THE NEXT ADVENTURE - AFRICA!!!

With such an intensive training schedule for the Everest Marathon and getting so sick in Nepal my motivation was sorely lacking over the last 5 months. However, although I have still been hampered by silly injuries I have been getting very restless over the last few weeks.

I have promised to restrict my mad races to one every second year & I have been tossing up what to do next. I really need something out there to get me going and was torn between the Big Five or Safaricom Marathons through game reserves in South Africa/Kenya and the Antarctica Marathon which really captured my imagination.

Unfortunately the Antarctica Marathon has been sold out for 2010, 2011 & 2012 so I will be putting a deposit down for the 2013 entry to lock it in and that means a return to Africa and I have set my heart on Kenya as I have already spent close to a year in South Africa in 1995/96.

The Safaricom Marathon was conceived in 1999 by Tusk Trust, a London-based charitable organization dedicated toward preserving wildlife in its natural habitat. The event, the only marathon run in a game park, is run on dirt roads within the 62,000 acre Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The two-looped course offers some of Kenya's most beautiful scenery with Mount Kenya lying 20 miles to the south and Samburu National Park and Mt. Lololokwe to the north.

Lewa is home to over 100 black and white rhino, herds of elephant and a vast assortment of plains game including oryx, eland, zebra, giraffe, buffalo and more. Lion, leopard and cheetah also can be seen.The course is patrolled by a spotter plane and helicopter as well as a large and experienced team of armed rangers to avoid any confrontations with the four-legged residents. There are manned aid stations every 5K and water stations every 2-1/2K. The local Masai and Samburu communities will not only run alongside visitors but will also entertain participants during race day.

The race will be in late June 2011 so any other takers out there let me know and we can work on a joint venture!

Nepal 2009

Arriving in Kathmandu in the middle of the night was probably a bit of a blessing as i had no idea of what to expect fro Nepal's capital city. Even still it was a hair raising "taxi" ride to the guest house I had been recommended. The driver have absolutely no regard for the official road rules and there seems to be an unwritten code of he who beeps his horn the most and loudest has right of way and woe be tide to any pedestrians that are in the way!

The next few days were amazing. I spent most of the time with the children and staff from the orphanage and it was great to see where the money we raised went to such a great place. The children were all so happy, healthy and doing really well at there respective schools. they also all had impeccable manners and were so appreciative of any little thing that was done for them.

Just to spend time with them and see the dedication they put into their school work/home work and the way they all helped out around the place without having to be pushed to do things was great - it was a real family atmosphere on a grand scale!

Here are a couple of photos of them in there school uniforms.

They were also preparing for a concert where they were putting on a dance show in a big hall. unfortunately I was due to be trekking to the start of the marathon when the concert was on.

Apparently someone who attended the concert was involved in the media and film industry and has invited the girls to be in an upcoming movie which will be a real buzz for them!

It was also fantastic working with Indira Ranamager from PA Nepal who runs everything in Nepal on behalf of the "Orphan Help Centre". We had a great day where we went and checked out another children's home that she runs in Sankhu a small town about 30km out of Kathmandu to give children a realistic and balanced upbringing teaching them further life skills and practical skills such as tending crops, cooking etc. There is also a school on site that she has set up and allows all the local children to attend at no cost and even provides uniforms for them at no cost - it was so reassuring to meet Indira and see the genuine love for the children and passion for the cause as there are a lot of organisations over there that treat foreign aid and funding as a business with no concern for the welfare of the children at all!

It is great to work alongside other people with a total passion for the youth as they are our future and it is critical that we invest in them and help them get not justa formal education but the life skills to achieve their goals. Many children coast along in a formal educational environment but have plenty to offer outside of academia. One of my favourite quotes comes from one of NewZealands most famous "ordinary men" Sir Edmund Hillary - "People do not decide to become extrodinary. They decide to accomplish extrodinary things". My trip to Nepal has cemented one viewpoint -We need to look past the academic abilities in todays youth
and inspire them to achieve personal goals no matter how big or small. We need to give them the tools to succeed in life on a personal level and believe in themselves. Once they have that belief and skills to help them on their way many of the other successes will follow (including academic ones).

Anyway I do digress

Here are a couple of shots of the Sankhu school and children's home.

I did manage a night out in Nepal as there was a leaving party for one of the orphanage volunteers friends which i tagged along to and ended up having a few shots of the local moonshine called Roxy which is distilled from rice or maize and absolutely knocks your socks off! We ended up with some friendly locals who wanted to show us around and a really good timewhen clulminated in a dodgy casino playing Blackjack with a couple of members of the local mafia and thankfully got on with them really well - even got a phone number to call for if I ever got in trouble so they could "make the trouble go away!" After much protesting they finally let me go and I crawled out of the casino at 7:30 in the morning and went to meet my new friends and travelling companions for the Marathon. Unfortunately I think this was the night I ate something a little dodgy that would lead to the worst case of diarrhea I have ever had that would continue t haunt me for the next 16 days all the way through to the marathon and beyond - now I really do believe in karma!

The Shanker was a fairly impressive old world styled Hotel and a great setting to meet all the other crazy foreign entrants in the Tenzing Hillary Marathon.

The next couple of weeks were spent trekking from Lukla to Everest Base Camp where the Marathon started and was an amazing experience. Again just to be in a country where those with so little are all so giving and accomodating was incredible.

For a good look my photos from my trip CLICK HERE to be taken to an online photo gallery.

Race Day - A brief overview

Well I can honestly say I am glad its over!

After a sleepless night at Everest base camp listening to the avalanches all around and on the Khumbu ice fall/glacier I was up at 4:15am.

