RA125 v2.0 : 1/7 The Runway : 08:00:46

texte par Alister Gardner

In fine standing with my usual pre-race preparations, Team Runway was running late - it was already a million degrees centigrade with the humidity and nobody at the Runway residence had had a good night’s sleep.  I had actually woken to find Darren sleeping on the garden table in an attempt to get some cool air.

Despite our dawdling, at 5h45 we were finally at Parc Arthur-Therrien where the full team was meeting as a whole for the first time (Darren, Jackie, Alexis, Helene, Ariane and myself, Alister).  It was awesome to see so many folks we knew, but as we stood bleary eyed, I pointed out to Darren that other teams seem to be a lot more prepared than we were. Many teams were huddled around clipboards with printed tables and maps being examined, some were folks giving last minute instructions and others already piling into their cars. Having not even seen a map or have an idea of the course I pointed this out to Darren, our 1 man with any real ultra-relay experience (RUNTOMTL). ‘Yes’ he replied, ‘they have indeed know how to operate Excel and a printer’’. Sensing his calm, I dropped the issue and turned to find my running shoes.

A few minutes before 6 am we were called together to go over the rules: There are no rules except respect the course and the law.  Basically, no way of getting any alcohol quite yet then..

The first runners of each team were grouped together and formed an imaginary start line.  The start was called and off they went. Teams piled into their cars and pulled out of the car park, each with their strategies and clipboards in hand.  

Our team had opted for a 5 km rotation to start with.  Alexis was our starter and it was a boy-girl-boy-girl system.  He ran comfortably with the race leaders and we cruised through the quiet streets keeping him in sight -  Right up until the 2nd kilometre, where we made a wrong turn and were heading off course and away from our meeting point with Alexis.  It was then I learned that Jackie had the map on her phone (phewph!), she was quick to check the route and redirected us to where we should be. Ok, so the course was easy but we still had to remain alert!

I was impressed that the other teams were still cruising along comfortably beside Alexis.  Darren pointed out that it was because they were swapping runners every 1 km. ‘But shouldn’t we be doing that?’ I asked.  ‘We will’ he replied, ‘but for now we are strong and can change when we want to, the others are already changing quickly’. Again, his calm reassured me so I got back to the task of driving and cheering.

Our changeovers began.  One by one we took to the streets of Montreal and ran through the blazing heat.  After 15 kms, we stopped for petrol and Red Bull and it was suggested that we swap over to a 3 km rotation due to the heat.  Already, each seat in the car had formed a dark damp shadow of our sweating bodies and it was only about 8 am. The team agreed and we settled into a good system of swapping runners, drivers and damp seats.  At 10 am, 43 kms later, we were hit with a brief rain shower that was appreciated by everybody. It cooled us off and took the edge off the heat of the day.

Kilometres went by, fluids were drank and energy bars were consumed.  We visited parts of Montreal we would have never otherwise seen and shared jokes that could only be understood by the folks who were there.  Every member of the team gave their best for each of their segments, and more and more kilometres went by.

The only way to know the total number of kilometres we had done was by looking at the watch attached to the relay baton.  We were nearing 92 kms, meaning just 33 left to go. Our current pace was just a little faster than 4 minutes per kilometre and we were at the 6 hour mark.  After a quick calculation we realised we might just finish in under 8 hrs, but it was not going to be easy. We knuckled down and each of us pushed hard. It was hard to tell if it was possible to beat 8 hours as the only person with the watch was the runner and they were busy running.  

Alexis had started the day and it fell on him to finish it. With the variation of the map and the GPS watch distance, his segment was somewhere between 1 and 1.5 kms and it was that difference that was going to decide our fate.  Finally it was 1.4 kms and our time was 8h 00’ 45‘’.  

Our car rolled into the parking soon after him and we poured out to high 5 his effort and the solid effort of the team as a whole.  It was an exciting ride from the beginning and not at all what I was expecting. Team Runway had set the bar high (second place was 8h 18’), but for a 125 kolimetre race, that is very close. And it wasn’t long before each team cruised in to meet a field of high fives and smiles.

Huge thanks to Goph and everyone involved in putting the event together.  I run to race but I run to drink the post-race beer with my friends and the other runners too, so this event is was a 10 out of 10 event.  Next year we will have a plan together and I am investing in a clipboard.

Sub 8 hrs, here we come!