6th place in Flinder's Tour 50.9km - a disappointing finish

When i signed up for this race, my intention was to do well in it, given that I have home ground advantage (the race starts 8km from where i live), and more than that, it will allow me to see how well prepared I am leading up to TMBT 100 and Northface 100 Singapore. I told people that my target is go under 5 hours, but really, I was hoping for a top 3 finish and a sub 4.30 finish.

I began the day with the same race day routine. Made my protein shake, ate some cereal and then spent some time reading my bible to prepare my heart for what's ahead. The verse that stood out to me is from Isaiah 40.31 - 'But those who put their hope in God will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. I know this is the longest distance i have done this year, but following a 5:15 finish in Northface 50km and 5:36 finish in TMBT 50km last year, I am no stranger to the distance now. My aim is just to run strong from start to finish.

The race started with a climb to Mt Beerburrum. I ran in front with Julian Spence (he would eventually finish second). He was leading all the way till the peak, and i followed closely behind with a hands-on-knee power hiking posture. We ascended and descended the mountain in 20-21 mins, and from then on, it's mostly trail running. He set off with a cracking pace, and from the way his legs kick off with each stride, I know this guy is a hell of a runner.  His stride is so efficient and effortless, and there is absolutely no way i could stick with him. My heart rate soared to a 177 high, and my breathing became extremely laboured. A few runners started passing me at this stage, and despite my desire to keep up with them, I know I had to slow down to allow my heart to assume its usual work-load. The quick and intense start in the beginning was not without its ill effect; my stomach came to a stall, nausea started creeping into my brain, and my stride became shorter and heavier.

From then on, I slipped into a low gear and just carried on at a more sustainable pace. I was probably in 6th position then. I caught up with the 5th runner in another section of climb, and would never see him again. At that time, given my over-worked state, and some surprisingly fast speeds for the front runners, I had to adjust my goal. My aim then, was to maintain my current position (5th) and finish in top 5, and maybe, just maybe, catch one more person in front of me. 

The guy in 4th position was in sight initially, but as we ran on, he slowly pulled away from me. 'Relax, this is only the first lap, i.e first 27km. Maybe he would slow down in the second half', is what i was telling myself. Little did i know that when i reached the U-turn for the second half of the race (the 4th guy was probably about 1 min ahead), it was me that hit the wall. The second half turned out to be a complete struggle on my part. My quads became to burn, and my whole body started to cramp up. For some strange reason, I could not swallow much calorie in this race. I knew that if i tried, i would surely regurgitate. For the entire 50.9km, I only took 3 gels (which are 300 calorie in total).

When we reached the second last aid station (with 8km to go), I thought i saw someone took off from behind me. There were a few 25km runners with me at that time so i thought it was one of them. I did not crank up my speed then. Had i known that it was another 51.9km runner, i would have done so. Anyway I continued running all the way, albeit in a much slower pace than the first half, and finished the race in 4hr33min. At the finish line, i was greeted by the 5th runner, who told that he finished 2 mins before me, and thought i was going to chase him down. Haha.. I didn't think i would have any strength to do so, and i was just glad to finish this race.

After the race, it was the usual catching up with the rest of the runners. I met Julian and started chatting with him. He is from Victoria and he is here for a weekend to do the race. He told that he didn't save enough for the last part, and was overtaken by someone else in the last 4km (he did 4hr12min). As we chatted on, I soon realised I was in the presence of a great runner. He won the Great Ocean Road 100km last year in a record time of 9hr58m, and his PB for marathon is 2:27. In his list of accolade is a PB of 14m30s for 5000m and 31m for 10km. Geez.. I knew I was right about him when I first saw him took off in the beginning of the race. We also talked about other topics like injuries, nutrition, training etc. A great and humble guy indeed.

All in all, although it was a disappointing finish for me, I did learn a lot. I learned about pacing, and how to avoid stomach woes in a race, and more importantly, how to improve myself for the future. I know i still have a lot of work to do leading up to TMBT and northface 100km, so the next 5 weeks will be an exciting time for me.

I am thankful for a yet another wonderful (and painful at the same time :D) day out in the trail, for meeting some great guys, and for a time of 4hr33m for 50.9km, given that i only had 3 weeks of solid preparation before that.

God, thank you for everything. :D

Before the start - Committing the run to God in prayer

Start

Julian - look at his powerful stride (forefoot strike and a high knee drive)

The guys in 3rd-5th position in the first lap

Panting .. 

Ben - the runner who overtook me in the second lap

At the U turn to the second lap

About 10km to go