Date: 29 May 2016
Distance: 42.2km
Time: 4:38.44

The Team: me, Gerry, Graeme and Rob at the start of our fifth marathon.

A quick selfie.

The field of marathon runners, wondering how long the rain is going to stay away.

Passing under Summerhill Drive.

The Bridle Track next to the Manawatu River.

Gerry at the first water point.

Evidence of the past couple of weeks’ rain.

Flooded paddocks around “Swamp City”.

Gerry with Patricia.

Higgins Aggregates yard.

Always nice to see Mike still going strong, after 500+ marathons.

Gerry, Karen, Norman and Charlotte.

High-five with Perry, and James.

Michelle with another red-and-black team member. 🙂 Don’t know who he is.

The turn-around point in Higgins property.

Rob heading out to the turn-around point, only a few minutes behind us.

Heading back towards town along the never ending Te Matai Road.

Nice to see the rain didn’t deter our usual bagpipe player at the Manawatu Striders annual event. It’s always great heading the sound of the bagpipes from a distance as you run along the river.

Gerry is clearly on a cruise.

John speeding through the last five kilometres.

“Jumping” puddles. Uhum, or whatever you call trying to sidestep puddles after 34km.

Photo by Cheryl Sturm.

With the final turn disappearing in the back, we’re on the home straight.

A nice little loop through Waitoetoe Park.

Heading back upstream. Photo by Cheryl Sturm.

Despite being very sick, Cheryl still braved the foul weather to come out and offer support.

Digging deep – only about 2kms to go.

Just up the hill and around the corner – less than 1km to go. Photo by Ian Porritt Photography.

Rob at the finish.

Graeme pushing a mate through the finish.

Showing our bling – Rob, me, Gerry and Graeme.

A few years ago, Gerry and I did an unsupported, 800km in 26 days walk through the Klein Karoo in the southern parts of South Africa, covering roughly 30+km every day. Day after day, we’d get up before sunrise, walk the whole day, sometimes up to 54km and other times until after dark, before cooking dinner, washing our only other set of clothes, going to sleep, to repeat it all the next day. We carried a tent, sleeping bags, a small camping stove, one set of extra clothes, including warm clothing and some basic emergency food and health care. For the rest, we bought food as we went, so had to be sure to make it to the next town in time to buy supplies. It was challenging at times (I suffered from severe blisters, we were sunburned despite thick slathers of sunblock, and sometimes had to endure temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius), but it was also great to spend each day all day long outside and being exposed to whatever nature throws at you – rain, wind, baking hot sun etc. And as the days got shorter during that Autumn month and our trip nearer the end, we were filled with mixed emotions. It was such a huge life changing experience which we didn’t want to end, but at the same time we were getting a bit tired of the mundane task, having to repeat everything each day for days on end. With the only change being the scenery, meeting new people along the way and the sun rising later and setting earlier each day. Continue reading →