Xterra Riverhead 2019
11th August 2019https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3937637801
https://www.strava.com/activities/2608555975
http://totalsport.racetiming.co.nz/competitions/1659/Superlong%20Course%20Run
The Video
https://www.relive.cc/view/gh38786354640
The Day
I drove Will, Brett and Neville out, leaving St Heliers at 7:10, which was still plenty early. We got a fab parking spot right next to the finish line.
The weather had been really wet and stormy, but Sunday morning was pretty dry and warm - it never rained all day :)
We met Michal and Maria and Neil out there, and Will's folks also ran. Barnaby decided to sleep in instead.
The Run
The beginning is a long uphill on the gravel, followed by a lot more elevation on single track. We all started out strong - Michal with his usual initial sprint, and then mostly Will leading me and Neville along.
The forecast was for mud, mud and more mud, and we weren't disappointed... Fortunately, however, it hadn't really rained overnight, and the top surface of the famous Riverhead clay wasn't as slippery as it can be. My Saloman Speedcross shoes are perfect for these conditions.
By 5km, I was holding onto Will's heels, and Neville and Michal had dropped back a bit.
The running was just superb! Lovely pinecones (I mean pineneedles as Brett pointed out) over clay. Lots of puddles. Lots of tough uphills. Lots of scary descents at wildly unwise pace! (about R17 if you know your "Hitchhikers" - see https://donotpanic.fandom.com/wiki/R )
I only fell once, not too hard onto my butt :)
I love this photo... Who said that chivalry is dead, Nev?
Neville caught up to Will and I at about the 10km mark, by zooming fast down a long gravel hill. At this point, Neville already sported 3 distinct areas of blood on his body, plus a possible broken finger. !Nev, Nev, Nev!
As Nev says, "No Blood, No Run"
Will then put the afterburners on, and Neville dropped off the pace a bit. I hung on to Will until about 5km to go, and then got too tired to maintain his pace, and slowed down a bit.
Will finished fast, and finished in 2:03:13 for 8th overall.
I came in at 2:04:35 for top 50+'er.
Michal had new shoes, and finished in 2:05:50. (Eek - he is going to catch me soon...!)
Brett ran well again, but couldn't beat out Nick for first in 60+
We waited ages for Neville to finish.... worried that he might be injured or lost... and he finally dragged himself into the finish line, having taken an additional detour of over 3.5km to create his own private 'super super long' event. He was the first of one entrant in his new category. Well done Nev!
Team 'Run Like Crazy'
Somehow, our Xterra team 'Run Like Crazy' has ended up in first place overall after 4 races!! We are greatly helped by Maria and Prue and Richard, who do super well in their categories. (The top 5 results each event count towards scoring). Hopefully we can hang onto first place, although the MacPac team is close behind.
Wrap
I ran strongly today. No problems with niggles, and I felt good until I was shattered! Pace probably about right. Always hard when chasing someone (Will) to judge what effort level is sensible.
Definitely one of my favourite events, with mud and excitement guaranteed.
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