2015 - 24h on treadmill
THE IDEA
The seed for the (brilliant!) idea of running 24 hours on a treadmill was planted in early February 2012.
Few weeks out of my 20 marathons in 29 days adventure in Italy, I ran a marathon on a treadmill as part of my training and the first ever OUTRUNCANCER Corporate Treadmill Marathon. The following day I woke up sore and mentally flat. I wondered how far people could run on a treadmill and the 24 hours came up and stuck to my mind for some unknown reason.
In 2013 I left my IT job for few months to startup OUTRUN CANCER. I was looking for ways to crowd fund the project and the idea of running 24 hours on treadmill came back to mind.
The crowd-funding campaign never happened as I didn't have enough reach and early backers to pull it off. But I had awaken a monster… I had told few close friends I was going to run 24 hours on a treadmill!
It was just a matter of time
The seed for the (brilliant!) idea of running 24 hours on a treadmill was planted in early February 2012.
Few weeks out of my 20 marathons in 29 days adventure in Italy, I ran a marathon on a treadmill as part of my training and the first ever OUTRUNCANCER Corporate Treadmill Marathon. The following day I woke up sore and mentally flat. I wondered how far people could run on a treadmill and the 24 hours came up and stuck to my mind for some unknown reason.
In 2013 I left my IT job for few months to startup OUTRUN CANCER. I was looking for ways to crowd fund the project and the idea of running 24 hours on treadmill came back to mind.
The crowd-funding campaign never happened as I didn't have enough reach and early backers to pull it off. But I had awaken a monster… I had told few close friends I was going to run 24 hours on a treadmill!
It was just a matter of time
The crowdfunding campaign which never happened.. a serious video |
The crowdfunding campaign which never happened.. a bit less serious video |
The RAAM is like no other bike race on earth. One stage race of 4,800 km and 55,000 meters
THE OPPORTUNITY
When you set your mind on something, you see opportunities around every corner; mine came about in August 2014.
My dear friends Scott and Al had entered the 2015 RAAM Race Across America: a mind-blowing 4,800 km one-stage cycling race from the west to the east coast of the US. Their 4 men team, Team Australia, was racing to be the fastest Australian team to have completed the challenge.
They wanted to raise some funds for two charities and OUTRUNCANCER was successful in becoming one of the recipients.
We set ourselves a fundraising target of $50,000. While it was an enormous privilege for OUTRUNCANCER, at a personal level it was a big show of trust and faith. I wanted to pull my weight and somehow give something back.
A couple of weeks later, Scott and Al were meeting the rest of Team Australia in Sydney and invited me along. I met John and Adam and listen with fascination to their RAAM planning.
As I was about to leave, I stood up and said to everyone “Martin Place. 24hours.” It just came out like that, in auto mode – “The perfect fundraising opportunity. You can ride for 24hours and I will run for 24hours”.
I think nobody took me seriously. I just left the idea in mid air to sink in.
When you set your mind on something, you see opportunities around every corner; mine came about in August 2014.
My dear friends Scott and Al had entered the 2015 RAAM Race Across America: a mind-blowing 4,800 km one-stage cycling race from the west to the east coast of the US. Their 4 men team, Team Australia, was racing to be the fastest Australian team to have completed the challenge.
They wanted to raise some funds for two charities and OUTRUNCANCER was successful in becoming one of the recipients.
We set ourselves a fundraising target of $50,000. While it was an enormous privilege for OUTRUNCANCER, at a personal level it was a big show of trust and faith. I wanted to pull my weight and somehow give something back.
A couple of weeks later, Scott and Al were meeting the rest of Team Australia in Sydney and invited me along. I met John and Adam and listen with fascination to their RAAM planning.
As I was about to leave, I stood up and said to everyone “Martin Place. 24hours.” It just came out like that, in auto mode – “The perfect fundraising opportunity. You can ride for 24hours and I will run for 24hours”.
I think nobody took me seriously. I just left the idea in mid air to sink in.
Martin Place the perfect stage for the challenge
THE CONCEPT
Over the following weeks Scott, Al and I started to talk about this challenge more seriously.
I prepared several mind maps on format, logistics, reasons, fundraising, marketing. How success would look like. What would the pitch be. Why people should donate. What contacts we could use. And so on.
In other words I went all in. And so did Scott and Al.
A few weeks later we put the proposal forward to the rest of the Team Australia team:
OUTRACE CANCER. Thursday May 7th 2015. 24 hours running and riding in Sydney’s Martin Place square.
The same day John and Adam confirmed they were in, I submitted the permit request to Sydney Council and it was all booked in before I knew it... Or I shall say before my wife Lidia knew about it. She was on holiday with our 3-month-old Lorenzo, and I had to sum up all my courage to explain what I had just committed to.
We soon realised we needed to inspire and involve more people for a chance to reach our fundraising target.
We also needed some logistical support.
