Javelina Jundred

When I first signed up for the Javelina Jundred, the intention was to make it my A race of the year. Things didn’t quite go to plan in that respect, and come July and August, the hot summer heat of Phoenix meant that my training for the race was suffering. Mileage dropped to an all time low and the pace that I had was getting even slower. A DNF at Bryce Canyon back in June had already knocked my confidence to some degree, and with just a couple of months until “the biggie”, I was starting to think that maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea to plan for a hundred mile race after all.

I decided that I needed a break – a break from running, a break from my coach and structured training sessions, a change from the desert heat, a change in scenery. We took a vacation to Colorado for 10 days, and the lush green forests, raging rivers and the crazy high mountains brought a refreshing change to things and I found my running mojo was slowly on the way back.

Although things were starting to get better again, I was still unsure as to whether I should race Javelina and with a Rim to Rim to Rim attempt planned for the end of September, I decided to wait and see how that went before making any firm decisions.

By October 1^st, my mind was made up. I’d had a decent race at the Javelina Jangover 50k, the Grand Canyon run had gone well with no issues, and I figured that so as long as I could squeeze in a couple of 20 mile training runs over the next couple of weeks, my sheer stubbornness and strength of mind would ensure that I finished the Javelina Jundred in the 30 hour time limit.

At the same time, I also felt ready to start some structured training again, but this time things would be different. I wanted a coach that better understood the desert climate here in Phoenix, somebody that knew how tough things could get, and I wanted somebody that knew the local trails and could relate to things more easily. I also needed somebody that I could trust, somebody that would be honest with me about how training was going, and somebody that was local to the area.

It didn’t take long to make a decision and I made contact with Adam Livingston to see if he was willing to take me under his wing and guide me in meeting my running goals for the foreseeable future. Not only did he say yes, he also volunteered to be my pacer at Javelina Jundred and offered to run the last 40 miles with me. I’d never used a pacer in races before, and I couldn’t think of a better person to help me to get around the course. It was the best decision I could have made – but we’ll come to that later.

With structured sessions once again in place, I found that my running was starting to improve and I was starting to feel fitter again. The goal of just finishing Javelina turned into a sub 24 goal, but by mid-October even that became obsolete as I readjusted my goal to something even more ambitious. I worked out the numbers, I tried to be honest with how I was feeling and what I thought I could honestly achieve, and my goal became a sub 19 hours with an A goal of running sub 18.30 if the stars aligned.

As seems to have been the trend for this year, October in Phoenix saw weather records being set and we had 26 days in a row where the temperature was at 90 degrees or higher when normally at this time of year we’d have an average of the mid 80s. I tried not to dwell too much on the heat, I tried to embrace it – after all, the forecast on race day gave out 93 degrees, so I figured I may as well get used to it so that it wasn’t such a shock on race day when we’d be out in the full force of the sun all day, with no shade whatsoever.

Race day arrived and despite just 5 hours of broken sleep, I awoke feeling ready to go. I didn’t feel any nerves at all which I found a little strange – normally when doing ultras and thinking of the race distance, I find my stomach churning and the butterflies going crazy – and yet on race day I felt extremely calm. I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not – I'd  had similar feelings at the start of Bryce Canyon and look what happened there! – but the difference this time was my attitude to the race. I had every intention of finishing, I was still willing to go for the sub 19 hours despite the forecasted heat, and I can honestly say that for the whole duration of the race – no matter how emotional I was, no matter how painful my quads were cramping up, no matter how much I was throwing up, no matter how hot I was starting to feel – I NEVER had the urge to quit and the phrase “DNF” didn’t even enter my mind.

The 2016 course of the Javelina Jundred was changed this year and consisted of 5 loops around the McDowell Mountain Regional Park predominantly on the Pemberton Trail. The first loop was around 22 miles whilst the others came in at just under 20 miles each to give the full 100 mile distance. There are some that say the course had more climbing than previous years but with having nothing to compare it to, I personally found it perfectly runnable. It certainly isn’t flat, but it isn’t hilly either although according to Mr Suunto there was something like 7000 ft of ascent. The hardest thing about the course is the lack of shade in the intense heat – the desert sun is relentless and there really is nowhere to hide to avoid it. Otherwise the course is fabulous with open views of the Sonoran Desert with the McDowell Mountains as a backdrop, and  you get to experience the most amazing sunrise and sunset as the day starts and ends.

