Like this:

I have signed-up for my first 100km race.

As I type this, I find myself staring at that first sentence, unable to quite believe that I just typed it.

It is only a few short years since I ran my first marathon. Now here I am, about to undertake a run 2.5 times longer than that previously unattainable distance. Yet, here I am – entry fee is paid, flights and accommodation are confirmed, and I am two weeks into my training programme.

Amazing. Scary. Cool

For my first attempt at 100km I will be travelling to the small Otago town of Naseby. It is a beautiful location, and somewhere that has special significance to my wife (Sarah). Her family often holidayed there when she was a child. We visited there together about five years ago, and I quickly came to love it almost as much as she does. It has a permanent population of just 200 people, and a quiet, laid-back atmosphere to match. Each year they host The Great Naseby Water Race – so when I went looking for an ultra to challenge myself with, Naseby quickly shot to the top of the list.

The other big attraction about The Great Naseby Water Race is that is a held over a relatively short lap-based course (10km per lap). Most ultras in New Zealand are point-to-point courses, with all of the logistical and support challenges that such races entail. A lap-based course has many advantages:

1. Your support crew can stay in one place. They don’t have to travel to get to the next checkpoint, and they can enjoy plenty of “downtime” between laps.
2. You don’t need to carry a lot of gear. Rather than a bag, I will be running with a fuel belt.  I won’t need to carry food – my support crew will hand me food on each new lap, and they’ll be able to refill my bottles at the same time. I’ll carry a light jacket and a walkman – that’s all.
3. It is easy to change gear during the race. With my support crew in one place, it will be easy for them to setup all of the “what if” gear for when I need it. If I want to change shoes or socks during the race, they’ll have it there waiting for me. If I start to crave a food type that isn’t in the planned menu, they can nip to a store and grab it for me, ready for my next lap.
4. You get to know the other runners. In a point-to-point race, when somebody passes you that is generally the last that you see of them until the prize-giving. In a lap-based event, you’ll see familiar faces throughout the course. Encouragement, friendly rivalry…..and a regular injection of fresh-faces as the shorter distance runners enter the course (The Great Naseby Water Race also has 80km, 60km, and 50km distance events).

So, I have entered my first 100km race. I am more excited than scared, although I am sure that the nerves will increase as the event date draws nearer.

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