Beginning of January we presented “OUTRACE CANCER” to the MOB triathlon group we belong to, asking for their honest opinion about the idea and looking for help. Keith and Stew agreed to help on the logistics, Nicole to look after the medical, Brad and Derek for anything needed on the day. Generous people.
From then on, it was an impressive team effort. One for all and all for one.
Still today, I don’t know how we managed to fit all this extra work into our busy lives: we all work full time, some of us multiple jobs, others travels overseas weekly, we have children and other life commitments.
And there was the training of course!!
Over the following weeks Scott, Al and I started to talk about this challenge more seriously.
I prepared several mind maps on format, logistics, reasons, fundraising, marketing. How success would look like. What would the pitch be. Why people should donate. What contacts we could use. And so on.
In other words I went all in. And so did Scott and Al.
A few weeks later we put the proposal forward to the rest of the Team Australia team:
OUTRACE CANCER. Thursday May 7th 2015. 24 hours running and riding in Sydney’s Martin Place square.
- Team Australia taking turns cycling on a wind trainer simulating a day of RAAM.
- Me running solo on a treadmill.
- One extra treadmill and a spin bike for corporates to join the challenge.
The same day John and Adam confirmed they were in, I submitted the permit request to Sydney Council and it was all booked in before I knew it... Or I shall say before my wife Lidia knew about it. She was on holiday with our 3-month-old Lorenzo, and I had to sum up all my courage to explain what I had just committed to.
We soon realised we needed to inspire and involve more people for a chance to reach our fundraising target.
We also needed some logistical support.
Beginning of January we presented “OUTRACE CANCER” to the MOB triathlon group we belong to, asking for their honest opinion about the idea and looking for help. Keith and Stew agreed to help on the logistics, Nicole to look after the medical, Brad and Derek for anything needed on the day. Generous people.
From then on, it was an impressive team effort. One for all and all for one.
Still today, I don’t know how we managed to fit all this extra work into our busy lives: we all work full time, some of us multiple jobs, others travels overseas weekly, we have children and other life commitments.
And there was the training of course!!
If I was a race horse they would have shot me a long time ago
THE TRAINING
I officially started training for the 24 hours on November 13th - the day I submitted the request to the council.
I sought help from Andy DuBois from Mile27 for running coaching. The first thing he made clear was that this was no easy task requiring a lot of work and taking some risks in training. Especially because I just didn’t want to “survive” 24 hours on a treadmill. I wanted to run. And run strong.
In my naivety, I thought I could give the world record a try. 258km – 5:33 pace average. Foolish!
So we ramped up the training accordingly. Maybe too hard too soon, maybe I got carried away too much and didn’t listen to my body. In a couple of months, the intensity started to take a toll.
Ever since I damaged the plantar of both feet during the 20 Italian marathons, I cope well with volume but I cannot handle intensity. I have a scar tissue the size of a small nut which is a time bomb. Activated when I pick up speed: sub 4min/km pace will do it. It gets me all the time and I should have known better.
Early January, I woke up in the middle of the night from the pain on my right foot. My plantar and achilles’ tendon were inflamed, I couldn’t tilt my foot and walking was extremely painful.
SHIIIIIT!
From then on, every week was a struggle. A step forward and two backwards. My son Lorenzo, only six months at the time, would wake up and cry in the middle of the night and it would take me forever to cover the short distance to his room. I would rock him to sleep while stretching my Achilles, worried that my feet or leg would give in from the pain and I could drop him.
I was very worried.
At the same time I had complete trust that if there was a person who could keep me moving was Mark from The Body Mechanic. When in 2012 all the treatments for my acute plantar fasciitis failed, he singlehandedly managed to fix me. And this time he made his mission to get me to start line.
We reviewed my running form, glute activation, shoes, everything. Reviewed the training plan with Andy and eliminated all the speed work, hills and treadmill.
Yes, Treadmill. It seemed to aggravate the problem even more. One hour on the treadmill would make me limp for 2 days.
Despite the pain, we pushed on; one step at the time. The Achilles would normally warm up and the pain would settle after 90 minutes of running. This was great news as I started clocking some longer runs, 3-4-5 hours. And loving it. Until one morning, 60 minutes into a 5 hours trail run I twisted my right ankle badly – the ankle of the already flakey foot.
So, no more trails either – bring on the Ovals! We figured it would be a good substitute for the mental training of the boredom of the treadmill and safe enough for my feet.
I started doing my long runs around the 400 meters oval in North Sydney; 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours…
The longest run was 8 hours on a Friday night after a long day at work. I ran 200 loops around the oval, from 9PM to 5AM – classic.
We had originally planned a 12-14 hours training run but that never realized. Work, family, life, injuries and everything else took precedence.
So, I got to the OUTRACE CANCER day blindfolded and underdone. But I got there in one piece, and that’s fantastic.
I officially started training for the 24 hours on November 13th - the day I submitted the request to the council.
I sought help from Andy DuBois from Mile27 for running coaching. The first thing he made clear was that this was no easy task requiring a lot of work and taking some risks in training. Especially because I just didn’t want to “survive” 24 hours on a treadmill. I wanted to run. And run strong.
