After Surf Coast Century the previous year, I knew a little of what I would be in for after the miler. The loss of direction and emptiness that follows and practically non-existent interest in running. This time I didn't fight it. I enjoyed what I had done, and just sat contented with that for a while, not running until two weeks later. This worked out well with my body, especially as I had picked up top of foot pain in the left foot from running 160km in 3mm drop shoes I was only just getting accustomed to. I ran a beautiful 34km with two great people, not worrying about where my running was at or what that fit into. All I wanted at this stage was to focus on the people around me as I wanted them to find what I had out there, and that seemed far more important than trying to find any new goal. I ran the Bellarine Rail Trail Run, but in reverse, lining up my second half, with their first and tagging along with a relatively new SCTR and enjoying keeping him moving along for the 17km we ran together.
I had been looking to try and lend help to anyone that could use it, be it with my experiences in a run, or nutrition, or whatever made them feel a little better about trying to do this crazy stuff we call fun. A fairly new but determined SCTR, Erin, was asking for advice on training for an 80km road event, having never run 50km and not knowing whether it would be feasible to train for something like that by November. I jumped at the chance to help somebody do something they thought impossible. It quickly became obvious she was more than capable of running anything she set her mind to and the week after the BRT run, we set out on her first 50km run, comprised of a whole collection of Anglesea trails before meeting up with an SCTR group run. It was an amazing experience to help someone achieve something like that, and if you ever have the chance to be involved in somebody's training like that you really should. We ran quite a few long runs together as my next run I'd locked in back in May, Great Ocean Walk drew nearer.
In September I was crewing for Dion at Surf Coast Century and really didn't have much idea of what it would involve other than a 15 hour+ day. Dion's training had been going really well, so I had no doubt he had what he needed to bring in the 100km, but I knew that pushing to this distance his state of mind would be crucial so I tried to run through as many different scenarios in my head as possible and be prepared for anything. The day started out really well and brought back many familiar memories of my run the previous year. He started out really well and nailed the first leg along the beach in good form and spirits. He was a little ahead of schedule so I cautioned him to dial it back a little for the second leg, especially as the sun picked up on those exposed trails around Eumerella many people get dehydrated and have a pretty tough time. It was so great to see many other SCTRs and familiar faces coming through at each checkpoint and help them out where I could.
By the end of the second leg many people were having a pretty rough day. There were a few with stomach issues, some feeling the impact of perhaps getting carried away and others that were struggling mentally to find the reason to continue. I was fortunate enough to help a few through before Dion came in. He had a fairly rough patch for a while and was feeling it, unsure of how the rest of the race was going to pan out. Being well over 6 foot, the thought of having to clamber under the tiny bridge just out of Anglesea was fairly daunting, particularly if you're already cramping. Fortunately he managed to crab crawl his way through problem free which immediately lifted his spirits and he set off onto the second half looking great.
Moving on to the end of leg 3 was great, based in Moggs Creek picnic ground. So many familiar faces and so many people that had found their way again since early issues in the race. By this stage many really didn't need much help and knew exactly what they wanted and what their plan for the race was, but it was nice to try to lend a hand and see them in the middle of something I'd only ever been a participant in before. Dion came through looking fantastic. He had hit another major slump, but managed to pull through and was feeling great, especially once he met up with his wonderful family again (who aren't as short as they look). Erin was volunteering at this check point and had finished her stint, so we headed out after Dion to see how he was feeling in the run and spur some other runners on (okay, there was definitely a little "really need to run!" in there too). Dion was doing great, and team McHen were looking good as well - a husband, wife and friend team who had the insane idea of running their first 100km all together. What is even more crazy is that they did it and nobody was killed! So many things you get to see when you're on the side lines that you miss in the event itself and I was enjoying the day far more than a lot of events I'd been in.
After our run we hung around for a bit to check on the other runners before moving to the finish line. We were fortunate to see a lot of friends who had already finished and some as they came over the line. I waited until roughly when I expected him to be on the 4km beach stretch, then got dropped off (in jeans and t-shirt but at least with trail shoes) at the end of it, planning to run back and team up with him if he wanted. Some how I managed to miss him and ran 7km before getting picked up and brought back to the finish, but he had finished the race and nailed his goal of almost 2 years in the making. It had been an incredible day and there is no way you could pick a single aspect of all of that which made it what it is, but I now understand how so many volunteers keep coming back to be a part of it all, and what an amazing experience it can be. It certainly is a long day though, and all those committed volunteers have my utmost thanks for the sacrifices the make and effort they put in to make our runs so great. I had learned so much about running from this day, and that the head space I needed to run in these events continues well beyond and from well before the day. Having the right focus before and after an event helped me to have the right perspective and get so much more from all the fantastic people involved and hopefully give something back as well.
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