The night was so cold that bottles of water inside the tents froze - along with the occupants.

Unfortunately for me I still had bad case of diarrhea and two weeks of this had still left me fairly weak.

I managed a couple of cups of sweetened tea for breakfast at 5.00am while trying to thaw out.

Everest Base Camp, whilst a fairly inhospitable place is in an incredibly awe inspiring setting. I watched a group of porters making there way up the Khumbu Ice fall just minutes after an avalanche had torn thought the same spot and I have an entirely new appreciation for what they do - everything has to be carried by hand from toilet paper to stoves.

The race itself is in an amazing setting and it is hard not to stop and soak up the surroundings.

The first 10km was run through snow and ice in freezing temperatures and from there it is a large succession of climbs and ascents all seeming almost vertical and none easy.

Being so weak on the day I knew i wasn't going to break any records so I set out at what I thought an easy pace and managed to maintain it for the first 3 hours. After that I ran out of energy completely. I couldn't eat, found it hard to take on fluids and really started suffering.

The steepness of the ups and downs really take it out of you and by the 30km mark i had basically no fluids left in my system but continued to have issues and began vomiting on the trail side.

Approx 10 of the last 12km are uphill and in the state I was in it was absolute torture but I made it and many thanks must go to Bill from the USA who stuck with me from the 27km mark right to the finish. Bill is a veteran of over 100 marathons and 15 iron man races.

I managed to crawl over the finish line in 9hrs and 49 mins - the winning time was about 3hrs 40mins - a local of course. Just to prove us westerners can run the first two westerners home came in in about 6hrs 28mins and 6hrs 40mins with the second westerner home (Nathan from England) running his first ever Marathon - Nutter!!!)

All said and done am I glad I came - ABSOLUTELY! The rose tinted glasses are already on and as far as the overall experience goes this still has to be one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life. Just to know that i can run the highest and hardest marathon in the world in the physical condition I was in really makes me proud of the mental strength it took to carry on and finish what i set out to.

Am i considering coming back to see if i an better my time? NOPE - I think right now I am more interested in tasting a good steak, beds with sheets and western styled sit down toilets!

Will publish further details and photos when I get home in about a week.

Update - 27 May 2009

Glenn has battled diarrhea and vomiting for the last 2 weeks but is now in good shape. Race is Friday the 29th and there has been close to 5m of snow over the last two days .

Glenn is in great spirits, with fantastic people and it is an amazing place. Will update again on the 30th May post race.. He is really looking forward to the day and the challenge.

Today Glenn participated in the highest backyard cricket game in the world 5500m ... Pictures and video to come...

Place of peace or "war zone"?

At the time of writing I only have 5 sleeps to go and can't wait to get on the plane.

A great reminder today that we are heading off to a third world nation still struggling to find a democratic balance after abolishing their monarchy (take note John Key and all you republicans out there). On Sunday the "Maoist" president decided to fire the army chief and announce it to the nation. However with the the farcical way politics work in Nepal the Army chief comes under the control of the Prime Minister who comes from the "Nepali Congress Party" and he immediately reinstated him so now the nation goes on high alert with riot police dispatched to guard the city while there is yet another power struggle. One of the other key political parties appears to have withdrawn from the process throwing the coalition government into disarray so who knows - we might have a few good old fashioned street riots on our hands.

To view the NZ Herald article click here

The reality is that it is most likely perfectly safe (a bit like Fiji really) and the media found another opportunity to create a bit of hype. I have never believed in mixing sport and politics anyway so aim to keep well out of any hot spots, spend a few days at the Orphan Help Centre to see where the money we raised last year is being spent and more importantly spend some fantastic time with the kids before heading off up into the mountains with Rod and the competitors in the Tenzing Hillary marathon for some much needed acclimatisation. One way or another there should be some spectacular photos coming home with me.

Many thanks to all of you who have supported and encouraged me while preparing for this event and trip with special mentions to Bec's Forlong from "Performance Massage" in Ellerslie and all the team at 1RM Physio in Penrose for helping keep my failing body on the road. Also to all of you who came to the fundraising night at College Rifles where we raised $20,000. My brother Rod who has been a great motivation in keeping me running (I still can't keep up with him) and is now joining me for the first few days of the trek which will be fantastic.

Also many thanks to Wendy Chrisp for all the advice she has given me in preparing for the upcoming Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon. Wendy is an extraordinary endurance coach and amazing athlete in her own right and took the time out to fill me in on all the little things that will make the big differences competing at altitude in a third world country. She completed the Tenzing Hillary marathon in 2005.

One more special mention to my staff at TechRentals and Bearcom who have put up with me while I have been training especially to Neerja Mahendra who has offered fantastic advice on the Indian leg of my journey and also made family introductions for when I am in Delhi.

The Global Corporate Challenge begins while I am trekking so my "step count" better be right up there with the top guys at work or I will never live it down.

I can't help but feel under prepared physically but with all the advice I have received, commitment to achieving the goal and sheer stubbornness that has seen me through many trying times I know that it will be the mental side that will win through and get me over the finish line.

Xterra - Off Road Half Marathon Rotorua

Well once again the Xterra team has put on an exceptional event!

This has to be one of the premier events in the NZ off road & triathlon calendar!

Before I go into my event I must give credit to the amazing effort that the team and sponsors that put this event together (especially Hellman Worldwide Logistics the major sponsors of the event) and urge you all to support those businesses that continue to support these events and causes in trying times!

