The 2010 North Face broke a bit of me. Not all of me thankfully - just my knee. I didn’t really pay much attention to the surgeon when he said my Ultra days were over. I figured what would he know! So off I went and did the Six Foot in March. After a fair degree of suffering I reassessed my figuring. Maybe the surgeon did know something. With this new approach I downgraded my TNF expectations. It was to be the half for me!
All I had to do was to find a keen bean to do the other half. None were that dumb, so whilst my wife Carey is no sucker - she is pretty keen! She was in and the plan was hatched - I'd do the first half and Carey could run over the finish line and enjoy the crowd!
Ed and Colin were signed up for the full 100km - so Team Five Ten was fully represented.
Saturday May 14th dawned clear, COLD and windy, at 7 am almost 900 runners were away to loud cheers.
There is something bizarre about lining up to tackle the North Face - it is a test of physical and mental preparedness. A special sort of craziness is needed for these types of outings, it is tough and it builds an incredible sense of camaraderie amongst its contestants.
For most - it is the individual against the course - not each other! The terrain is mountainous and unrelenting. The majority of the field will finish late at night and in the bitter cold that only the upper mountains can produce.
Having completed the TNF in 2010 I was under no illusions as to what lay ahead. Knowing what is coming helps and I had a plan to get my half done. This year I had poles to help me with the downhills. After only 22km I needed them. The next 32 kms were an exercise in pain management and the bloody mindedness needed to get the job done.
I predicted 9 1/2 hours and that's exactly what it took! At Megalong Ford I handed the "baton" over to Carey at 4.30 pm. The sun was setting and the cold was increasing dramatically
Carey tackled the remainder of the 6 foot track and Nellie’s Glen in good style - passing many people, she was quickly into checkpoint 4 at Katoomba - with 11km done she was just warming up. Which was a good thing - the crossing of the Jamison and climbing Kedumba would be cold!
A very respectable 4 and 1/4 hrs saw her cross the Jamison - one of the biggest climbs in the whole TNF. At just after 11 pm she tagged checkpoint 5 at Queen Victoria hospital. Hot soup, a brief rest and she was away for the last leg - stage 6 - 11kms to the finish.
In good spirits, she completed this leg in just over 2 hours, finishing a few minutes before 2.00 am Sunday May 15th!
Our time - 18 hrs 53 mins and 13 secs. We were chuffed!
Ed and Colin finished in an awesome time of 16 hrs and 43 mins.
The whole team was in under 19 hrs. A great effort!
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