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500Km Road Relay - Se Queensland
Posted by
Unlikelyrunner
,
21 November 2011
·
492 views
Does the thought of running in a relay format over 500km on hot bitumen in SE Qld just shy of summer sound enticing to you? Well think again.
Last weekend I competed in this event which was a fundraiser for the Endeavour Foundation. A great cause and as my coach put it, a way to ask people to search deep within themselves for inspiration and at the same time to realise how lucky we are to be physically and mentally healthy human beings.
15 teams, 16-22 runners per team, and a scorcher of a weekend that pushed everyone to the limits. Our team were not the fastest, not by a long way. I suppose when I am the 6th fastest of 18 runners and I averaged 4:34 kms pace you will know why. But, like another race I ran back in May in South Africa, to our team and many others it was not about winning but more about pushing yourself beyond what you thought you were capable of.
There were many heroic stories out there, both within our team and other teams. Too many to list really.
As for my weekend, I did 7 legs totalling 35.7kms. Total run time 2 hrs & 43 mins. Some were flat, others very hilly, most in hot sapping temperatures (38c in the shade - of course there was no shade).
The sections I ran went as follows:
Day 1
7.13km - 31:36
5.83km - 27:11
Day 2
4.35km - 19:58
4.29km - 19:18
5.19km - 24:31
Day 3
3.68km - 16:16
5.22km - 24:35
This doesnt sound too bad, but remember its a race in very trying conditions. You sprint till you drop, rest for a few hours, then sprint again. Each day started before 5am and didnt finish till sun down. When you are not running you are in the support, water, or follow vehicle, or trying to grab a few mins sleep on the team bus.
Its a great weekend, and one I would recommend to anyone that wants a little bit of "harden up" added to their running.
As for now, 2 days later, I am still resting. I will go out for a jog tomorrow AM and will hit the hills Thursday. My legs feel fine but I am exhausted & tired, even after 2 nights of 9hrs sleep each night.
And to start planning for the 2012 Relay, if anyone is interested please let me know
Last weekend I competed in this event which was a fundraiser for the Endeavour Foundation. A great cause and as my coach put it, a way to ask people to search deep within themselves for inspiration and at the same time to realise how lucky we are to be physically and mentally healthy human beings.
15 teams, 16-22 runners per team, and a scorcher of a weekend that pushed everyone to the limits. Our team were not the fastest, not by a long way. I suppose when I am the 6th fastest of 18 runners and I averaged 4:34 kms pace you will know why. But, like another race I ran back in May in South Africa, to our team and many others it was not about winning but more about pushing yourself beyond what you thought you were capable of.
There were many heroic stories out there, both within our team and other teams. Too many to list really.
As for my weekend, I did 7 legs totalling 35.7kms. Total run time 2 hrs & 43 mins. Some were flat, others very hilly, most in hot sapping temperatures (38c in the shade - of course there was no shade).
The sections I ran went as follows:
Day 1
7.13km - 31:36
5.83km - 27:11
Day 2
4.35km - 19:58
4.29km - 19:18
5.19km - 24:31
Day 3
3.68km - 16:16
5.22km - 24:35
This doesnt sound too bad, but remember its a race in very trying conditions. You sprint till you drop, rest for a few hours, then sprint again. Each day started before 5am and didnt finish till sun down. When you are not running you are in the support, water, or follow vehicle, or trying to grab a few mins sleep on the team bus.
Its a great weekend, and one I would recommend to anyone that wants a little bit of "harden up" added to their running.
As for now, 2 days later, I am still resting. I will go out for a jog tomorrow AM and will hit the hills Thursday. My legs feel fine but I am exhausted & tired, even after 2 nights of 9hrs sleep each night.
And to start planning for the 2012 Relay, if anyone is interested please let me know
