence there was a period of several hours in the afternoon where she didn't eat a lot. Sri Chinmoy peaches, mashed potato, and cups of tea eventually came to the rescue. Definitely a challenge to try and solve before "next time".

By about 7:30pm it started to rain, and then started to absolutely pour. Cliff Harrison's support crew took shelter in the vestibule of our tent. I had my full wet weather gear on, so was reasonably comfortable out in the rain, but still needed to record laps and get whatever supplies Heather might need.

Heather's trophy

Heather clocked up persobal best times for 50km, 70km, 80km and 50 miles. Best of all, she also won the women's 12 hour!

In other action that day, Wayne Botha set a world record for 100km run in bare feet. He developed a large blister on one heel, but in total his feet were in great condition when he finished.

7:12pm and Wayne Botha keeps churning out the laps
on his way to a barefoot world record.

Attrition!

Back again as support crew this year, but by the end of the day felt like I had run the entire thing! Some recollections of the day...

Staying in Tauranga, about 1 hour's drive from the start line, it was a very early start to the day... alarm went off at 4:30am! We were up and made final preparations, then drove the hour to the start.

Meet and greet everyone at the start: Ross Steele, 40+ marathons under his belt, but first ultra; Amy Campbell, one of the top women runners; Gene Andrews, coming off a long period of absolutely no running due to injury; Simon Clendon (actually, we didn't need to meet and greet him, as he'd stayed with us that night); Vicki Woolley, another very good woman runner, but nursing an injury and was going to run with Heather for a while. Others seen in the distance - Penny Kirkwood, Matt Bixley.

I was crewing for Heather for the day, but there were quite a number of people that we knew and would be following during the day:

• In the 100k: Heather Andrews, Martin Lukes, Matt Bixley, Amy Campbell, Mal Law, Penny Kirkwood, Vicki Woolley, Keith Crook, Wayne Botha, Carl Laffan;
• In shorter distances: Ross Steele, Sally Law, Simon Clendon, Gene Andrews, Nick Warren.

Heather started well, and by the 5km mark was already several minutes ahead of the time she had run in training. She gained further time by the Blue Lake aid station, but was feeling good and running well within herself. Then it was a quick dash down to the other end of Blue Lake for me, and get ready for a change into dry shoes and socks... as Heather approached I was told of a change of plan, it would now be keep the wet ones on until Lake Okareka aid station!

Drive around to Lake Okareka to find that I would need to park the car some distance from the aid station. Hmmmm. Never mind, unload all the supplies, including dry socks and shoes, chair out, ready to go. Heather arrives and wants... tape... one of the few things I didn't have from the car because it was in her gear bag rather than the supplies box. Run back to the car, run back, problem sorted. And then... sunglasses... run back to the car, and then meet Heather as she is walking through from the aid station with food. No chance to run up Millar's Rd this time, as the car needs to be repacked.

Heather arriving at Lake Okareka aid station, looking
and feeling great.

Lake Okareka

Heather's off again, looking and feeling good, I have jobs to do. Back into Rotorua to get some cash, back out towards Tarawera Rd to a service station to get some ice, a phone call to the babysitter... it must be close on an hour since Heather went through the aid station. Time for the longish drive to the Okataina Lodge aid station.

Get nearly to Okataina Lodge and the road is absolutely jammed with cars. 5 minutes to travel 500m. Someone suggested a park at the side of the road, but I said "no, I am driving all the way down". The carpark was full, so I just parked in front of an SUV with a boat trailer. Unload the car again, chilly bin, box of supplies, chair, this time make sure I have the gear bag. Order and collect the single shot flat white.

Then wait. And wait. And wait. It was a very hot day, and I had picked a good spot to set up - in the shade on the grass just as the runners emerge from the trees. For the most part I could keep nice and cool. But it must be hot out there for the runners... And indeed it was, with reports that it could be 30 degrees on some sections of the trail. Heather doesn't do so well in the heat, and so it proved on the day. The heat slowed her significantly, and was probably also a major culprit in stomach problems. Ice in a towel to help cool her down, try a few different foods, drink the coffee and some cold coffee milk, restock supplies in her pack, then off.

I walked for a short distance with Heather, then it was back to repack the car. I paused to watch the other runners coming through, and all of 10 minutes before the cut-off Ross Steele appeared with friend Carla. They seemed to be having a fantastic time, stocked up at the aid station and left with just minutes to spare.

Traffic on the Tarawera Falls access road. The
recommendation in our safety assessment to minimise
the number of road crossings because of dust and
visibility issues was spot on.

Time now to make the drive to Kawerau. A very quick stop at the Information Centre to pick up the forest access permit, then the drive into the Tarawera Falls carpark. Carpark #3, no. Carpark #2, no. Carpark #1, road is blocked, so I park here. Load up my hydration pack with everything I can think of - Gu chomps, spare handheld with plain water, gingernuts, my night time supplies (lights, warm top); grab Simon's drop bag for the 60k finish; and grab Heather's bag of night time supplies for the 60k aid station. A 1km walk down the road, drop the two bags off, then run/hike back along the track to the Tarawera Outlet.