Pre Race Picture with my best little boy mascot :-)

Looking back at how my race went, I’ve made several attempts to write down what went through my mind and how I was feeling as I went along, but there is so much happening in that 21 hours or so out on the trail and it’s difficult to remember everything even if I wanted to. It's hard to keep things brief, but it's also hard to remember everything and I'm sure there are things that I will think of at some point in the future and say "oh yeh! Forgot about that" But this was my race, and this is how it went ......

Loop 1 – 22.3 miles – Segment Time : 3.37.04 – Total Running Time : 3.37.04

Position at end of loop 3^rd lady

In the pre-race info, we'd been warned about a potential bottleneck on the course that came just 400m or so after the start. With something like 600 people registered for the 100 mile race, it was going to be busy, so I was sure to position myself close to the front but not so close as i went off too fast.

My plan for the race was to try and do between 10 and 11 minute miles for as long as possible. That felt incredibly slow to me compared to my usual running pace, but I knew I had to stick to it otherwise I would pay the price later on.

The start wasn't as frantic as anticipated, and we hit the single track trail with no problems and I settled in to a small group that was being led by a man in a tutu. It was dark when we started and in the beam of my headtorch, I just concentrated  on watching his feet in front of me, getting into a nice steady rhythm. I was being very conscious of my breathing - it felt easy, my legs were feeling great, and I was feeling relaxed.

Feeling happy and relaxed on loop 1 at Javelina Jundred
Photo Credit Jamil Coury

 It wasn't long before civil twilight started and we were able to turn off the head torches. Although the early morning air felt cool, it was already a warm 20 degrees or more and as the sun started to creep above the nearby mountains, everything was shrouded in the most beautiful golden glow. I so wished that I had brought my phone to capture the beauty of that desert sunrise with the runners snaking along the trails!

Given the amount of runners, I was very aware of how quiet things were. Nobody was really talking and I think they too were entranced by their surroundings, whilst concentrating on getting in to their flow ready for the day ahead.

As the trail opened up, I moved away from our little group and spent the next couple of miles running on my own. I honestly thought things were going to be more crowded due to the record entries, but I had so much space and it felt wonderful. I was easily maintaining a steady pace and even when people passed me, I was very good at disciplining myself to hold back, remembering Adam's words to run a smart race - a sensible 60 miles and crush the last 40 miles.

A few of the people that passed me were running at a pretty good pace and I was surprised at how quick they were going. I got chatting to a couple of them and they explained that they were trying to get as far as possible before the heat kicked in. I personally don't think this tactic would have worked for me - not only would it be extremely hot fairly soon, but they would also likely be tired before they'd even completed the first loop - sad to say I did pass a few of them in the closing stages of lap 1 and yes, they were already struggling.

My first lap passed without incident. I felt surprisingly comfortable, I was jogging the climbs without too much difficulty and I was feeling fantastic. I completed the loop pretty much on schedule and as I started my second lap, I was in 3rd  place in the ladies race.

Loop 2 – 19.5 miles – Segment Time : 3.45.26 – Total Running Time: 7.22.30

Position at end of loop 4^th Lady

Starting out on loop 2 I was still feeling fabulous. I was mentally prepared for the long 6 mile gradual climb back up to Jackass Junction Aid Station and I once again settled into a steady rhythm.

Things were really starting to heat up by now and I was making sure to take advantage of the ice at the aid stations placing a handful under my hat as well as down my bra to keep the body cool. I was also soaking myself with water at every opportunity and my fluid intake was starting to increase. Up until now, I had been using energy gels but I figured that I needed to get some solid food inside me now as my stomach was starting to rumble and I was getting hungry.

After Jackass Junction,  I was still feeling really good and was still managing to stick within my target pace. But with nearly 7 miles between Jackass and the Coyote Aid Station, I found my energy levels were dropping and I was starting to feel hungry again as well as a little dizzy. I knew that I needed to eat, but I was also feeling a little queasy and I really didn’t fancy eating anything that was there. I drank some ginger ale and had some pumpkin pie before deciding to nibble on some bean wraps. They tasty so good but as I grabbed a couple more and started merrily munching on them, my stomach suddenly turned and I found myself hunched over on the edge of the trail throwing everything back up.

It took 5 attempts for my body to decide that the stomach was now sufficiently empty and ready to start moving again. I actually felt tons better and continued eating on the remaining bean wrap, but as I was ready to leave with a big smile on my face, the aid station captain asked me to check in at the medical tent when I arrived back at Javelina Jeadquarters to check if I was ok to continue.