In my naivety, I thought I could give the world record a try. 258km – 5:33 pace average. Foolish!
So we ramped up the training accordingly. Maybe too hard too soon, maybe I got carried away too much and didn’t listen to my body. In a couple of months, the intensity started to take a toll.
Ever since I damaged the plantar of both feet during the 20 Italian marathons, I cope well with volume but I cannot handle intensity. I have a scar tissue the size of a small nut which is a time bomb. Activated when I pick up speed: sub 4min/km pace will do it. It gets me all the time and I should have known better.
Early January, I woke up in the middle of the night from the pain on my right foot. My plantar and achilles’ tendon were inflamed, I couldn’t tilt my foot and walking was extremely painful.
SHIIIIIT!
From then on, every week was a struggle. A step forward and two backwards. My son Lorenzo, only six months at the time, would wake up and cry in the middle of the night and it would take me forever to cover the short distance to his room. I would rock him to sleep while stretching my Achilles, worried that my feet or leg would give in from the pain and I could drop him.
I was very worried.
At the same time I had complete trust that if there was a person who could keep me moving was Mark from The Body Mechanic. When in 2012 all the treatments for my acute plantar fasciitis failed, he singlehandedly managed to fix me. And this time he made his mission to get me to start line.
We reviewed my running form, glute activation, shoes, everything. Reviewed the training plan with Andy and eliminated all the speed work, hills and treadmill.
Yes, Treadmill. It seemed to aggravate the problem even more. One hour on the treadmill would make me limp for 2 days.
Despite the pain, we pushed on; one step at the time. The Achilles would normally warm up and the pain would settle after 90 minutes of running. This was great news as I started clocking some longer runs, 3-4-5 hours. And loving it. Until one morning, 60 minutes into a 5 hours trail run I twisted my right ankle badly – the ankle of the already flakey foot.
So, no more trails either – bring on the Ovals! We figured it would be a good substitute for the mental training of the boredom of the treadmill and safe enough for my feet.
I started doing my long runs around the 400 meters oval in North Sydney; 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours…
The longest run was 8 hours on a Friday night after a long day at work. I ran 200 loops around the oval, from 9PM to 5AM – classic.
We had originally planned a 12-14 hours training run but that never realized. Work, family, life, injuries and everything else took precedence.
So, I got to the OUTRACE CANCER day blindfolded and underdone. But I got there in one piece, and that’s fantastic.
OUTRACE CANCER
End of January we visited Martin Place square to check out the stage where we would host the event. It was perfect: in the middle of the square, on the busiest section right outside the train station. The stage was reasonably big and we thought about adding one more treadmill and bike. But was there any interest?
Few days later I met Mike from the HuRTS running group and I asked him if he wanted to take a one hour slot on the corporate treadmills. He sent out an email and few hours later he had one team for the full 24 hours on the treadmill and one team for the 24 hours on the bike. And not just a team, some serious gunners, probably the best runners in Sydney. I was stoked.
Damon and Vlad from Runlab also agreed to get another 24 hours running team.
Belinda from New Castle and Nick from Sydney called in to participate with a 24 hours riding team.
Al was booking the corporate treadmill and bike at an impressive rate.
I guess that answered the question about interest.
We ticked off the ever growing to do list, one item at the time. This was a great example of collaboration for a bigger cause, not just by our team but also from all the supporters and event partners:
And, of course, all the volunteers from Cancer Council, friends and family who came down in mass at all hours of the day and night to cheer us on.
End of January we visited Martin Place square to check out the stage where we would host the event. It was perfect: in the middle of the square, on the busiest section right outside the train station. The stage was reasonably big and we thought about adding one more treadmill and bike. But was there any interest?
Few days later I met Mike from the HuRTS running group and I asked him if he wanted to take a one hour slot on the corporate treadmills. He sent out an email and few hours later he had one team for the full 24 hours on the treadmill and one team for the 24 hours on the bike. And not just a team, some serious gunners, probably the best runners in Sydney. I was stoked.
Damon and Vlad from Runlab also agreed to get another 24 hours running team.
Belinda from New Castle and Nick from Sydney called in to participate with a 24 hours riding team.
Al was booking the corporate treadmill and bike at an impressive rate.
I guess that answered the question about interest.
We ticked off the ever growing to do list, one item at the time. This was a great example of collaboration for a bigger cause, not just by our team but also from all the supporters and event partners:
- Goodlife Healthclubs, providing all the treadmills and spin bikes – the machines are worth a fortune and they trusted us not to trash them (well, we certainly gave them a good workout!)
- Nolan UDA, sponsoring the marquee and most of the marketing material – their generosity on the organization and volunteering on the day was simply outstanding.
- Buzz Events, taking care of the event logistics – Keith Hong was a lifesaver in many ways.
- Mossy and Robbo, our MC for the day – the Naked Runners raised the profile on social media and made the event fun for participants, volunteers, supporters and passer by
- Constant Security, providing overnight security – we only had one episode of a drunk girl wanting to run with us at 3AM, so no real threat, but it was good to have them there.