Held around the Blue and Green Lakes just out of the Rotorua township the setting is spectacular. For families there can be no better event for introducing this type of sport to the wives/partners and children. There are a range of events suitable for all sorts from walkers to runners, mountain bikers and the true athletes that encompass all - the Triathletes.

At the start line there is a veritable village of sponsors, supporters and activities (including a fantastic children's area this year) where there is all ways opportunity to feel involved or absorbed in the event at some level.

Leading into the event my training wheels had continued to fall off with work being all consuming and an increase in the niggles that have been plaguing me (maybe because I haven't been training as much I am thinking now).

After a leisurely drive down from Auckland the night before we awoke to a perfect day for the event. Slightly overcast but very still so just enough warmth in the day to function at optimum (for those in good shape). Ironically I was in probably the worst condition I have been in in nearly 12 months. I had an awful sleep and woke with chronic back pain and stabbing pain right down through my sciatic nerve on my right hand side which meant I could hardly even get my socks & shoes on!

Never one to grumble too much I popped a couple of runners friends (Voltaren) and struggled down to the start line.

I had come down with my partner Anna, brother Rod, sister in law Lisa and friends Jeremy & Anna all of whom had entered the event (except Anna who fully deserved a sleep in after a week of looking after 4 kids). Anna & Lisa ran the 11km Blue Lake Loop and knocked close to 10mins off their time from the previous year which was a great achievement.

With my sciatic nerve issues I found it incredibly frustrating. I felt I had the gas in the tank but could never seem to stretch it out and get any pace so was reduced to what felt like an old mans shuffle for the entire race

Rod and Jeremy strode off into the distance and Rod powered on over the latter stages of the race to come in in 1hr 44mins which was three mins faster than his time last year and Jeremy also made a great improvement on last years time to come in in 1hr 48 mins.

The course follows a number of forestry trails and roads around the lakes and is fairly gentle until you turn away from the Green lake (about 12km into it) to start heading back towards the start. Then there are some great challenging hills and rises right the way to the last 2km which is hard and fast and mostly down hill.



I usually make up a lot of ground on the down hills throwing caution to the wind but not today! I hobbled around in what I still felt was a respectable 1hr 56 mins (10 mins slower than last year). Considering the state I was in prior to the event I was very happy with the result and it reaffirmed my belief that I can push through the pain barrier on Everest in a few weeks time when (not if) it all turns to crap and my body starts telling me no more!

The other reason for heading down for the weekend was Rod's 40th Birthday for which we had a practice run and a few quiets on the Saturday night which was fantastic especially watching Rod thrash out a few "Tunes" on his new guitar - can't wait for you to get a couple of lessons though Bro!

Another leisurely drive home and a stop off at the legendary Okaroire Country Hotel for probably the best pub lunch on the planet and a soak in the thermal pool topped off a fantastic weekend.

With only a couple of weeks until I fly out I will give a brief update on the body and conditions in Nepal very soon.

Thanks to all

The Motatapu Challenge

HMMM yes I have been remiss in updating things this last month but here we are at last! (Pic's coming soon)


The Motatapu Challenge bills itself as "the hardest off road marathon in NZ" so I was really looking forward to a testing run over incredible terrain and the traditional blue skies of central Otago.

They say two out of three ain't bad and that's about what I got. Yes the terrain is amazingly beautiful, the weather was typically fantastic but the hardest off road marathon in NZ? I don't think so.

The 13th of March 2009 was a crystal clear day. I was in Queenstown and got picked up by my regular Sth Island running buddy and foe in the Razor - Marvin trophy Tony "Razor" Sharpe nice and early at about 5:35am so we could make the drive to Wanaka in time for the bus to the start line on the Motatapu Station (Owned by none other than Shanaia Twain).

We arrived at the Glendhu Bay pick up point on daybreak which was magical (and freezing cold) and were ferried up to the start line. I was hoping for a leopard skin clad Twain to be at the start line waiting for me to wish me luck and start the race but alas she must have slept in (maybe she was making her way to one of the check points to hand out refreshments and motivate us all with a song or two).

Tony was extremely confident he was going to win back the Razor Marvin Trophy as he had been training hard and I had only had 6 training runs in the 5 weeks leading into the race so all the stars seemed aligned for a Razor Sharpe victory.

We got separated in the start area as Tony was still in line for the WC as we were called up to the start line and apparently only made it by seconds. Timing wise this was not going to be a big issue as the event is extremely well organinsed and every competitor has a transponder which logs the exact start and finish time as they cross the lines.

In reality it probably helped me a bit as even though I felt like I was going quite slowly and went through a really tough mental patch between the 20&30km marks I didn't know if Tony was in front or behind me so I just had to keep on plodding.

I knocked the first half off in 2hrs 5mins which was pretty good considering the level of training I had put in but then that training (or lack off) really showed for the next 10km which took close to an hour and a half and I really suffered mentally more than physically.

Just past the 30km mark i found my rythym again and really enjoyed some great downhill sections and river crossings and made up around 60 places in the last 10km.

Prior to the race I had said I would be incredibly happy with anywhere between 4.5 and 5 hrs. I crossed the line in 4hrs 31mins and felt pretty fresh which was great as I still must of had a good base following the Kepler Challenge.

Tony unbeknown to me felt good all the way round but just couldn't get any speed up so finished around 5hrs 10mins and was gutted - still there were plenty of people coming in looking much worse for wear and taking a lot longer than him and he will be on fire when he competes in his favourite race in May over the Routeburn track.

You can never call 42.2 km easy and yes it was a challenge and I had a fantastic time but the race is run pretty much the entire length on a farm road or 4wheel drive track interspersed with a number of easy stream and river crossings so it didn't really feel like it was a true off road event.

