After this sunset last night ->
I never dreamt that it would actually rain.
And rain it never stopped! Rain Rain Rain and then more of it! A torrential thunderstorm sat over O'ahu over night, meaning the last thing I needed was an alarm to wake me! Looks to be stuck here for a couple of days too (apparently!). It dropped everything it had on a 1000 of us for the whole race. My trainers were like sponges, got some major chaffage and blisters in all sorts of places.
Before (dark):
After (still dark, and extremely wet!)
Medal presentation:
-- met a couple of Hawaiian runners at the end, Scott and Jay, both who of whom had also won medals in their respective age groups. Good to meet and talk to some locals, shows again what a friendly sport athletics is all across the globe. Also good to be reminded, as they sure did, of how lucky I am to be able to visit all the places I have been, and am going to be visiting. Travelling the world, as Scott told me, is very rare for Hawaiian teens, and independent travel virtually unheard of.
Had an OK run. Never ran that early in the morning, race wise anyway. Sat in 2nd and 3rd for the first mile or so, then pushed it to the front opening a bit of a gap for 5 miles or so before the turn around. Strange to be running in total darkness, being totally drenched, and also being right out front with a pair of police motorbike outriders. Their blue strobes acting as something to follow at least. Slightly concerned I was always going to take a wrong turning at some point!
In fact, it was the police that pretty much did that for us, ending up turning us(the top 4, we'd opened up a good 2 minute lead) around a good half mile too far down the road meaning that by the end we'd ran over 14 miles. Not sure if that had a part to play in the wall I seemed to hit around the 10 mile point. Classic case empty engine cost me the top 3. Coming in 4th though, out of a 1000, was still worth while though, took my age category by half an hour though which was good to know. Never before have I ever ran a race though where my trainers have weighed so much! Of water!!
2 comments:
Pretty good effort on that run Andrew. Am enjoying following you around the world seeing what scrapes you get in to (not sure what inanimate object will attack you in Hawaii - after bear spray and a waterski it will have to be good), the best is yet to come, my favourite country New Zealand.
Simon
Nice one mate, that's quality! Pretty confident that if I was there you would have been in 5th place, but lucky for you I wasn't.
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