RACE REPORT: XTERRA Trail Run World Champs, Maine
After a pretty rough build-up, with a foot injury several months out and repeated sickness in the weeks directly before race day, it was touch and go whether I'd even take to the start line. After quite a bit of thought, I decided that I'd put too much into this race to not even start.
Touching down in New York for the first time was quite an experience. Having trained in Dunedin through the winter, my usual running conditions were cold (4º) and dark, a stark contrast to the 30º and busy bustling streets that NYC brought with it.
The whole week leading up to the race was a rollercoaster of emotions. The highest of highs and the lowest of crashing lows. Having had such a rocky build-up I wasn't all that confident in my abilities to perform as well as I normally do, and this was no local park run, this was the World Champs. There's no shame in hiding the struggles of performing at such a high level for the first time. Even getting to the start line seemed a massive achievement after the last few months, and even the week before where I was hardly able to eat anything at all.
The race took place at the Sugarloaf ski resort in Maine. Kilometres and kilometres of steep uphill/downhill ski slopes plus a multitude of flat (ish) ones to match. Set in the beautiful Carabasset Valley close to the Canadian border, it truly was a magical place to compete. The first 4-5km climbed 750m straight up, via a mix of ski runs and single track, ending in a straight slog up a black diamond route to the summit. Crushing a Cola Me Happy gel on the way up definitely gave me the kick I needed to be in the top 5 to the top of the hill, and placed me 2nd in an uphill segment.
Due to my lack of experience racing on trails of this technicality, I dropped a few places going down the first bit of the descent, dropping 200m in the first kilometre. It was easily the hardest terrain I’ve ever run down / on, with so much mud, tree roots and rocks.
Having come off the mountain, back to near the start, the course completes a second loop, this time mostly on the flat. After taking on a Lemon Sublime gel I was able to settle into a bit of a rhythm and made up several places. With about 4 kilometres to go, I hit the wall big time and began a grim death stomp home. This was down to the lack of running I'd done in the lead-up to the race, and also the lack of nutrients that I'd consumed over the last week. I had to dig pretty deep in the last few kilometres to make it back.
Not even 500m from the finish I had to stop to be sick, having more or less reached my physical limit, but picked myself up having been passed by someone and had a mad sprint for the line. I managed to beat him in the chute (but sadly it turns out his chip time was faster so he started behind me somewhere).
I crossed the line and fell to the concrete, unable to move for quite some time, with the medics standing over me. After 10 minutes or so I finally managed to get up, before sitting shivering, wrapped in a survival blanket and a towel for another 45 minutes. It took quite some time to feel normal again after this fiasco, and it was only then that I found out that I had won the 20-24 age group, and placed myself 7th overall!!!
It wasn't until the awards dinner that night that it finally started to sink in. WORLD CHAMPION. It was quite an effort for my wrecked legs to climb the podium, but hey, I'd say it was worth it ;)
This whole trip would not have been possible without the support and help of so many people. A massive thanks to Mum and Dad for making sure I got to race day in the best condition possible, given the circumstances, to Leith and everyone else in the Dunedin running community for their constant support and encouragement and thanks of course to GU Energy for fuelling me both on race day and at the times when I was able to train, it wouldn't have been possible without your help. Thanks also to everyone that competed, we put on one heck of a race. Lastly, to everyone else who has played a part in this journey, big or small, it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
If you dream it, you can do it.