Would I do it again - definately. This event is a great cross over event for a road runner wnating to experience an "off road" type event out in the open and it does goe through some spectacular scenery!

The Mac's West Coast Marathon out in the Waitakere Ranges (now the "Speights" West Coaster) took me six and a half hours in November and even though it has a road section it was a real killer but still by far the hardest off road race I have competed in km for km - See my entry "From Emotional Depths to Great Heights" for a review of this event.

Only a few weeks to go until I head off to Nepal for the Everest Marathon now - just getting all the jabs etc required and one more event a quick half marathon in Rotorua with the Xterra off road series on the 18th of April.

I promise I will update all again soon!

Another Inspirational Nutter!

Just when you think you have seen and heard all the stories about amazing people accomplsihing amazing things I just heard about this blind runner who completed the 2007 Everest Marathon and is now in a race to the South Pole.

Here is an excerpt from an article in the Belfast Times - I suppose being Irish explains at least some of it!

Mark Pollock (32), a member of Team South Pole Flag, is predicted to finish fourth this weekend in the historic 481-mile Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race.

The event is the first race to the South Pole for almost 100 years since the famous showdown between Robert Scott and Roald Amundsen in 1912.

Mr Pollock’s team mate Simon O’Donnell has described Mr Pollock’s progress in the race as “unbelievable and inspirational”.

The four teams taking part have faced temperatures of minus 40 degrees centigrade with wind chill as they traverse the largest ice cap in the world to the Geographic South Pole, pulling 70kg sleds behind them.

Mark went blind when he was 22 and studying at Trinity College, Dublin. He won a silver medal rowing for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth games, finished the 250km Gobi Desert ultramarathon and raced in the North Pole marathon. In 2007 he became the first blind person to complete the lowest and highest marathons in the world — the Dead Sea Ultra in Jordan, followed by the Tenzing-Hillary Everest marathon in Nepal.

Englishman Captain Scott reached the Pole on January 17 1912, only to find Norwegian rival Roald Amundsen had beaten him to it 35 days earlier.

Ninety-seven years later, history repeated itself, with Norwegian team Missing Link first to finish yesterday. Trailing 30 miles behind was British Team Qinetiq — including TV presenter Ben Fogle, and Olympic rowing champion James Cracknell.

Missing Link said they were “elated, emotional and extremely exhausted”. They covered 50km a day and snatched a few hours sleep every night.

Team Qinetiq is expected to finish second, followed by Team Danske Bank in third place, while Team Due South and Team South Pole Flag battle for fourth, arriving on Saturday or Sunday. Team Southern Lights, which is made up of the oldest adventurers, will reach the South Pole on skis.

Race updates are available on www.amundsenomega3southpolerace.com

Waiheke Wharf 2 Wharf "Fun Run"

Well after such an inspirational Kepler Challenge I made the fatal mistake of "taking some time out" over Christmas. That would have been fine if I took it easy but hmmm all those Christmas functions and all that geat food was too much temptaion for my weak mind and before I knew it I had put on a whopping 7KGs!

Thankfully over new years I got a couple of light jogs in so when I started training again in early January it wasn't too much of a shock to my system.

January the 17th was my next challenge - that being the Waiheke wharf to wharf fun run. Not a simple fun run as the website makes out! the first 10km are a killer with long steep hills and it was a sweltering hot day!

The Waiheke locals were out in force with so many drink stations in the second half of the race it felt like you hardly got time to put a cup down before there was another mad local in fancy dress thrusting one at you or pouring one over your head (including the maddest one of the lot - part time resident Peter Leitch aka the legendary mad butcher). 

There was a real festival atmosphere and although I felt incredibly unfit leading into it I was happy with my 2hrs 22mins almost running exact splits for the first and second halves of the run.

Spending the weekend over at Anna's family batch at Arran bay near Orapiu was a godsend. Not only is Arran Bay one of the most magical spots on the planet but to be able to spend mopre time on the island and enjoy what really has been up unitl the last 10years one of the most underated holiday destinations in the country (and only a 35min ferry ride from downtown Auckland). I will be needing to up my tempo with training now to work towards the Motatapu Icebreaker - full 42.2km off road trail marathon from Wanaka to Arrowtown going through some of the most spectacular scenery central Otago has to offer on March the 14th. to check out the website for this one click here. 

SANTA'S ON THE RUN!

The annual Santa run was decidedly lacking in partners this year but it was still a great night with plenty of good food, good company & a couple of drinks.

Many thanks to Olidia from La Vie en Rose (The compulsory drink stop following our Tuesday night runs) for supplying additional beers, meat and prezzies. Jamie Saker supplied the usual top quality meats & Mr & Mrs Eade the much needed pit stop between St Helliers & Mission Bay!

Thanks also must go out to the Auckland City Council Noise Control for not shutting the bar down after a neighbouring "Grinch" complained about our Christmas carol singing!

All warmed up and raring to go!

Yes there actually was some running involved!

(St Helliers to Mission Bay & Back - incl a couple of pit stops for beers)

In The Belgian Beer Cafe - Mission Bay

Settling in for the night at the La Vie en Rose

Working some magic on the BBQ

Warming up the vocal chords with a few Christmas Carols

Chris  & Mike at their best

Not such a silent night after all!

The 2008 Kepler Challenge

KEPLER CHALLENGE 2008

Sitting in the prize giving following the 2007 Kepler Challenge I was amazed (and a little embarrassed) to hear not a single name called out from the North Island to receive the coveted 5 & 10 event medals. It was after this I vowed to keep coming back until I had at least completed 5 challenges.