I met up with Heather about 1km beyond the Outlet. Her stomach problems had persisted, and although tired she was in good spirits. We worked our way back to the Falls, stopping for a few photos a long the way. The cut off time for continuing was blown, but that was ok. It was a hot, hard day, and now it was time to stop.

Eat some aid station supplies, and then it was time for Heather to sit down. She asked for a specific warm top, but guess what? It was in her gear bag, back in the car! I had anticipated that we would be continuing on to 85km, so had bought the night time supplies, not the finish line bag. But there was a merino long sleeve in her night time bag, and I was not walking 1km back to the car again!!

Ross and Carla, finished!

Having finished earlier and had a while to recover, Simon went off to collect the car. While we were waiting Ross and Carla finished, both looking very fresh. Ross was clearly very happy to have finished his first ultramarathon, and had done it in style!

Steve and Keith arriving at Fisherman's Bridge aid
station: 10km to go.

Mark and Gabbie hitched a ride with Heather, Simon, and me, and together we all set off to visit some of the other aid stations and see some of the other athletes still underway in the longer events. Part way to Titoki we caught up with Keith Crook and his pacer Steve Neary, then to Fisherman's Bridge where we saw Carl Laffan, Keith again, and Mal Law. Then off to the finish line to collect 60km finisher's medals, have some food, and socialise some more.

One last stop, at the Kawerau hot pools for about half an hour, and then it was time to drive back to Tauranga. We finally arrived back sometime between 10:30pm and 11:00pm. I might have only ended up running about 10km of the 50km I had expected, but I was shattered! The heat and humidity seemed to have taken their toll on me as well.

Martin Lukes and Heather at race registration.

Performance of the day - both sporting and sportsman-like - has to go to Martin Lukes. In a quality international field he was my pick for one of the top two spots. But by 5k he was in trouble, and by 6k he was literally standing still! All the muscles in both quads had cramped and seized, and he had to stand there and work on them to ease them and get them working again. He did not DNF, but instead started off at a trot through the field, running WITH the slower runners and talking to them as he went. Reports had him at 35-40 minutes behind the leaders at Millars Road (). But he kept running, working through the field, and gaining ground. Martin made a real race of it, finishing in 3rd place. At 29 mins behind the winner, he surely would be hot favourite to have taken the race if it were not for his 40 minute handicap!

But what a day of attrition! Of the 10 100km runners listed above:

• 2 performed extremely well with podium positions. Amy Campbell 2nd in the women's race and Martin Lukes 3rd in the men's race;
• 2 others recorded a 100km finish;
• 1 had injury problems and completed the 85km;
• 2 recorded finishes in the 60km; and
• 3 did not finish, withdrawing at Okataina Lodge.

Of these 10, only 40% completed the distance they intended to run, and 30% did not finish at all! The year I walked the 85km I was of the opinion that the first 60km was the toughest first 60km of any ultra in the country at that time, and with some minor course changes, high water levels (necesitating water crossings), and track damage, it appears that the course may be even harder now.

Links:

• The Back Country Runner's post-race interview with Martin Lukes
• Report by the winner of the men's 100km, Mick Donges

Support Crew at Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour

A couple of hours in to the race, Heather running with Vivian Cheng,
winner of the womens' 24 Hour race, with Simon Clendon fooling
around in the background.

Last year Heather was my support crew at the Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Track Race. This year she was doing the 12 Hour and I was her support crew. She did a fantastic job for me last year, so I had a lot to live up to!

Everything went to plan for the first 4 hours. Heather stuck to her planned schedule of run 4 laps, walk 1 lap; and her pace was a consistent 8km/h. There was a brief bout of nausea during this period... perhaps too much electrolyte drink?? A break from any food and drink for a while and that came right.

4 hours brought the first change of direction and, for Heather, a change of dress! Heather's schedule also changed to a planned run 3 laps, walk 1 lap. This continued for another 10km before Heather was hit by a sustained bout of much more serious nausea. Heather had her challenges over the next few hours and I had mine! What to give her to eat? What not to eat? What would sit well? Gingernuts, cups of tea, chicken soup, grapes were all tried with varying degrees of success but none were the magic bullet.

The wind was strengthening and was cold. Not so much fun for the support crews sitting and standing around, but even less fun for the athletes. The cold head wind at the south end of the track was cutting through whatever layers the runners were wearing and seemed to be knotting up a lot of stomachs. The other end of the track was relatively sheltered, or at least a tail wind, and runners would overheat. As a result the runners were struggling to get their layers right and stay at a comfortable temperature, and many were suffering stomach problems. On one lap I walked with Heather I noticed a couple of large pools of vomit by the start/finish line!

