Sipping on a hard earned cold Crown Lager at Jenolan Caves, the thought of blaming 2P for my current state of exhaustion briefly crossed my mind. His enthusiasm for this race is contagious – he often says he only runs to support his Six Foot habit. Being a rather curious wombat, I'm susceptible to catching the odd bug that's floating around the farmyard. I think I've caught Six Foot Fever.
My race went quite well for a very long time. Five hours is a very long time. Somewhere out on the Black Range I had a vision of Forrest Gump when he stopped running in Monument Valley, Utah and said: "I'm pretty tired... I think I'll go home now". To make it home, I still had to negotiate the Deviation, followed by the single track to the Binda Cabins.
Once past the cabins, my limited mathematical ability permitted me to calculate a possible sub-6:30 finish time... if I started running. I managed to do this, and surprisingly, didn't feel too bad. On the final downhill, a pale-faced Don Juan said my calves were looking good, so I took off and passed a dozen or so runners before the finish. 45 kilometres in 6 hours, 24 minutes and 55 seconds for 618th place! So, a comfortable finisher's medal, but the sub-6 hour goal survives for 2008.
One of the other highlights of Six Foot is meeting so many CoolRunners. I enjoyed long chats with Kevin Tiller, Fryer, CJ, IDW and Plu at the Edge Theatre. Then, on race day, there were far too many names for a poor wombat brain to remember... Horrie, Gnomey, Tiger Angel, Cirque, Kit, Owly, Don Juan, Wildthing, ORunner and Jen_runs. Thanks Jen for an enjoyable walk down Nellies! After the finish, so many more... R2B (great debut Adrian), Go Girl (next year), 2P (the best beer I've ever tasted mate), CJ (you looked too fresh), Spud, Lulu, Tim, Will, Colin, Awiseman and Superflake (bring on Canberra). Then, of course, a few of the members of my 2nd-placed team – "KoolACTrunners (Gramp's Army)"... Trev (legend), Velcro, Aunty, Stu, Scotty, DaveO, Hugh, Mario, Nick, Carol, Steve, Mike, John and Anita.
This was my 100th post. I made it to the other side of the river. I didn't fall, or do anything foolish (although I had two classic 'mid-air running' stumbles). My silly human pride survives intact. Bring on the 8th of March, 2008!
[Splits: Nellies - 29:43, Megalong Valley Rd - 1:06:20, Cox's - 1:57:01, Pluvio - 3:47:08, Deviation - 4:57:18, Finish - 6:24:55]
My race went quite well for a very long time. Five hours is a very long time. Somewhere out on the Black Range I had a vision of Forrest Gump when he stopped running in Monument Valley, Utah and said: "I'm pretty tired... I think I'll go home now". To make it home, I still had to negotiate the Deviation, followed by the single track to the Binda Cabins.
Once past the cabins, my limited mathematical ability permitted me to calculate a possible sub-6:30 finish time... if I started running. I managed to do this, and surprisingly, didn't feel too bad. On the final downhill, a pale-faced Don Juan said my calves were looking good, so I took off and passed a dozen or so runners before the finish. 45 kilometres in 6 hours, 24 minutes and 55 seconds for 618th place! So, a comfortable finisher's medal, but the sub-6 hour goal survives for 2008.
One of the other highlights of Six Foot is meeting so many CoolRunners. I enjoyed long chats with Kevin Tiller, Fryer, CJ, IDW and Plu at the Edge Theatre. Then, on race day, there were far too many names for a poor wombat brain to remember... Horrie, Gnomey, Tiger Angel, Cirque, Kit, Owly, Don Juan, Wildthing, ORunner and Jen_runs. Thanks Jen for an enjoyable walk down Nellies! After the finish, so many more... R2B (great debut Adrian), Go Girl (next year), 2P (the best beer I've ever tasted mate), CJ (you looked too fresh), Spud, Lulu, Tim, Will, Colin, Awiseman and Superflake (bring on Canberra). Then, of course, a few of the members of my 2nd-placed team – "KoolACTrunners (Gramp's Army)"... Trev (legend), Velcro, Aunty, Stu, Scotty, DaveO, Hugh, Mario, Nick, Carol, Steve, Mike, John and Anita.
This was my 100th post. I made it to the other side of the river. I didn't fall, or do anything foolish (although I had two classic 'mid-air running' stumbles). My silly human pride survives intact. Bring on the 8th of March, 2008!
[Splits: Nellies - 29:43, Megalong Valley Rd - 1:06:20, Cox's - 1:57:01, Pluvio - 3:47:08, Deviation - 4:57:18, Finish - 6:24:55]
31 comments:
hey ewen! I can't believe I missed you at the finish line - would have loved to say hi. Glad you enjoyed the beer at the end :)
I'm reading all these Six Foot reports, where do I sign up.....I'm in for next year.
Sounds like a great day or weekend.
What's this limited mathematical ability, you calculated your finish to within 5 - 6 mins, pretty good in my book.
Fantastic Ewen - well done on a great run! Like Steve I've been reading the reports and feeling the tinsiest little bit of temptation setting in!! It sounds like a wonderful day and a fantastic atmosphere. You must be pretty happy with the result. Congratulations!
I'm with Steve. Yours and 2P's race report has me very interested in 2008!
Huuuuge congrats mate. Wow, to come in under your goal must be such a great feeling.
I can imagine that beer wouldn't even touch the sides after a run like that!