With 12 months to prepare and a much better appreciation of what was in store I came into the 2008 event with a little more confidence. Work commitments restricted time prior to the event & I picked up my competition Tony "Razor" Sharpe in Queenstown and arrived in Te Anau on the evening before the race giving us just enough time to un pack our gear have a quick catch up with friends before registration & the race briefing. Once again I was blown away by the military precision of the organising committee & volunteers in the registration area. Every entrant was relieved to hear a path had been cleared through a large slip on the track which avoided enforcing a 45 minute detour. The only concern now was a nesting Falcon that had been attacking trampers near Rainbow Reach (two had sought medical attention that day for cuts to their heads following attacks).

The next day was a cracker. Slight cloud cover but very still and it was forecast to clear.

With a 6am start time Tony & I arrived at the event base with plenty of time to spare which is just as well as while Tony made his third nervous visit to the toilet, I couldn't help wondering for the umpteenth time if I had packed all the compulsory gear (2x thermal tops, 1x thermal long johns, 1x waterproof jacket, 1x waterproof pants, 1x beanie, 1x set of gloves, 1x survival blanket) all of which coupled with the 2 litres of water, leppin gels, muesli bars and various other food supplements weighed an absolute ton and added to the challenge of running the 60km event.

Once we started Tony & I jostled for position over the first 5km. With the Razor Marvin Trophy up for grabs I knew he wasn't going to go down without a fight especially after beating me by over 40 minutes last year. By Brod Bay I was in front and completed the 1st 14km including the 1400metre climb up to Luxmore Hut in 1hr 55min.

The next 16km covers some of the most spectacular scenery in the region across the tops and views out across lake TeAnau & Lake Manpouri. I opened up a 15 minute lead on Tony over this part of the course and never looked back (probably because I still had over half the field in front of me).

The last 30km of the run (although mainly through beautiful open bush) is a killer both mentally and physically. At about the 4hr3omin mark my knees started hurting and the saving grace was that it hurt more to walk than it did to run (or shuffle in my case).

With 20km to go a blister on one of my big toes that I got a couple of weeks prior in the "Mac's West Coaster" flared up but I knew I couldn't stop or take my shoes off or I would never get them back on.

Mentally I was surprisingly upbeat and even turned off my ipod so I could soak up the atmosphere and chat to other runners. I got to the famous rainbow reach (10km to go) in a little over 7hrs20min and was cheered on by the dozens of supporters there congratulating all the runners as they came through.

The last 10km was close to being my fastest. The pain at times felt unbearable but I knew I had a chance of coming in under 8hrs40min which would have meant Tony needed to race a PB to beat me and there was also the opportunity to beat my time from last year by over an hour. The one thing that really got me through the last 5km was Jelly Beans! I grabbed hand fulls at the last two drink stations and kept a continuous trail of them going into my mouth. There were times over the last half hour that I actually found myself groaning out loud in pleasure when a fresh jelly bean went in. Boy did they taste good and the energy rushes were instant! With 1km to go the adrenalin took over and the pain went away. I put my foot down and managed a sprint finish for the last couple of hundred metres overtaking another runner in the finish chute and throwing my arms up in the air as I crossed the finish line in celebration. Although I came in 219th out of 402 competitors I felt victorious -Finishing in 8hrs 34min & 38 seconds I had succeeded in knocking just over an hour off my previous personal best time (2007) and whereas last year I was happy to have completed the challenge this year I was proud to have ran it in such a way that I pushed myself to the limit and at the time I didn't feel I could have run it any faster.

Tony came in in a respectable 9hrs 17mins and having had twin boys this year and limited training he did a fantastic job in completing his fifth Kepler Challenge.

That night I slept like a baby and even managed to get up and go for a 20min run (shuffle) in the morning to help loosen up before the official prize giving. It is here that you really get a sense of what the event is all about. All the entrants and their families/supporters turn up in great spirits and stories are shared about the event. One such amazing story was of an entrant who had suffered from breast cancer and competed the race to show others that you can carry on and accomplish amazing things - when she crossed the finish line and was presented with her medal she promptly presented it to a friend who was just beginning her battle with cancer.

Thankfully on the day no-one suffered a falcon attack and out of the 402 people that lined up only two failed to finish due to injury.

All that was left to do was to hand over the Razor - Marvin Trophy.

The Razor - Marvin Trophy.

Only a few days to go now before the Kepler Challenge. Sixty kilometres of pain, torture and some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.

Last year was my first Kepler Challenge & after coming in 45 minutes after my good mate Tony "Razor" Sharpe the challenge has gone out & we will now be competing for the Razor - Marvin Trophy. Expect to see photos next week of a victorious Marvin holding the trophy high with Mr Razor Sharpe a demoralised shell of his former self beaten into submission. In saying that this will be Tony's fifth Challenge and he will be determined to finish it on a high by not letting some jumped up JAFFA take the shine of his nice "five year medal".

With the weather forecast for rain during the week the track may be pretty hard going so I have no idea of time this year but as with all these events finishing at all is an amazing achievement.

Good luck Mr Sharpe - I'd say watch your back but hey I will be in front so you don't have to worry about that! hehehe

From Emotional Depths to Great Heights

It's been a little while since the last update and much has happened in that time.

Three weeks out from the Auckland Marathon I was feeling extremely run down and located some "lumps" in my right arm and of immediate concern was one large on in my armpit.

Sure enough I freaked out thinking it was the worst, the Big C and went to the doctors that week.