- P.A. People, providing the sound system – Lidia realized one of her childhood’s dream of being a D.J.
- 2nd Skin, providing merchandise to sale for donations – their t-shirts and click-tights do make you go longer and faster!
- Endura, for the sport nutrition for all participants – personally, I love the Optimizer for recovery.
- Harris Farm, Red Baron and Ganton for the prizes for the donors
And, of course, all the volunteers from Cancer Council, friends and family who came down in mass at all hours of the day and night to cheer us on.
Vlad & Tuckey in action
The final setup was impressive. Covered by a 13×6 meters marquee with a fabulous and colorful backdrop, 5 treadmills, 5 spin bikes and Team Australia bikes on wind trainers were lined ready for action. We had a big screen with a presentation in a loop, sound system, security barriers and a big whiteboard to update people on the progress. We had two Cancer Council marquees on the square for donations and different banners all around the place.
The bikes and treadmills, from left to right were assigned to
The bikes and treadmills, from left to right were assigned to
- Corporate teams: relay cycling 1 or more hours
- Team Moore: relay cycling 24hours
- Team HuRTS: relay cycling 24hours
- Team Snow: relay cycling 24hours
- Team Australia: relay cycling 24hours
- Team Luca: solo running 24hours
- Team HuRTS: relay running 24hours
- Team Runlab: relay running 24hours
- Corporate teams: relay running 1 or more hours
Chris and Andrew in action
We also had a backup treadmill and bike actively used by people to warm up or by HuRTS given their crazy challenge to run 400km in 24hours.
The corporates participating:
If running and riding for 24 hours wasn’t enough of a challenge, some of us decided to spice it up with specific goals:
With a total of 206 participants changing over at different times, the stage was abuzz even in the middle of the night.
The corporates participating:
- Oil Search – May 7th 8:30am to 10am
- NYK Line – May 7th 10am to 11am
- KPMG – May 7th 11AM to 12PM
- Clifford Chance – May 7th 12pm to 2pm
- Macquarie Bank – May 7th 2pm to 4pm
- CITI – May 7th 4pm to 5pm
- QBE – May 7th 5pm to 6pm
- CBA – May 7th 6pm to 8pm
- Non Stop (friends) – May 7th 8pm to 10pm
- Red Baron – May 7th 10pm to 11pm
- MOB – May 8th 7am to 8:30am
If running and riding for 24 hours wasn’t enough of a challenge, some of us decided to spice it up with specific goals:
- Team Australia was aiming to keep 40km/h average speed for the full 24 hours
- HuRTS wanted to run 2 very fast marathons, under 2:20, and reach 400km in 24 hours. And cover 1,000 km on the spin bike too. (Crazy kids!)
- Runlab wanted to run the fastest 100km from a mixed team.
With a total of 206 participants changing over at different times, the stage was abuzz even in the middle of the night.
THE RACE
I am normally very methodical about my race strategy, particularly around nutrition. And I make sure I get some extra mental and physical rest leading up to the race.
This time it was simply impossible. The night before the event I was stressed and totally drained, from work, logistics and lack of sleep. I only had a draft race strategy and no real nutrition plan.
Keith picked me up from home and “gave me the talk”. Actually, he let me vent for a while and then simply said. “Ok. Now take off all those hats; of husband, of friend, of organizer and just keep on the one of the runner here to run for 24 hours”.
I felt immediately re-energized, like someone took the weight of the world off my shoulders. I switched off my phone, grabbed a quick light dinner (falling asleep at the restaurant) and went straight to bed.
I am normally very methodical about my race strategy, particularly around nutrition. And I make sure I get some extra mental and physical rest leading up to the race.
This time it was simply impossible. The night before the event I was stressed and totally drained, from work, logistics and lack of sleep. I only had a draft race strategy and no real nutrition plan.
Keith picked me up from home and “gave me the talk”. Actually, he let me vent for a while and then simply said. “Ok. Now take off all those hats; of husband, of friend, of organizer and just keep on the one of the runner here to run for 24 hours”.
I felt immediately re-energized, like someone took the weight of the world off my shoulders. I switched off my phone, grabbed a quick light dinner (falling asleep at the restaurant) and went straight to bed.
Shit gets real
Just before the start, I met Peter Pobjie, father of Jode “Snow”.
Peter, his wife and daughters, and a team of extended family and friends travelled from New Castle for the event to knock off 24 hours on a spin bike in memory of their son Jode, who died of cancer at the age of 19.
I thanked him for what he was doing, we looked at each other in the eyes, we embraced and cried.
Not sure if it was the same for Peter, but for me it was a great relief, all the doubts vanished. This was the reason we were there. For my mother, for Jode and for all others who fought, are fighting or will fight cancer. Running and riding were just means to reach something bigger. However the next 24 hours unfolded, we already successed.
A small crowd of friends gathered in the square for the countdown. 3…2…1… go!