It was another 3 or 4 miles back to Jeadquarters and although I was still feeling a little weak, I was getting back into my flow. There was no way I could eat anything just yet, but I knew that I HAD to eat something otherwise I would never finish.

Running back through camp at Jeadquarters was just as rousing and vocal as the first lap and once again I was greeted with cheers and shouts of encouragement from both friends and strangers alike. As instructed, having tried to refuel at the aid station again, I went up to the medical tent to get checked over. They agreed that I needed to eat and they encouraged me to eat a sub sandwich. The bread felt dry and I had trouble even nibbling on it, but I finally managed to get most of it inside of me, and thanks to the help of Kristin and Miguel, I managed to down some pickle juice to settle the stomach along with some ginger ale.

I felt a little frustrated that I had to spend time in the medical tent. I became a little teary that I had wasted so much time here, and having been in 3^rd place at the end of the last lap, I was now convinced that I had slipped way down the field and have a tough job if I wanted to get back into the top 5. I also knew that it would be hard work trying to hit my goal time, but no matter what it took, I was still willing to try and had no intentions of just giving up.

Loop 3 – 19.4 miles – Segment Time : 5.05.50 – Total Running Time : 12.28.20

Position at the end of loop 6^th Lady

Starting off on loop 3, I knew I had a lot of work to do. I’d been in the medical tent for exactly 30 minutes but I had no intentions of trying to make up that lost time – I just readjusted my goal time and tried to keep things realistic. I had no idea where I now lay in the ladies race – I had seen 2 other ladies going in the opposite direction on the last loop but I was pretty sure that more must surely have passed me by now.

Heading back out to Coyote aid station, I was noticing the increasing heat but whilst I’m pretty sure that it was affecting me, it didn’t feel like I was struggling with it too much at that time . The sandy stretch back to Coyote was taking its toll on my legs and I could feel cramps coming on in my quads around my knees. I took a couple of salt pills and had a hefty drink of water, and on arriving at the aid station, I was sure to refill my hat and bra with ice, as well as just drenching myself with ice cold water. I could have poured water over me all day it felt so refreshing! I managed to take some food on board but I was cautious about taking too much just in case it came up again, so after a few nibbles I continued onwards.

I’d noticed a lady ahead of me whilst I was running. She was making good progress although she kept looking behind as she started the rocky climb that would take us back to Jackass. I was gaining on her as I shuffled along with the ever increasing cramps in my legs, and as I got closer she called out to me. I was surprised to see that it was my friend Dennene who had come down from Edmonton for the race – I thought she would be miles ahead of me by now, but as we ran alongside each other for the next mile or so, she was telling me that she was going through a bit of a bad patch and her legs were starting to feel heavy. We stopped briefly to grab some Voltarol out of Dennne’s backpack and whilst she rubbed some on her own legs to help ease some of the heaviness, I rubbed some on my own legs to see if it would help to ease some of the cramping. We ran together for a wee while longer, we took a picture or two, we had a little chat, but then we parted ways as I was feeling pretty good, the cramps were easing and I wanted to push onwards.

Coming back in to Jackass Junction, the party atmosphere was starting to kick in and the disco lights and music were starting to pump a little louder compared to earlier. I was so relieved to arrive there as I wanted to grab a few things from my drop bag and take advantage of the food available. My clothes were covered in salt despite drenching myself with water and I knew I need to get some calories in me. Some drunk guy reaffirmed this to me and quite rudely asked the aid station volunteers to help me out, which they were doing already without needing his unhelpful advice!

I spent far too long at that aid station and I was extremely conscious of Adam waiting at Jeadquarters and eager to do his pacing duties. I was getting a little frustrated – the drunk guy was doing my head in spouting so much crap out of his mouth – and I was now waiting for some soup to heat up so that I could take onboard some vital calories, salt and carbs to keep me moving which meant losing even more time. I started to have a little cry again, but a reassuring hug from Kevin worked wonders and I managed to pull myself together and refocus ready for the last 9 miles of the loop.

It was at that point that Dennene came  into the aid station and she looked in a bad way. She appeared to be really upset and it was awful to see her that way. I headed over to her as she was about to have a mid-race massage and gave her a hug, and as she saw my tears, she made the decision that we would run the remainder of the lap together, and we would just aim for 24 hours. Whilst I didn’t like to see her this way and was reluctant to leave her, I also felt like I was capable of something better than just 24 hours. Checking my watch, I believed that I could quite possibly dip under 21 hours. I still had no idea what position I was in the ladies race, but I was quite happy to chase a time if not a position as I knew it would keep me motivated and would help to push me onwards. .