I was sent for ultrasounds then tissue samples were taken of the lumps (of which there ended up being about 6) and I was not prescribed any medication as they were waiting on a diagnosis.

I finally got the results back 2 days before the Auckland Marathon at which point I had pretty much wound myself up completely and was in a dreadful physical and mental state.

Thankfully the results were negative for cancer but I did have a massive infection in my system which lead to my lymph nodes swelling so greatly while combating it.

With time running out leading into the Kepler Challenge I decided to carry on and attempt the Auckland Marathon anyway to use it as a training run as opposed to going for a time.

Things started out well and I got to the 18km mark without incident but then the cracks started appearing. I had to use the toilet and joined the cue of other unlucky runners under the harbour bridge gutted at that stage to lose about 5 minutes.

Still, I completed the first half of the marathon in about 1hr 50 min which I was happy with. The body however soon decided to let me know that running that day was not such a great idea. At about the 26km mark I started slowing up markedly and the usual aches and pains seemed to be magnified tenfold.

At about the 29km mark my brother Rod drove past and I pleaded for some voltaren or nurofen to get me through. Not long after I hit an insurmountable wall of pain and my kidneys felt like they were trying to crawl out through my back.

Reluctantly I pulled out at around the 32km mark I got home, collapsed and ended vomiting any fluids I had managed to retain in my system up leaving myself completely drained and demoralised. I knew I had to look after myself and think about the upcoming events. I kept on telling myself that if I had carried on I would have seriously jeopardised my build up to Kepler and possibly The Everest Marathon as well. That didn't stop me absolutely hating myself for about 3 days knowing that I could have carried on a finished. Not being used to "failing" I took it extremely hard and was pretty unbearable to be around I am sure!

Ten days later i went for my first proper run and felt OK then four days out from the "Mac's West Coaster" Click here for event details I ran for an hour through the hills in Wellington and felt great. this really surprised me as I have always struggled on hills but gave me hope for the West Coast Marathon that weekend.

Event day came around and it was a crystal clear dry still day - apart from the heat perfect for running through the Waitakere Ranges. It was a fairly small field and I was surprisingly relaxed. Not wanting to blow out and conscious of only having two weeks until my main 2008 event all I wanted to do was spend some time on my feet so started off pretty slow plodding along with the tail enders. I made sure I filled my camelbak at each drink station and ate something as well. After about 2hrs 30mins i was still feeling really good and relaxed. I then started picking up places through the more technical bush trails and boulder hopping on the creek bed in the Goldies Bush reserve.

At the four hour mark I reached a drink station on the outskirts of the bush before the killer 14km road section & was surprised to be told I was in about 10th position. This lifted the spirits a bit more and I plodded on picking up a few more places on the steep & hot roads. Coming back into the Goldies Bush drink station I felt great and was ready to put my foot down for the last 5km. Unfortunately I also put my head down and missed a critical turn off on the trail and ended running for about and additional 15 mins. Once I realised I was pretty angry at myself but then saw the funny side especially seeing as at that stage if I was running the Kepler I would have still had about 3 hours to run.

Crossing the finish line was a rush knowing the turn around from three weeks before in the Auckland Marathon then finding out I still came in 7th overall and 5th in my division even with the "detour". The other great thing was that even with the extra 15 minutes I finished in 6hrs 35mins which was 30mins faster than I had estimated.

I was so elated with my performance that I managed to go out that night until about midnight!

I now feel at least as ready for the Kepler Challenge as I did last year physically but more importantly much stronger mentally with a greater appreciation of what I will be in for.

It must be hard for those around me to understand why I have become so passionate about these crazy events especially when I start talking about longer harder more outrageous ones like when I saw an article recently on a 100 mile race through the Rocky mountains in the States and got totally excited by the prospect of 30+ hours of physical and mental torture to complete it.

The events of the last month have really highlighted to me how much I love doing these events and that all the pain and suffering the body goes through before and after is totally worth the sense of jubilation and achievement you feel when you reach your goal. They are now very much a part of who I am and I believe they make me a much stronger and better person. Two years ago I was over 100kgs and a lost soul. Now I have more drive and passion than ever before and that crosses over into both my professional and private life.

One Down Seven to Go!

Well Sydney certainly turned it on for the Marathon.


I had a great trip and it was fantastic to have both my brothers there to share the experience.


I arrived in Sydney on the Tuesday night as I had work commitments and also wanted to catch up with friends and family before race day.


By Thursday morning my body was telling me I'd made a mistake - with one night on a couch and the next on a camp stretcher my back decided to stage it own revolution & refused to co-operate with anything I wanted to do. I'd also somehow managed to slightly strain my left ankle on a light jog that morning. Thankfully my brother Brent located a decent mattress for me and I managed to get into an Osteopath on the Friday morning to crack me back into shape.


Saturday came round and brought with it the first real hot weather Sydney had seen this side of winter. With temperatures forecast around 31 degrees and many locals saying it was well above that I started to worry a little as I really don't cope with extreme heat all that well. I forced myself to have a relaxed day and even managed to have an afternoon nap. That night my sister in law Claudia threw together a magnificent pasta feast and we dined outside making the most of the weather.




The human body is an intriguing machine and no matter how relaxed I think I am I really struggle to get a good nights sleep before a big event. Sydney was no exception - I spent a restless night tossing and turning and was grateful when the alarm went off as I could start preparing things and get some focus in my day. The other thing about the human body is the frustrating way mine seems to cope with pre race nerves - to say I have gastric problems is the nicest way of explaining things and I almost missed the start of the race while queuing up at in the start area to use the toilets for the third time that morning!




