Well now I can say the same thing about the Taupo 'Huka challenge' 85 km mountain biking event. Been there, done that, never again.
In the 4 months from August to November I racked up 580 km in training - all on offroad tracks (mostly the Eastern Hills firebreaks, Wainui mountain bike park, Karapoti gorge/Akatarawa forest and Makara Peak). This included a 6 hr event at Makara organised by a women's mountain biking group called Revolve. I entered it as a solo rider to force myself to do a 6 hour ride. I came 15th of 17 competitors in the solo event, and finished ahead of 7 out of 31 teams. That was about 70 km; surely another 15 wouldn't be too hard.
Raewyn came up to be my support crew and I am very, very grateful that she was there.
My view at the start line. I deliberately put myself at the back as I knew I would not be setting any records. I had to keep reminding myself that the goal was to finish; there was no point busting my gut in the early stages just to keep up with the pack.
All smiles leaving the start line!
'Official' photo somewhere on the course.
Such a mixture of emotions crossing the finish line. With about 2 km to go it started raining, and I really had had enough. But the thought of quitting was so stupid it was not worth entertaining it. Finally, when I found Raewyn and could get off the bike and didn't have to get back on it again, I just collapsed on her shoulder in a wet, stinky, blubbery mess. I was completely spent - physically, mentally, emotionally.
I completed the challenge in 8 hrs 24 min. That makes an average speed of 10 km/hr, give or take. Some of the track was fun and good to ride - and it really helped having gone up to Taupo with Stu back in July to check out some of the tracks at Craters. The worst part was the second part of Craters, between the carpark and SH1. In this section of the park, the trails just seem to zigzag back and forth for no particular reason other than they can. It felt like I was going round and round in circles, just for the hell of it. At this point I was onto about my 8th or 9th wind - each one less intense and shorter in duration than the previous, but I tried to make the most of each burst of energy, no matter how small - without overdoing it. Then I passed the 70 km marker. Still 15 km to go - and I knew I was only about 8 km from town, which meant another 7 km of pointless zigzagging around. The toughest part was mentally just pushing through that. Once I got out of that and back on the tracks by the river heading back to town, the finish was in sight.
Am I glad I did it? I'm not sure if 'glad' is the right word, but yes. Would I do it again? Absolutely not.
A couple of things to note: The training was absolutely necessary. And I did notice the effect it had on my thighs. Secondly, I had not anticipated that I would end up with a muscular overuse injury in my right forearm from changing gears and braking all day, which has gone on to affect my badminton. That's been really frustrating. The mental pain of the race has worn off, but the physical effects are still ongoing. My doctor says it just needs time and exercise - typical soft tissue injury.
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