I'm thinking next year you will be so fit and have such an uninterupted lead in that a sub 5.30 might be the goal.
Aww man my post got deleted!
Damn you blogger!
Ewen great to meet you finally and good to see you pulled up well!
All the best R2B
Well done Ewen. Looks like a hard day at the office mate.
I lied.
Those calves looked done like a dinner.
Big congratulations.
I think I prefer running in a different wave to you:-) We were remarkably close in the different splits and only 2:30minutes or so at the end.
Great run. Thnaks again for the pizza.
cheers Plu
Great race Ewen ... congratulations on accomplishing something that would kill most of us out here in blogland.
I've got just one minor correction to your picture of Monument Valley. Although the picture you published was taken looking south on Highway 163 near Goulding Utah, I believe the sandstone formations in the picture are actually in Arizona. Monument Valley straddles the border between Arizona and Utah is a can't miss sight for anyone travel around the southwestern portion of the USA. Thanks for including it.
Well done, I have been reading all the reports on CR this weekend.
Sounds like everyone has a fantastic time, this will be on the agenda one day, gotta do the 42.2 first of course :-)
Time for a relaxing couple of days, hope the recovery goes well.
Great run Ewen and a really nice report. So pleasing to see 2P assisted in your post-race rehydration. If you were suffering a fever, perhaps the Crown Lager (for medecinal purposes only of course) helped bring down your temperature a bit. Although something tells me the bug will lie dormant in your system until around this time next year.
Congratulations too on your 100th post. You're an on-line phenomenon, Ewen (and I really enjoyed catching up with you last week as well).
Sounds like you had a no fuss 6foot there Ewen, if that is possible.
Congratulations Ewen on a great race and an excellent finish. Well done!
Hey don't blame me - if I threw myself down a cliff and into a river would you do it too? Oh yeah you did ;-)
Mate - great to meet up with you again - well done on a well executed 6ft assualt.
Glad you enjoyed the beer :-)
Great result Ewen. Sensibly planned and beautifully executed. Congratulations on reaching the blogging ton as well.
I must admit, as each year goes by and I read these reports, the more I feel that I have to do this race one day. Maybe I can organise a Japanese trail running delegation...
Count me in for that Stephen.
Terrific Ewen after following the build up and listening to the reports I feel almost like I was there.
Though you sound almost "matter of fact" about your achievement, we, other runners, know how difficult this sort of run can be. Well done!
I hope your 200th blog comes just after your six foot PB next year too.
I'd be interested to know if it's possible to run this race with limited trail experience. That is, do you reckon one, being me, could make a fist of it training on road here with the ocassional trail run?
Congratulations Ewen. What a fantastic effort.
I guess you are already preparing your training program so that you can beat the 6 Hours next year.
congrats! 5 min under for a beeyoch like 6f is impressive. now enjoy a beer on a stick!
Thank you for the conversation & company down the stairs. It was lovely to see you again. Thank you so much for all your advice & support - I truly appreciate it.
Congrats Ewen, I'm just so happy that it all went well and according to plan for you on the day and you got in under goal time too - thats awesome. As someone said, you make it sound very matter of fact, but we all know its huge! Great that it could be such a 'social exercise' for you too! Testiment to your connections in the running world. Oh and BTW no 'crawling wombat' could have made 45km in under 6 hours! Must have been 2P's beer promise that did it!
Take care now, MAR.
Will you (and all the others) stop making this sound like such a great run! Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!!! :-)
Great to see you on the weekend, even though only briefly. Maybe we'll see more of each other next year :-)
Gnome
That a huge rbf gathering, way cool.
Great result Ewen, nice run and good to catch up briefly at the regos on Friday.
Thanks for your support through the blogs too.
I just love it whenever anyone blames 2P for anything - LOL.
Excellent report Ewen and a great race too. Hope the legs are starting to resemble somewhat of a recovering marathoner by now.
You made the race sound tangible for everyone and exciting enough to forget about all the injuries and pains that I have read about on coolrunning.
6 Hours for 6 Foot. Sounds like a movie. Can't wait to see that one in 2008.
Well done Ewen! 6 foot fever comes through so strong in the blogs I can't imagine what it would be like at the race! Look forward to hearing about 2008.
Well done on your race - bet you're pleased!
I'm glad I ran SFT - its definitely an experience. Though if I'd been asked that sometime during the race it may have been a different answer!
And I didn't do a CJ! Though others weren't so fortunate.
As you say though - its on to the next event - Canberra!
Congratulations on completing what sounds like a really tough event Ewen.
I'm champing at the bit for a crack at the track (which is a bit sick given how difficult it sounds!). It's people like you and reports like this that will be responsible for 1000+ starters fronting up sooner rather than later!
Enjoy your recovery...albiet brief no doubt with Canberra fast approaching.
Great stuff Ewen - I'm so pleased you had a good one, maybe we'll see you there next year ;)
Great to finally meet you in person on the road bus trip from hell. Good run at Six Foot this year. Hopefully next year will bring the sub 6hr. My bloglines dropped yours off the list, don't know how.
Ewen,
I am just catching up on things from last week end. Hope your recovery has been swift and uneventful. It sounds like you have caught the bug alright. As for the attack on 6 hours next year. What would you do different? Given the way Plu performed I think we should all be cutting back the miles and going into an event rested.
Well done and see you in Canberra.
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