As usual there were a number or real characters taking place and one that really caught my attention while waiting in line for the portaloo's was "Marathon Man" obviously not impervious to pre race nerves he had to wait in line with the rest of us to use the facilities as well - a number of us had a good chuckle as it seemed a little ironic him going into the loo in costume - it would have been great to see him go in as a runner and then come bouncing out in his superhero costume!







The marathon itself was a bit of a killer. Rod, Brent and I all started together with a few slaps on the back and wishing each other all the best then ran to the top of the Sydney harbour bridge together before Brent settled back into a pace he was more comfortable with. Rod and In continued on tracking the 3hr 30min pace setter running about 4min 50sec kms a pace we were both comfortable with our training runs we had done together at home. Rod settled down fast and all ways looked comfortable. I struggled to get any sort of rhythm going and dropped off at the 11km mark leaving Rod to keep up the cracking pace in the heat.


By the 25km mark my usual problems started up with my hamstrings tightening up massively and I was restricted to a slow jog for the next 7-8km.


Apart from the run over the bridge, the short section around Centennial park and the final kilometre the course was really uninspiring with a number of "out and back" sections and tough grunts on freeway type section of roads with no escape from the beating sun.


I saw Rod come past in the other direction on one of the out and back sections at about the 30km mark. He was at that stage around 12 minutes ahead which shows the amazing pace he had been setting keeping up with the 3hr 30min runners to that point then somewhere between the 32 & 33km mark I came right for a while and set a good pace much of the way to the finish and really cranked it up in the last 3km to the spectacular finish line just in front of the Sydney Opera House.



I missed seeing Brent go past me on one of the long out and back sections and couldn't help wondering if he was OK being his first marathon and the number of runners I passed collapsed in heaps on the side of the road didn't help alleviate my fears. Little did I know he was having a great time just cruising around the course in his own time savouring the experience and already planning his next effort at a faster pace now that he had an idea what it was all about.



Rod had a few cramp issues in the last 10km but still finished in an amazing 3hrs 41 mins which was a PB. I came in 8 minutes later at 3hrs 49mins which was another PB knocking 32 minutes of my time from the Auckland Marathon last year and Brent cruised over the finish line with plenty of gas in the tank in a very credible 4hrs 39mins.



Our "support crew" - my two sister in laws Claudia and Lisa as well as all six nieces were fantastic cheering us on as we went through centennial park then fighting the traffic for the next two hours to make it to the finish line. They probably had a harder day than us in the end!



We celebrated with a beer and lunch at one of the cafes close to the Opera house overlooking the harbour then headed back to Brent's for a few more beers and a BBQ a perfect finish to what was for me a very special day as part of a great family and as brothers.

A Great Night Out Had by All

Well this last weekend will be one of my most memorable weekends.


The Millionaires Night Out casino night was a huge success with over $20,000 raised for the College Rifles Fields Project and The Orphan Help Centre.

The night started with all guests receiving a million dollars in casino chips. Games varied from Blackjack, Poker & Roulette for the gambling aficionado's through to the nice and simple money wheel and crown and anchor games for good simple fun.




With around 200 guests turning up we found this to be just about right and everyone had a blast.

At the halfway point the Kym Vickery Dancers put on a great show including the ever popular "cancan" in full showgirls dance hall costume and we had the first of many successful live auctions.

At the end of the main gambling session the Tony Hill was the "chip leader" with approximately twenty five million dollars in chips. The top six gamblers then had a playoff on roulette with the eventual supreme champion being Josh Hoddle who snuck through in the last round.



With so many companies and individuals donating prizes and auction items there are too many to name here and to just name one or two wouldn't be fair to the others so a great big thank you to you all. You have helped make this one of the most successful fundraising nights ever for College Rifles and probably the largest cash injection the Orphanage has ever had from any one source.






There are however a few individuals that must be mentioned as without them the night would never have been possible.




Firstly - David Gainsford.


David's official title is the Junior Rugby manager at College Rifles, he is however much more than that and the efficiency and effort he put into everything he dealt with for this event made sure it went off without a hitch. Nothing was ever too much for him to deal with even when in the middle of prize giving week he was more than happy to sit down and spend time on this event. On the night he, along with Amanda were the glue that held everything together and they really were the stars of the night.


Derek Rope


The College Rifles General Manager and the man with the vision to see how successful this event could be. Derek's vision and amazing amount of contacts helped us source some fantastic prizes and auction items and he tirelessly worked on all his contacts to ensure we had enough sponsors on the night.


Amanda Kyne


Co founder and Director of the Orphan Help Centre Amanda is one of those amazing people who selflessly commit themselves 100% to things. Amanda went out knocking on doors and calling in favours with friends and family contacts to also source some great auction items and prizes. In the days leading up to the event Amanda help set everything up and the venue looked amazing on the night. During the fundraiser Amanda didn't stop and was everywhere ensuring everything went smoothly. She also gave a wonderful stirring speech about the orphanage which I know got people to dig just that little bit deeper into their pockets.


Mentions must also be given to Ahmed and the bar staff for the great nibbles and service on the night, Alison Housego for putting together all the silent Auction information sheets and Lisa Marvin for doing such a great job on the PowerPoint presentation at such short notice.


All in all I am wrapped with how the night went especially with all the talk from guests that attended that "can't wait for next years".

Less than seven days to go before the Sydney Marathon for me and I am really glad we had the casino night beforehand as successful as it was, I can now relax a little and enjoy the next few days without stressing about things. Apart from slightly tight hamstrings the body feels good with many thanks to Bec's at Performance Massage in Ellerslie & Sarah at 1RM physio (I'll miss you Sarah but good luck in CHCH!) They have been getting rid of all those niggles & little injuries as well as inspiring me with their dedication and passion for what they do. Also a big thanks to the team at "Seriously You" in Grey Lynn who I have been going to for my altitude simulation training!