I got Heather to layer up a bit more with a jacket and tights in the hope that might make a difference. The warmth did seem to help a bit, but as with everything else it was not the magic bullet!

Heather in her evening dress, but also jacket, gloves, and tights to
keep out the cold. Running beside the winner of the mens' 24 Hour
race, Graeme Butcher.

8 hours brought another change of direction and another change of dress, this time a black number for the evening! By this time the stadium was cold and quiet. The 6 hour runners had long finished and gone home, the sky was grey, and light levels were slowly dropping. Two hours later the light had faded enough that the stadium lights were coming on, creating a much better atmosphere. Rain showers also started to come through, but with the stadium lights that just added to the atmosphere.

Heather continued to complete laps. At 11 hours she was 4km behind 3rd place. Seeing this she asked how many laps the gap was... that would be roughly 10 laps, but that is a lot to make up in the last hour. She was back alternating running and walking now and the laps kept ticking by.

With about 15 minutes to go I informed Heather that by my reckoning she had 6 1/2 laps to go to get to 75km. That was the spark she needed, and she suddenly found a new source of energy and determination. No more walking from here, and all the laps were run. We started counting down the laps, and Penny Kirkwood joined her to run the last few laps. Heather received her wooden block, I grabbed a warm top for her to put on when she'd finished, and I then joined her for what should be the last lap. Over the start/finish line for one last time, and Heather put on a big surge as we pushed towards that last half lap, still time on the clock so we just kept on going... and finally the hooter went when we were almost right outside our tent!

Heather had made up that 4km in the last hour, plus a little bit more. She finished in 3rd place, a little over 300m ahead of the woman in 4th. I was using my GPS as a backup timing device, and had managed to clock up 21.79km run and walked as I went backwards and forwards, did a few laps with Heather, multiple trips to the kitchen, etc!

Links:

• Official photos

Support Crew and Pacer at the Tarawera Ultramarathon

My first pacer number! Heather's race number (orange)
and my pacer number (white).
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Support crew and pacer for Heather Andrews at the Tarawera Ultramarathon 85km event. I was support crew through to Okataina Lodge (about 40k), then picked up as pacer from the next accessable aid station (Tarawera Outlet at about 55km) through to the finish. Very proud to have been there for Heather's new longest distance.

After a night of rain the day dawned cold and clear. Great conditions for runners, but less so for support crew standing around waiting for their runners! I first saw Heather at about 5km as the runners emerged from the bush. She was looking fresh, but so she should be when there was another 80km+ in front of her!

At about 5km Then it was quickly back in the car and down the road towards Blue Lake. Part way down the road was another access point to the trail. This time I walked along the trail and talked with Heather while changing her water bottle and providing a fresh Gu. I ran back down the hill to the access point, being greeted by several runners who wondered why I hadn't entered this year.

Running with Perry

Ultrarunner Perry Newburn decided to run from Auckland to Christchurch as a way of raising money for the earthquake recovery fund for Christchurch. Heather and I joined him for part of his run on day 4 of his journey.

Heather met me at Rotorua airport (I flew in) and then we drove in to Rotorua and grabbed some breakfast from McDonalds just before they closed their breakfast menu. A bacon and egg McMuffin with a hashbrown and a coffee! With tummies satisfied it was off to find Perry. Along to SH5 and then turn left at the Nongotaha roundabout to follow it towards Hamilton. We saw Perry's support vehicle, drove up the road a bit further to a convenient stopping point, and waited.

Perry and Heather take a walk break while Perry has a drink.
Heather proudly wearing her Canterbury Crusaders shirt in support
of Christchurch.

Perry appeared fairly soon, and Heather set off to run with him. I waited in the car for a bit, then drove ahead and jogged back to meet them, took a few photos, and ran or walked with them back to the car.

I leap frogged like this a couple of times, and then was back around the roundabout to the road into Rotorua. I ran back to meet Perry and Heather and ran back with them again. I was parked at the same spot as

Support Crew at the Length of the Lake Ultra

A change for me - this time I was support crew for Heather Andrews while she ran the 67.5km "Length of the Lake" ultramarathon. It was good to be the supporter rather than the athlete for a change, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Being support crew keeps one in amongst the action, probably more aware of it than when racing. It also makes for a busy and absorbing day, although not nearly as tiring as being the athlete!

Running into Turangi.

The day itself started off warm and then just got hotter. Almost the entire course is without shade, so those that were out there all day had a serious dose of sun and heat. The temperature was something like 24-26 in the shade, but would have been much hotter on the road in the direct sun. Over the last 20km or so (from Hatepe Hill onwards) I was supplying Heather with a cold wet flannel with increasing frequency, to provide at least some cooling.

A great effort by Heather to clock up a new personal best distance in trying conditions. I am proud to have been part of it!