After a below mediocre race in 2015 which left me feeling dissatisfied crossing the line I immediately knew that I would return to the start line of the Coast to Coast Longest Day in 2016. And so as winter drew to a close and spring arrived I entered another summer of rocks, rivers, roads and a helluva lot of eating! Summer blitzed by and before I knew it, it was time to close off on final preparations and make my way to the West Coast.

Twice now I have been surprised at my level of calm and lack of nerves as I lined up on a dark sandy start line on the west coast of New Zealand. Was I calm because of my preparation, did I feel secure in the work I had done, was I more confident in round 2…? Or was I still pretty sleepy as the clock was yet to hit 6am and the day’s sunlight seemed far far away!! Given I rarely train in the mornings and I always find it hard to know ‘how you’re going’ before a race…I’m pretty sure it was the latter of the above!

The hooter goes, the sprint is on and the doubt comes flooding into the mind just as quick as the lactate floods the body at that pace at that hour! This opening run off the beach adds so much complexity to the race, how on earth can I survive a 14hr day when in the opening 10mins my legs, lungs and common sense are screaming for attention! I try to remind myself it’s the same for everyone, get on with it and before long I’ll be happily plodding along technical rocks far away from the frenzy of the start line.

I could entertain you with over 14hrs worth of race ramblings, but I’m not sure anyone would actually be entertained. It might be easier to say that some things went good, quite good & other things went bad, not great at all. At times I felt slower than my nanna, more un-co than a 2 year old learning to walk and as nimble as a cow on stilts. Thankfully I had strategies (which I remembered to employ now and again!)….things to pull me back to the moment, cues to try refocus my thinking and lots of positive thoughts from friends and family. All of which helped me enjoy the punishment, relish in the challenge of the course and feel excited to be racing through such untamed countryside.

Of course my support crew might paint a completely different picture…! But I’ve been clever enough to bribe them with coffee and pies so they are going to agree with me on this version of events!

And so after surviving the two biggies that is the Deception valley and Waimakariri, I was onto the last ride with the finish line inching closer with each pedal stroke, but there wasn’t much time to savour and reflect on the race, they were gels to be forced down, flat coke to be sipped and final kilometers to gratefully tick off. Off my bike, I imagine most people were at home already showered, fed and ready for bed (ah bliss) however of those remaining who were gracious enough to clap I did not notice, my eyes could only take in the final hurdle….those steep never ending steps (Yes I do realise its a small collection of steps but in that moment it looks more like a climb up to the sky tower!) and finally the finish line….time to collapse/cramp/hobble/eat salt and of course feel damn excited to have journeyed across the country and reach the destination that is the East Coast!!

Thanks to Torpedo 7 for the continued sponsorship, support and for always being stoked to See me (& so many others) Out There!!