WHAT AN INSPIRATION!

Last Sunday I was feeling tired and sore from the previous days run of just 25km at a gentle paced time of 2hrs 11min.

Thankfully I got pushed out the door and told to go to the gym.

I had no idea the Olympic men's marathon was on and I must admit when I first realised while starting my session on the rowing machine I was a little worried.

The marathon had started 20 minutes previously which meant that I had to work out for at least another 1hr45min because I would have felt like a real drop kick had I given up on a training session while these amazing athletes were battling it out over the precise distance I was training for.

Little did I know the treat I was in for. I was absolutely mesmerised by the ability of these athletes to run 3minute km's solidly for over 2 hours. At the 36km mark when Sammy Wansiru decided to put his foot down and absolutely blitz the rest of the field spitting out the 4 others in the lead bunch. Passing through the 35km drink station he appeared to give a coach a hand signal and them just as it seemed everyone was settling down again wham he was gone.

Before I knew what I was doing I had completed the longest session I had ever had on the rowing machine then proceeded onto the bike so I could hear the race commentary. I then found I was going as hard as I could on the bike just willing Sammy Wansiru on and feeling the best I had felt in weeks.

Wansiru is only 22 years old and made his debut at this gruelling event less than a year ago. He produced a stunning performance on a sizzling hot day to win in an Olympic record of 2:06:32.

Having no real affiliation with any of the competitors I was totally impartial just happy to watch but then at about the 28km mark one of the commentators said something that really changed my focus. Last year when Sammy Wansiru broke the record for the half marathon he donated his bonus to the children's centre his mother works in back in Kenya. From then on I was a Wansiru fan through and through.

In this day and age where so many top professional athletes are show pony's it is great to see there are those out there who still appreciate the privileged position they hold and give to those in need.

Even without the gold medal Sammy Wanjsru would be a champion and hero to those children and will inspire them to achieve greatness but most importantly remain humble when they get there.

Countdown to Sydney Marathon

Less than four weeks to go to the Sydney Marathon and I am still not feeling like I have prepared enough!

The last three weekends have seen us run 34km, 32km & 25km respectively for our big runs but I haven't been getting in enough of the little ones in between which is frustrating.

The next two weeks is going to be critical in ensuring I drop some weight and also pick up on the fitness side of things. This is the first time I am going to be really seriously working on a diet to compliment an event and am interested to see how things go on race day. A couple of sites to check out for good basic diets tips are "The Marathon Website" and "The Diet Channel".

Things are really starting to come together for the Millionaires Night Out fundraising night for the Orphan Help Centre & College Rifles Turf upgrade. There was a great front page article in the East and Bays Courier focusing on the Everest Marathon and the fundraising activities Click here to check it out.

Remember all this is for those two worthy causes so check out my earlier postings The Challenge" & "The Cause" to get a better insight and please if there is anything you feel you can do or anything you can donate in the form of prizes or cash to assist just let me know!

Keep on running

A lot more pain but plenty of gain.

This last week was dominated by low points but ended on a massive high.

I've been struggling with a back injury for the last couple of months which has been getting progressively worse. Last week it was so bad I was knocking back up to 12 heavy duty anti inflamitory pain killers a day just to be able to get to a point where my body could function. Combined with helping to look after my sick kids as well as surviving on 2-3hours restless sleep a night while still trying to train is not a good mixture and Friday I crashed big time! I ended up heading off home from work mid afternoon & going to bed with another healthy dose of pain killers.

Much of the next 36hours was spent resting & thankfully I woke up Sunday morning feeling relatively refreshed. It completely reinforced just how important rest and recovery is in any training program.





Today was the day of the Total Sport Volcanoes Challenge an event I have wanted to compete in for a couple of years. As so very aptly described on the Total Sport Website "The Volcanoes Challenge is a unique inner city navigation event where competitors run to, and up, Auckland’s iconic volcanoes, in any order that they choose...All multiple volcano events start and finish in One Tree Hill with no prescribed course route, so participants have the ability to tactically plan their quickest route based on maps, strategy & fitness..."

After having weeks of wind and rain it was great to wake up to a beautiful (slightly chilly) day with crystal clear skies and not a breath of wind - perfect conditions.

My brother Rod & I entered into the longest event the 7 Volcano Challenge which was estimated on the website to be around 24km. Being well into our preparations for the Sydney Marathon we decided to run with another friend the 5km to and from the event as well giving us a great workout.

Arriving just in time for the start gun it must have been a slightly bemusing sight for passers by seeing 500 odd people all head off in different directions. We chose an anti clockwise route so we could run along with some friends that were doing the shorter 5 volcano challenge.

All in all the day progressed nicely and apart from a couple of navigational errors capped off by Transit NZ carelessly putting a new motorway where a street should have been (according to our map!). This lead to some debate & lost time however we still finished in a credible 2hrs23min. With the extra 10km thrown in taking us over the 3hours on the feet for the day things seem back on track for the first main goal for the year the Sydney Marathon.

The body held up fine and with some more physio and visits to the Osteopath I should hopefully get the back sorted out & I am now aiming for a solid time of 3hrs45min for Sydney. The theory is this should be fast enough to be very happy with the time but not pushing so hard I can't recover for the Auckland Marathon in time (either way I'm confident it will be a PB and much faster than my first Marathon last year of 4:21).