Next to me on my right, HuRTS’ first runner started at 3min/km (20km/h) pace right off the bat. On my left, Scott was cycling at 40km/h. Runlab was also flying, Snow, Moore and Oil Search not holding back. Everyone was smiling and pushing hard.
I settled in at a comfortable speed between 10.8km/h and I covered the first 20km easily. The plan was to change the incline and speed every so often to vary the load on the body. (From here on I will talk about speed rather than pace as this was the indicator on the treadmill.)
Peter, his wife and daughters, and a team of extended family and friends travelled from New Castle for the event to knock off 24 hours on a spin bike in memory of their son Jode, who died of cancer at the age of 19.
I thanked him for what he was doing, we looked at each other in the eyes, we embraced and cried.
Not sure if it was the same for Peter, but for me it was a great relief, all the doubts vanished. This was the reason we were there. For my mother, for Jode and for all others who fought, are fighting or will fight cancer. Running and riding were just means to reach something bigger. However the next 24 hours unfolded, we already successed.
A small crowd of friends gathered in the square for the countdown. 3…2…1… go!
Next to me on my right, HuRTS’ first runner started at 3min/km (20km/h) pace right off the bat. On my left, Scott was cycling at 40km/h. Runlab was also flying, Snow, Moore and Oil Search not holding back. Everyone was smiling and pushing hard.
I settled in at a comfortable speed between 10.8km/h and I covered the first 20km easily. The plan was to change the incline and speed every so often to vary the load on the body. (From here on I will talk about speed rather than pace as this was the indicator on the treadmill.)
Best case scenario race strategy
I didn’t want to take too many toilet breaks so the general plan was to avoid drinking for the first 90 minutes then consume around 600ml/hour. Liquids were a mix of Tailwind, Endura Rehydration, Endura Optimizer, coke and water. Calories wise, I was planning to get around 300-400 calories per hour in the form of Tailwind, gels, potatoes, bananas & fruits, bars, nuts, crisps, nutella sandwiches and soups. I would consume mainly carbohydrates and then every 6 to 8 hours, I would top up my protein intake.
While the HuRTS team first marathon was done in 2:14 (!!!), I kept things relaxed and completed my first marathon in 4 hours, as our MCs for the day, Robbo & Mossy took on the stage. Armed with their microphone and mobile phones they brought the event to life: with the participants, passer by and social media. They are such a funny and energetic duo, and you can tell they love what they do. They were a great distraction from the stomp stomp stomp of my feet on the treadmill.
I took my first toilet break 6.5 hours into the run. Not much because I needed to but I wanted to check I was drinking enough. This was the first time I stepped off the treadmill since 8:30AM and it was a very wobbly weird feeling. Like moonwalking forward.
While the HuRTS team first marathon was done in 2:14 (!!!), I kept things relaxed and completed my first marathon in 4 hours, as our MCs for the day, Robbo & Mossy took on the stage. Armed with their microphone and mobile phones they brought the event to life: with the participants, passer by and social media. They are such a funny and energetic duo, and you can tell they love what they do. They were a great distraction from the stomp stomp stomp of my feet on the treadmill.
I took my first toilet break 6.5 hours into the run. Not much because I needed to but I wanted to check I was drinking enough. This was the first time I stepped off the treadmill since 8:30AM and it was a very wobbly weird feeling. Like moonwalking forward.
My nutritional plan or lack of. Doomed from the start
The following 3-4 hours went well. No muscular pain, I was pretty focused and enjoying the run.
After all, I was counting on feeling that way. The first half of the challenge was meant to be easier. With so many commuters, friends, runners and riders around, it was easy to get distracted. The time and distance were also in my “comfort zone”, nothing new.
Throughout the day, friends and colleagues dropped by Martin Place to say hi. The other runners and riders also encouraged me to carry on. But one person more than anyone stood out and motivated me.
I spotted the older woman with her husband near the cancer council marquee, looking at the stage. Even from the distance I could tell she was holding her husband’s hand very firmly. And crying under the big sunglasses. I waved at her and husband. She saw me and applauded emotionally. She took off her gray wig to show the cancer patient’s bold head. I put on my sunglasses for the emotion.
I reached the 100km mark sometime around 18:30 – 10 hours into the run. Although physically I was ok, I was slowing down. I started to feel a little “flat”.
With all the excitement, I wasn’t looking after my energy levels. I was taking way less than 300 calories per hour and not drinking much either. The bottle of tailwind, which was very diluted and meant to last me for one hour, still had some left after two. I wasn’t taking my hourly gel and the power bars were not really going down that well either.
Lidia warmed up a soup and that gave me a good kick. With that, I made a fatal mistake. Instead of using this energy and clarity to stock up more calories and get back into track with my eating and drinking, I became single minded. Soup. Soup. Soup. “This is what is going to keep me alive” I thought.