I hung around for a little while longer debating with myself whether I was being totally selfish wanting to chase my own time rather than run with somebody else, but we eventually left the aid station together and settled into a decent pace. Dennene was feeling so much better but now I was getting some back pain that was affecting my posture and making running difficult. Every time I breathed in, the pain was there and I was wincing with every step. Dennene moved ahead of me whilst I stopped to do a little stretching and take a couple of pain killers. Within 5 minutes, the pain was easing and I was able to start moving again and pick up the pace. I caught Dennene as she had just started to walk a small stretch of trail, but I was now feeling better again myself and didn’t feel the need to walk, so I said that I was going to carry on. Thankfully there were no hard feelings!

It is pretty much downhill from Jackass to the Rattlesnake Ranch aid station and my pace had picked up again with very little walking. I was deliberately trying to run a little quicker not only because I still had a time goal, but also because I was now even later for my rendezvous with Adam at Jeadquarters. Thankfully the sun was now setting and it was starting to go dark resulting in noticeably cooler conditions out on the trails.

I held off using my headtorch for as long as possible but with a couple of miles still to go to the end of the loop, I had no choice but to stop and grab it from my backpack. It was getting far too dark again, and with no moon, I couldn’t see a thing and half expected to trip and either fall on a cactus or end up face to face on the floor with a snake!

There were still a few runners around me but none of them had a torch, and one of them asked if he could run with me as he wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. I didn’t get his name, but he had already decided that he was going to quit at the end of this lap. His feet were sore, he was behind schedule, and he’d decided that he would rather drop and recover more quickly so he could do another 100 miler instead when things wouldn’t be so hot.

I said a merry goodbye to him as we approached the turnaround mat, and at last I finally saw Adam waiting patiently at the aid station, and ready to pace me for the next 40 miles.

Loop 4 – 19.4 miles – Segment Time : 4.16.18 – Total Running Time : 16.44.38

Position at end of the loop 2^nd Lady

Not only was Adam at Jeadquarters but also my good friend Cary and it was so good to see them both. I think Tom was also there but I can’t quite recall, but it seemed like so many people knew me and it was extremely comforting knowing that I had so much support out there.

Adam and Cary were both so attentive in making sure I had everything that I needed and I tried to refuel as best I could but without overdoing things and being sick again. It really helped mentally knowing that for the next 2 loops I would have company and I was surprised at how relieved I felt knowing that this time, I wouldn’t have to battle through alone.

As we left the aid station, I already knew that our 12 ½ hours cumulative time after 60 or so miles meant there was no way I would do sub 19 hours now, but I did believe that 21 hours was within my reach. That seemed far more achievable and I was ready to put in the effort, and with that , we headed back out of camp and onto the trails.

Heading back through Rattlesnake Ranch and up the trail to Jackass, I tried to run as much as possible. I wasn’t running as smoothly as the first couple of loops, but I was still running and still moving at a half decent pace. My legs were still cramping and Adam suggested I drank more water to balance out the salts – this chap is amazing, and after taking sips of water for the next half an hour or so, I was finding the cramps were easing at last and my legs were feeling much better. I couldn’t believe how good I was feeling after 60+ miles but with 40 still to go, there were still a lot of miles to cover and I couldn’t become complacent.

Time to refuel at Jackass Junction (Photo Credit: Kristin Livermore)

Adam was an amazing pacer and because he was there, I didn’t want to let him down. I’m convinced that if I’d ran on my own, I may have walked a lot more than I did, but once I’d settled in behind him, he kept a nice steady rhythm going and I was somehow managing to keep up. The shorter small hills were taking their toll on my legs and I found myself walking them, but where I could, I was still running. We were knocking out some decent mile splits that weren’t too far off what I had originally planned for, and every time we reached an aid station, he encouraged me to eat and drink whatever I could. I know that Adam was listening to my mumblings, but I also knew that he wasn’t about to take any shit from me and he was pushing me harder than I thought I would be capable of.

