Xterra Riverhead 2018
9th September 2018https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2999430364
http://totalsport.racetiming.co.nz/competitions/1630/Superlong%20Course%20Run
I drove Will, Barnaby and Neville out to Riverhead on an overcast but fairly pleasant Sunday morning. Brett went out separately with his daughter Charlotte. Our primo parking spot meant a 20m walk to the registration :)
The course was muddy as heck. Not surprising for Riverhead I suppose. The footing was often slippery or boggy, but never requiring slowing to a walk. At least it had been dry for 36 hours previously.
This was a long-anticipated run of individual highlights!
- My Comeback Race. My grade 2 ankle sprain from Xterra Totara Park was much improved, but far from fully recovered. Nevertheless, I needed to complete this race to qualify as a series entrant, so I dosed myself up on diclofenax and neurofen (yes, yes, I know...), and was aiming to complete, not compete. I strapped my ankle - [[ I have learnt now that strapping too aggressively just causes the tape to painfully stretch or break free, so now I strap it with just a little bit of 'give' so that the strapping lasts the whole duration ]]. I was able to run on the soft surfaces without any pain - just the ever present risk of damaging myself more! Fortunately, I avoided any major problems and ran stronger than I expected, finishing in 2:14:36 (cf 1:59:35 last year). Yay for me!
- Neville's Series Tussle. The race for overall 2nd and 3rd place in the 40+ mens division series was intense, with Michal currently edging Nev by a couple of minutes. A podium for Nev would require a very strong run and beating Michal. This was achieved with a powerhouse run from Nev, but was helped by...
- Will's Offroading. Will was running behind Nev in the early stages of the run, and managed to lead a group of runners (including Barnaby and Michal) onto the wrong trail for some way. In spite of this, Will smashed out a fast overall time today, in an impressive 2:04:25, for 3rd place in mens 40+. This detour helped the time differential between Nev and Michal.... apparently no money changed hands...apparently...
- Barnaby's Redemption. After much bullying and peer pressure, Barny finally returned to an offroad race. Not before time, just saying.
The sausages at the race end tasted even better than usual today, although that drink they give away is still shite.
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