Cancer Council marquee closed for the day and volunteers went home. Robbo and Mossy said goodbye, the last corporate completed their run and ride, we turned down the volume of the music and prepared for the hardest part - the night
After all, I was counting on feeling that way. The first half of the challenge was meant to be easier. With so many commuters, friends, runners and riders around, it was easy to get distracted. The time and distance were also in my “comfort zone”, nothing new.
Throughout the day, friends and colleagues dropped by Martin Place to say hi. The other runners and riders also encouraged me to carry on. But one person more than anyone stood out and motivated me.
I spotted the older woman with her husband near the cancer council marquee, looking at the stage. Even from the distance I could tell she was holding her husband’s hand very firmly. And crying under the big sunglasses. I waved at her and husband. She saw me and applauded emotionally. She took off her gray wig to show the cancer patient’s bold head. I put on my sunglasses for the emotion.
I reached the 100km mark sometime around 18:30 – 10 hours into the run. Although physically I was ok, I was slowing down. I started to feel a little “flat”.
With all the excitement, I wasn’t looking after my energy levels. I was taking way less than 300 calories per hour and not drinking much either. The bottle of tailwind, which was very diluted and meant to last me for one hour, still had some left after two. I wasn’t taking my hourly gel and the power bars were not really going down that well either.
Lidia warmed up a soup and that gave me a good kick. With that, I made a fatal mistake. Instead of using this energy and clarity to stock up more calories and get back into track with my eating and drinking, I became single minded. Soup. Soup. Soup. “This is what is going to keep me alive” I thought.
Cancer Council marquee closed for the day and volunteers went home. Robbo and Mossy said goodbye, the last corporate completed their run and ride, we turned down the volume of the music and prepared for the hardest part - the night
Everything hurts. The start of the downfall
At 21:30 I was 130km into the run and starting to feel it. Now I recognize it was more mental than physical. I had been alert for such a long time and I was drained. Of course, I couldn’t clearly see it then because a) I never felt like that before and b) it’s hard for the mind to blame itself.
I decided that from then on I NEEDED to stop 5 minutes every hour to stretch and take a break. And go to the toilet every two hours. The truth is that I didn’t really need to; it was all a trick of my mind.
I stopped the treadmill and reached the ground to stretch. I was still pretty flexible, I could bend and reach my toes. Lying on my back, I would raise my legs up to get the blood flowing down. I would close my eyes too, just for a couple of minutes.
My quads were (understandably) tight so stretching them was… interesting. Still not as painful as when I got back on the treadmill and started running again. Jesus. It was like someone had glued my leg muscles. It took me 10 minutes to slowly progress back to a speed of 9km/h.
Although this was not a smart move for a distance point of view, it seemed to work wonders for my mind. I needed a mental break. Something to look forward to; mostly to close my eyes and go within myself for a minute.
I would have not been able to complete this run without the support of all the friends who came down to Martin Place, especially during the evening and night. Friends rocked up at different hours to say hi and have a chat. While I was talking quite fine (I think), I must have looked pretty shit. It was obvious from the way they were looking at me and been courteous saying “you look good”.
At 11pm I said goodbye to my friend Joel from RedBaron, the last corporate to run & ride with us. Although there were still other 5 teams on stage, this is when the race changed in my mind and things started to head south.
I decided that from then on I NEEDED to stop 5 minutes every hour to stretch and take a break. And go to the toilet every two hours. The truth is that I didn’t really need to; it was all a trick of my mind.
I stopped the treadmill and reached the ground to stretch. I was still pretty flexible, I could bend and reach my toes. Lying on my back, I would raise my legs up to get the blood flowing down. I would close my eyes too, just for a couple of minutes.
My quads were (understandably) tight so stretching them was… interesting. Still not as painful as when I got back on the treadmill and started running again. Jesus. It was like someone had glued my leg muscles. It took me 10 minutes to slowly progress back to a speed of 9km/h.
Although this was not a smart move for a distance point of view, it seemed to work wonders for my mind. I needed a mental break. Something to look forward to; mostly to close my eyes and go within myself for a minute.
I would have not been able to complete this run without the support of all the friends who came down to Martin Place, especially during the evening and night. Friends rocked up at different hours to say hi and have a chat. While I was talking quite fine (I think), I must have looked pretty shit. It was obvious from the way they were looking at me and been courteous saying “you look good”.
At 11pm I said goodbye to my friend Joel from RedBaron, the last corporate to run & ride with us. Although there were still other 5 teams on stage, this is when the race changed in my mind and things started to head south.
Totally gone, done, kaput, k.o.
I started to slow down even more and hanging on to that 5 minutes break each new hour will bring. I was looking forward to it, ignoring the pain this will cause when starting to run again. Not caring too much if for every 5 minutes break it was taking me now 15 or 20 minutes to go back to a reasonable speed. I was conscious of the fact I was not getting enough calories in my body: drinks were not going down too well, soup tasted off, bars and gels awful. I was running out of supplies and ideas. I couldn’t think of a food I wanted to eat – and for an Italian feeling that way it can only mean trouble. And what really worried me is that I had no idea on how to turn things around.