It was well and truly dark by now and with no moon, it was extremely dark out on the trail. I couldn’t see a thing except the few feet in front of me, and whilst by now I knew there were ups and downs and rocky sections, I couldn’t quite tell where we were in relation to them. I know that at times, the headtorches shining in the distance became an irritation for me – they never seemed to get any closer which meant the aid station seemed to take absolutely ages to get to, but it was such a welcome relief when we heard the disco music at Jackass. Adam knew the route so well and he prepared me for pretty much every twist or turn, every up and down, every rocky section.

We ran into Coyote at a good pace, grabbed more food and fluids, topped up on the ice which was still melting quickly even in the dark, and with one final push, we made it back to Jeadquarters feeling pretty good if a little tired, and definitely ready to finish that final lap into the finish.

Loop 5 – 19.5 miles – Segment Time : 4.48.18 – Total Running Time : 21.32.56

2^nd lady at the finish

At last! 80 miles done and I was now into my final lap. I still had no idea what position in at this stage and hadn’t seen any ladies for ages. I thought that maybe I was still in top 5, and as we headed back on on lap 5, we saw Den on her way in. She had taken a nasty tumble and her knee look extra sore and painful, yet she gave me a cheery hello and plenty of encouragement, and of course I returned the favour as we passed by each other in the night.

I had been drinking far better the past few hours and had started to pee again –t the problem now was that my legs were getting tired and it was taking far more willpower to just keep them going. I had started to slow a little too, and it was looking increasingly likely that wouldn’t get under 21 hours although I should be well under 24.

I was feeling extremely hungry again and was trying to take on board some chicken broth and noodles due to the salt content. It tasted delicious, and with some dried mango, rice pudding and chocolate milk, I was hoping I would get the extra calories would help me to run a strong final lap.

Adam was now running ahead of me by several metres whilst I was trying desperately to keep up. He was running well and I’m sure the intention was to get me moving more quickly but I was hitting a rough patch again. As we reached the top of the climb, the trail became more undulating which caused my toes to get really sore from the downhill running and I knew that bruised toe nail was forming. The downhills were also causing soreness in my quads by now but with every step I knew I was getting even closer to the finish line. Adam was still trying to push me, I was still trying to keep up, and I was still determined to finish in a half decent time.

I attempted to refuel again at Jackass as I was feeling a little light headed and figured that I should eat but my stomach was starting to complain again. I managed a couple of nibbles and had a good drink and I thought I’d take advantage of my drop bags again and grabbed a gel. But no sooner had I put the gel in my mouth, it came straight back out again, gagging as soon as it hit the roof of my mouth. I spat it out and tried to run but a waive of nausea swept over me, I suddenly went queasy again and the next minute, I was throwing everything up again at the side of the trail. As soon as my stomach felt completely empty, I felt tons better and off we went.

I perhaps wasn’t running that final gradual downhill stretch as fast as I would have liked, but I was still running, was still trying desperately to hang on the back of Adam. Over in the distance, we could see Rattlesnake Ranch but it didn’t seem to be getting any closer. I was once again getting really frustrated and just wanted to be finished now. I was trying to put in so much effort but felt like getting nowhere. Of course, ti was just the tiredness creeping in and the irritation that goes with it, and I knew that with just 3 miles to go, I’d be smiling again very soon. Things always seem much further in the dark too and you lose all perception of how fast things are moving – what felt like a mile was probably only 400 yards and it was really bugging me!

As we passed through the Rattlesnake Ranch aid station for the final time, I barely touched anything. I was hoping I would be ok with being so close to the finish – would I really need all that energy just to carry me another 4 miles?

It was of course still pitch black and I was now seeing even fewer people although there were still a couple ahead of me on trail. I somehow managed to catch and pass them and when a light suddenly appeared behind us, I was convinced it was a lady gaining on us.I really pushed that last couple of miles, opening a gap and giving everything I had. 

In my haste to get away from the chasing light, I caught a chap ahead of me. As Adam passed him by, the chap didn’t react, but as soon as I passed. he grunted and gave chase – I really wanted to yell at him is it really so bad being beaten by a woman, but knew it wouldn’t achieve anything. Besides, I needed every ounce of energy I had as I hurting like crazy, I was pushing hard and could here the chap behind breathing really heavily as he tried to keep up. Not surprisingly, he sprinted past me with about 100 yards to go – perish the thought of a woman beating him in a spring finish eh?

Running back through the camp area at 3am on Sunday morning, there were still a fair few people awake and they gave me some last minute encouragement to get me to the finish line. 

With Adam running down the finishing straight with me and me smiling like a Cheshire cat, I crossed the finish line in 21 hours 32 mins and 56 seconds. I was very happy with that! I had finished, I had my Western States Qualifier.

