November 9, 2021
Right I left you with myself and Adam at Broke Inlet Road, around 88k in. Last year I was broken by this point, excuse the pun, with the quads just about to seize up completely. It was dark and I was hungry, unprepared and unsupported, it was never going to end well and a few hours later I pulled the pin.
This year was a different story, I had had a great days running and my support crew had prepared a hearty dinner , change of shoes, clothes and had me up and about ready to face the next leg, which we knew would be dark and very wet ! Me and Adam set off into the darkness excited about what lay ahead albeit with a touch of trepidation knowing it would be a difficult 20k to my nemesis, Mandalay Beach. The two videos below show how wet it was !
Funnily enough Adam and I enjoyed this part of the course. Ok, it was incredibly wet but it was all part of the adventure that is Delirious, just walking 20k through ankle deep water in the middle of the night, where else would you rather be. Eventually we got to Mandalay and decided it was time for a break, it was late and we’d been on the go since 7am that morning. I’m not sure what time we left Mandalay but I know the next stage to Mount Clare was a slog, lots of sand, wind and hard climbs but again it was just ace because it was so hard and like nothing we had ran before. The wind made it more rugged, brutal but also it focused the mind. There was no one else around of course, just Adam and I and our head torches moving forward into the night with the waves crashing around us.
As Adam remarked I was now in uncharted territory after not making it out of Mandalay the previous year. It was a slog to Mount Clare and the climb to the aid station was more like an ascent rather than a run, the hill was steep and long and we both needed more time to recoup at the next aid station. Both of us fell into our reclining chairs, grabbed some food and then closed out eyes while being wrapped up in warm blankets by our crew. We both had about 15-20 minutes of quiet time before moving onto Warpole where we knew there was a sleep station and although it would mean sleeping in the day we had to take some time out.
We got to Warpole around 10am and decided we’d have a two hour sleep, there was beds, showers , toilets and we took advantage of all of these. I had a great two hours sleep and even got a massage from Myree before setting off to the next aid station, Giant Tingle Tree. It was wet and steep, that about sums it up. Beautiful scenery mind but testing conditions. Totally different to what had come before, which is what makes this event so special, each day has something different, terrain wise, to tackle.
That’s enough for this post… one more to go..
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