Bethells West Coaster 2018
8th December 2018https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3210936958
http://totalsport.racetiming.co.nz/competitions/1646
Emma drove me, Lynda and Catherine out to the start. A *lovely* morning, considering the recent poor weather :)
We got there a little latish (about 8:20am), and unfortunately were told that all the 21km spots were filled! After going on the wait list... we just sneaked in, with 1 minute to spare before the 9:00am start.
Neil had also decided to do the 21km.
The course was different from normal this year (due to Goldies Bush not being available), and so I was looking forward to running somewhere new.
The Run
We started off down the hill from the event base, and onto Bethells beach, crossing the river and heading off across the sand. We wound our way around in a clockwise loop, joining back up to the start of the Te Henga trail, and back via the carpark onto the stream.
We got to splash our way up the stream for ages, skirting the huge sand dunes on our right, and eventually past Lake Wainamu itself, and back past the event base via the sand.
Then we headed up into the hills north of Bethells (private access normally). These tracks were all very runnable, with speed limited by fitness and vertical ascent metres. I kept a steady pace, without feeling too strong or fast.
We got out onto the tops of the ridgeline (about 260m altitude), and then cycled down and around a big loop, before heading back up to the top. I didn't (quite) have to walk at any point, and ended up running with the second woman finisher for most of this section. (she had been tailing me for nearly the entire race).
The last section was down, down, down. Care required on the rocky ground, but I super enjoyed this part. I felt like I was really flying over the last 4km, and finished strongly.
I did 1:55:15
Everyone had a good run. Neil was next in, and Emma and Lynda, with Catherine doing the 13km option.
Lynda managed to wear away a hole in the heal of both her socks, (due to the abrasive sand?) but only got minor blisters.
Thanks to Emma, Lynda and Catherine for their company.
All in all, an excellent run, and the last big effort of the year.
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