Background information to my Crazy actions for doing this challenge: While I was back in Aus sorting out a new visa I joined up to a bootcamp fitness group in the CBD. After doing this for almost 9months I was pretty hooked and felt the best I had in years in terms of being able
to do things of a sporting nature. When I returned back to the
After training for almost 3 months solid and having a practice in the cold waters of the arctic circle from our swim at Christmas time. I was feeling pretty good and felt I could handle the running no problem. Although we had not practiced the hill section.
The Weekend
We drove to Wolverhampton via
have a bit of sight seeing and get to the hotel in enough time. We stopped off in
With our wonderful nights sleep we woke in the morning. Dressed for war we headed to the event. As I had donated money to the horse and donkey fund (they were being moved just for our entertainment) I was given a special parking spot at the front of the field and it was close to the start and finish line, the best £10 I ever spent on a donkey.
We walked into the registration office got out timing chips (to help calculate accurately how fast we were) and race numbers to be pinned onto us. We went and got a bacon burger ate that then had some time to walk around and check out parts of the field. More importantly have a look at the frozen water with an inch thick layer of ice on it!
Soon it was time to start the race. Dan and I were all numbered up and ready to go. Said our last good byes and kissed the loved ones away to go spectate.
It snowed at the start right before the event!
Standing there getting ready to race putting on the timing chip and pinning on my race number I could not have my big coat on to keep warm. It was only a matter of time before I would be freezing anyways. So the starters were called to their area. Dan and I headed up to ours, took off our last layer or warmth and said our good byes to the loved ones. The supporters left to find a good spot for photos and filming. We stood in the cold waiting to start for around 30-40 minuets. Finally it started the first group ran off. We moved to the front of our pack getting ready to sprint like mad men. Then we were off running and trying to sprint past people and getting a better placing.
As soon as the cold hit my eyes they started to cry. There I was running over rough earth with water in my eyes trying to sprint and pass people while not being able to see and trying to not twist and ankle. I made it onto the path where it was more even and my eyes were getting
better, we ran through ditches of frozen water, then up embankments, doing this 4 times. Then it was under or over logs all the time trying to sprint it out to get a good placing and keeping up with Dan. We kept running and making good ground going past people. We had decided that it was the beginning where the distance and places were made as the obstacles are where the bottle necks were to be. Running some more and getting ready to the slalom which is a 45 degree angle hill which you had to run up and down 8 times. This is where I kind of died. I lost Dan in the lead up and could not catch him due to the amount of people in front of me and did not have the muster to clamber up that hill quick enough to get to him. Reason for this I am going to blame
Running the rest of the course on my own and not knowing how hard to push as I wanted to make it to the end and not walk at any part I pushed on. Happy to still be passing people and walkers who had expelled too much. When it came the water obstacles was were most people stopped and had to find new levels of energy to go on. It was freezing cold in the water, they had earlier removed a layer of ice an inch thick from most ponds. The hard part were a series of ditches that you had to go in and out of. The hard part here was getting back out of the muddy water. Every time I got there and needed a hand there was someone with their hand on my butt helping me out. I would do the same to the person in front and if someone had helped me I would turn and lift them out. It was the fair way to do it.
After these there was more running and more climbing and crawling to be had, sometimes under
barbed wire or cargo netting trying desperately not to get snagged
but to still keep up pace, back into more water and then over logs. It was finally time for the full head dunk under the ducking boards. This was by far the worst part of all. If you can imaging an ice cream headache times by 1000 then that’s where your at. It was so bad you brain can not function immediately after. I came up after my final duck (you have to do it 4 times) and just kept on moving, you could hear all the people around screaming as they dealt with it in their own way. Mine was to just grip my fists and channel internally, I got out of the water and started running straight away to get the blood flowing and the pain in my head to stop.
Running on and not feeling where my feet feel. It was as if I was stomping just to move but when
I looked they were actually feet movements and not the stumps I thought I was placing. There were more height obstacles on the way which I managed rather well and feel my fear of heights going, or it could be all the adrenalin and competitor in my urging me to go on. Only a few more parts to go and a couple of swims in the freezing water. I finally made it to the finally hill just as my legs were cramping up from the Freezing cold they were experiencing. I pulled myself up that hill and then slid down the other side and over to the finish.
When I had fished I was given a foil like blanket, my medal for finishing and sent to the showers. In there they gave us coffee or tea. I took the tea option, they had packed it full of sugar to get us all going with the glucose we had lost (they did give you jelly babies on the course if you wanted them). It was quite a sight to see all the grown and very muscular men who could not control their bodies as the cold was shaking their hands severely. Tea was splashing about everywhere; this was at time good as it warmed my hands for a while. I walked over to the showers and decided not to get under as I had nothing to get changed into as I had left all my clothes in the
car (we had parked so close we thought it would be fine to go back there). I could not find Dan or our supports. I walked outside and around but could not find anyone just as I was walking back into the shower room for the warmth it offered I found Dan. He wasn’t doing to well with the cold but soldier on we soon found the supporters and Kieran ran back to the car for me and got my bag of clothes so I could go back to the warm shower room and water to get changed in. It took me ages to try and get my shoe laces undone as my hands were frozen solid, I could not feel a thing.
No real injury. I was surprised not to get bad cramps in the water. The only problems I have had were sore toes from using them so much, bruises on my shins, legs and knees. The top of my foot had some issues but is all good. The training had worked on my arms and legs as neither of them were sore from the running or use in excess.
Now that I look back on it, it was a really good day. Did not feel as though I was going for that long and the joy does come after you have finished. Not for the fact that it is over but the fact that you completed it. To know your body and mind can handle that level of endurance and cold (all be it self inflicted). This is the reason most people come back year after year wanting to do it all over again and get a better time. Will I be one of these people… maybe but will I be allowed….probably not!
So the information you really want to know is how well did I do? Well here is my place and time. At time of posting this blog
Placing: 939 out of 3675-5000 (hard to get exact number as not published)
Time: 02:12:07
I found this below quote written by someone who attended the day as me and I thought that it had summed up a very interesting point of the race that was so true of that day I wanted to share with you all.
“The spirit shown by the competitors to each other was inspiring. It is
one of the only races where the most common refrain is "sorry" when someone knocks into you. This was enhanced by the helping hands when trying to get out of the stream or out of the ponds. “
If you want to do it next year let me know….or sign the petition to let Kieran to allow me to go only weeks before the wedding!
Glen
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