100 miles done and smiles all round - heading into the finish line :-)
Photo Credit: Andy

What I didn’t realise as I crossed the line was that I had finished 2^nd lady, some 30 mins behind the winner. I was completely shocked and surprised at that result and forgetting myself a little, I gave Adam a huge hug as a way of thanks for helping me to achieve not only a decent time but also a second place finish.

It turned out that the original leading ladies had been overcome by the heat and had dropped on the 4^th lap. I would like to have finished 2^nd on my own merits and not because people had DNF’d but then Hayley did have a point – they didn’t finish, I did, I’d had a rough day too with the heat and being sick but I had persevered and kept going – I’d earned that 2^nd place, even with the other dropping.

Andy was there at the finish and I was so pleased to see him and the dogs who had been waiting for me in a sleepy slumber back at the car. I gave them the biggest puppy hugs possible and I was covered from head to foot with puppy kisses J

Post Race Thoughts

What more can I say about the Javelina Jundred? It really was an awesome event, it definitely deserves to be called the party in the desert, and the atmosphere both at the aid stations and throughout the camp was phenomenal.

Like all Aravaipa events, the organisation went like clockwork, the volunteers were amazing, and everybody so friendly and supportive. 

I really don’t think that I could have done any better. I know that I need to teach my body to eat on the move again – I had this mastered a few years ago, but more recently I am finding myself being sick in every race. I need to take a look back at the ultras I did years ago to find out my secret and implement that again.

I didn’t hit my original target of sub 19 hours, but whether that’s due to lack of long runs, lack of fitness, being overly ambitious, being affected by the heat, or some other reason, I really don’t mind. I’m happy with the result – I managed to run way under 24 hours and have the belt buckle to prove it.

My aim of trying to finish in the top 5 ladies was well and truly met. Whether by default or otherwise, I’ve realised now that it doesn’t matter. I did it and therefore I am happy.

Before this race, I have never used pacers in a race and have battled through on my own. Having spent some 9 hours with Adam pacing me, I can honestly say that he DEFINITELY helped me. Adam is such a quiet and humble chap – at least that’s how appears to me – but he has an inner, quiet strength that rubs off on you, and he’s an amazing runner. He doesn’t need to say anything because you can tell that he is trying to bring out the best in you, he doesn’t need to constantly keep checking on you because he’s observant enough to know when you’re struggling or when you need something and will cater to your needs. He ran 40 miles and never once complained and he pushed hard all the way. If Adam is available for pacing duties, I would be honoured to have his services once again – assuming Mrs Livingston and Master Livingston give their blessing. Thank you Adam for doing a grand job!

Finally, I have so many other people to thank for a variety of reasons, whether leading up to the race or during the race:

Aravaipa Running – I’m honoured and proud to represent you on the trails as part of the Aravaipa Racing Team, and I am thankful for all the support you have given me over the past 12 months whilst being on the team. I can honestly say that every event I have done under the Aravaipa flag has been amazing.

Arizona TraiLeggers – Whilst I do know lots of you by name – Jon, Meghan, Brian, Travis, Jeremy, Daniel, Cary, Mario, Tom, Aaron, Nathan, Chris, Marisa to name just a few - I don’t know all of your names but your encouragement and support is truly amazing. I see you all as very good friends and a fantastic group of people, and I am grateful to have you in my running family.

Miguel, Kristen, Kevin, Jim – not just random names, but amazing people that have helped me when I’ve been at my lowest point and helped to put a smile back on my face during the race.

Then of course there are friends from afar that have inspired me, supported me and offered words of encouragement – whether it be Calgary, Edmonton, Stoke or London – thanks to all of you.

Andy, Wilson, Brandy and Khayman – where would I be without you all in my life? Thank you for hanging around for hours on end whilst I’m doing these events – the love and support you continuously give me never falters, and I really couldn’t do this without you.

It may take a few days to recover from the Javelina Jundred – the heat really knocked the stuffing out of me and whilst my legs feel great and are no longer aching and causing restless nights, the body is taking a little longer to recover compared to normal. There is one more race on my calendar for this year if I decide to still do it. The Desert Solstice 24 hour track race is a mere month away and whilst I want to do it, I need to be sensible and be honest about how I’m feeling. Maybe I’ll do maybe I won’t but the decision will be made in the next few days but I can’t help thinking that it would be an amazing way to end what so far has been an incredible year of racing.