I managed to hang on till about 2:30AM covering 7.5km in an hour.
Then bang! Major crash!
I got back on the treadmill after the 5 minutes break but my legs would not respond. Hard as rock I couldn’t get them moving again. My quads hurt badly, it was like my whole lower body seized up. I felt disoriented. I started to walk accepting this as inevitable. This was not the right attitude to have but at the time I didn’t know any better.
At 2:30AM my friends Chammy and Nuno came over for an unplanned visit. We chatted away and joked. Brad also joined a little later. What amazing friends I have. None of this was planned, they expected me to hit the wall around that time and I didn’t disappointed them. I hit the wall harder than I imagined.
When I stopped for my 5 minutes break at 3:30AM I went in panic mode. The best I mastered in the previous hour was a mix of shuffling and jogging and I only covered 5.5km. I felt completely flat, my legs were like dried cement, the idea of food or drink would give me nausea and I was cold to the bone. I never hit rock bottom like that.
I managed to hang on till about 2:30AM covering 7.5km in an hour.
Then bang! Major crash!
I got back on the treadmill after the 5 minutes break but my legs would not respond. Hard as rock I couldn’t get them moving again. My quads hurt badly, it was like my whole lower body seized up. I felt disoriented. I started to walk accepting this as inevitable. This was not the right attitude to have but at the time I didn’t know any better.
At 2:30AM my friends Chammy and Nuno came over for an unplanned visit. We chatted away and joked. Brad also joined a little later. What amazing friends I have. None of this was planned, they expected me to hit the wall around that time and I didn’t disappointed them. I hit the wall harder than I imagined.
When I stopped for my 5 minutes break at 3:30AM I went in panic mode. The best I mastered in the previous hour was a mix of shuffling and jogging and I only covered 5.5km. I felt completely flat, my legs were like dried cement, the idea of food or drink would give me nausea and I was cold to the bone. I never hit rock bottom like that.
I must have looked shittier than usual as Keith made the call to get me to lie down, wrapped in a space blanket and forced me to take a longer break while he helped me stretch. Lidia had left Lorenzo sleeping in the hotel room (monitoring him from her phone) and she was massaging my head. Nicole, the doctor, ran a complete health check: hearbeat, blood pressure, sugar levels, temperature. All good. I was simply being soft! ☺
Before the race, Nicole and I had talked about how to deal with worst case scenarios. We had agreed on taking some Panadol if things were bad. In retrospective, I am not sure if I really needed it or if it was more the case of trying everything.
The short break had helped me mentally but as I stood up, my muscles had cooled down and I could hardly walk. I decided to take some Panadol while Keith force-fed me a gel and a very strong Tailwind drink.
After few minutes I felt better, something had finally switched in my mind. Without wanting to sound too philosophic, instead of resisting and questioning the pain, I welcomed it. I accepted that feeling was exactly the point and the challenge of the whole run. The only thing I could control was my fuel intake, the rest would unfold and take care of itself. I started smiling again.
The other reason I started smiling is that I was only 2 hours away from sunrise and 4 hours from the finish.
Team Snow had camped all night on the square, keeping an eye on their riders but also on me. We established a simple communication system: thumbs up I’m feeling good, double thumbs up I feel great! This was definitely a double thumbs up moment.
Before the race, Nicole and I had talked about how to deal with worst case scenarios. We had agreed on taking some Panadol if things were bad. In retrospective, I am not sure if I really needed it or if it was more the case of trying everything.
The short break had helped me mentally but as I stood up, my muscles had cooled down and I could hardly walk. I decided to take some Panadol while Keith force-fed me a gel and a very strong Tailwind drink.
After few minutes I felt better, something had finally switched in my mind. Without wanting to sound too philosophic, instead of resisting and questioning the pain, I welcomed it. I accepted that feeling was exactly the point and the challenge of the whole run. The only thing I could control was my fuel intake, the rest would unfold and take care of itself. I started smiling again.
The other reason I started smiling is that I was only 2 hours away from sunrise and 4 hours from the finish.
Team Snow had camped all night on the square, keeping an eye on their riders but also on me. We established a simple communication system: thumbs up I’m feeling good, double thumbs up I feel great! This was definitely a double thumbs up moment.
More friends started to turn up. The MOB triathlon team came out in mass, with big smiles and encouraging words.
By 7:30AM the music was pumping again, the Cancer Council volunteers were back, the MC had the microphone in hand and “harassing” the commuters. More friends started to gather and I was feeling pumped and fresher than I felt in the previous 23 hours. I was also stocked I reached 200km with one hour to go.
All the other runners and riders were also feeling the finish line getting closer and closer. Team Australia was bang on their target speed, HuRTS had lost some ground over night but now looked like they could get to 400 km. Runlab & Moore teams looked as fresh as new. Team Snow was smiling away as they had done for the past day.
The last hour was fantastic. The sun was up, lots of people around. I felt strong and happy. Lidia and Lorenzo were next to me, friends, colleagues, runners and riders were gathering. Even Cancer Council NSW CEO Jim L’estrange couldn’t resist and came down to witness the finish of this epic challenge.
As we entered the last 30 minutes, like all the other teams, I changed gear and went in race mode. From then on, I increased my speed every 5 minutes. And if I needed any inspiration to do so, I just had to look on my right. The HuRTS team had one of their best runners on, Andrew Tuckey, with the big task to cover the remaining 9.3km of their 400km running challenge, in less than half hour. Mad pace.
By 7:30AM the music was pumping again, the Cancer Council volunteers were back, the MC had the microphone in hand and “harassing” the commuters. More friends started to gather and I was feeling pumped and fresher than I felt in the previous 23 hours. I was also stocked I reached 200km with one hour to go.
All the other runners and riders were also feeling the finish line getting closer and closer. Team Australia was bang on their target speed, HuRTS had lost some ground over night but now looked like they could get to 400 km. Runlab & Moore teams looked as fresh as new. Team Snow was smiling away as they had done for the past day.
The last hour was fantastic. The sun was up, lots of people around. I felt strong and happy. Lidia and Lorenzo were next to me, friends, colleagues, runners and riders were gathering. Even Cancer Council NSW CEO Jim L’estrange couldn’t resist and came down to witness the finish of this epic challenge.
As we entered the last 30 minutes, like all the other teams, I changed gear and went in race mode. From then on, I increased my speed every 5 minutes. And if I needed any inspiration to do so, I just had to look on my right. The HuRTS team had one of their best runners on, Andrew Tuckey, with the big task to cover the remaining 9.3km of their 400km running challenge, in less than half hour. Mad pace.
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Five minutes to the finish, I was running at 12 km/h and my left hamstring or glute or adductors snapped but I couldn’t care less. I pushed up the speed as Keith was counting down for me. I was feeding off the cheers from the crowd. The whole HuRTS team was behind Andrew only few hundred meters away from their goal they snapped with only 40 seconds to spare. Runlab, Moore and Snow supporters doing the same for their teams. All members of team Australia were lined up and cycling together arms on shoulders.
I gave it all I had left, reaching 15km/h (4:00min pace) and just hanging on, waiting for the “3…2…1….” Final distance 210.4 km |
Last 2 minutes of the 24 hours challenge Presentation from Cancer Council CEO |
THE FUNDRAISING
We started the OUTRACE CANCER campaign with an ambitious goal to raise $50,000.
At 8:30AM on Thursday May 7th, the fundraising total was $45,000. By 8:30AM on Friday May 8th, it was $65,000. As I write this today June 2nd 2015 the total has reached an amazing $83,475.50.
On 28/09, we received the news of an additional $20,825 donation as part of the proceeds from the RAAM, to reach a GRAND TOTAL of $104,300. Amazing
Together with what OUTRUN CANCER raised in the last year through the corporate treadmill marathon, this amount completed the funding of the 4 years scholarship for Carlos Nunez, working on Cancer Council CLEAR data to further study the links between physical activity, diet, b.m.i. and cancer. And start a new project.
I am blown away by the result and people’s generosity. Not just measured in money raised but the willingness to step up and take on the challenge against cancer.
People don’t take time off their busy lives, or sleep in the office to run and ride with all their heart at 4AM in the morning, or work extra hours to put on events, or camp in the cold the whole night, or offer their services, help and time for free if they don’t truly believe it is going to make a difference. It’s my belief that everyone who participated, donated and supported OUTRACE CANCER felt that way. And this is the biggest success of all. We all recognise the power we have to change things, take back responsibility about our health and life and inspire others to do the same.
We started the OUTRACE CANCER campaign with an ambitious goal to raise $50,000.
At 8:30AM on Thursday May 7th, the fundraising total was $45,000. By 8:30AM on Friday May 8th, it was $65,000. As I write this today June 2nd 2015 the total has reached an amazing $83,475.50.
On 28/09, we received the news of an additional $20,825 donation as part of the proceeds from the RAAM, to reach a GRAND TOTAL of $104,300. Amazing
Together with what OUTRUN CANCER raised in the last year through the corporate treadmill marathon, this amount completed the funding of the 4 years scholarship for Carlos Nunez, working on Cancer Council CLEAR data to further study the links between physical activity, diet, b.m.i. and cancer. And start a new project.
I am blown away by the result and people’s generosity. Not just measured in money raised but the willingness to step up and take on the challenge against cancer.
People don’t take time off their busy lives, or sleep in the office to run and ride with all their heart at 4AM in the morning, or work extra hours to put on events, or camp in the cold the whole night, or offer their services, help and time for free if they don’t truly believe it is going to make a difference. It’s my belief that everyone who participated, donated and supported OUTRACE CANCER felt that way. And this is the biggest success of all. We all recognise the power we have to change things, take back responsibility about our health and life and inspire others to do the same.
KEEN FOR A RUN AND A CHAT? |
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PO BOX 110 Tewantin QLD 4565 AUSTRALIA - [email protected]