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The run was over four laps, and there was a large crowd present to cheer us on. Lovely! Lots of aid stations allowed for refreshments and pouring water of my head, very useful in the Lanzarote oven. First two laps went very smoothly. No problems what so ever, and I was running at about 47' per lap (or so my parents told me). Things were starting to get somewhat more difficult at the end of the third lap, but hell, what do you want after almost nine hours. I was still running in seventh place, so had a good look on a top ten finish. However, my legs didn't share the feeling. In the first half of the last lap, I got bothered by severe cramps, forcing me to stop a couple of times and try to loosen the muscles (you try running with a cramped muscle). In the second half I tried to pick up the pace again as the competition was close. I did get one more cramp (though not as badly as before) and in the last two km I was running reasonable well again (well, in sight of the finish - who wouldn't). Ok, so a few more people passed me than I thought (they must have hidden their lap ribbons), but all in all I am quite pleased with my twelfth place finish, and will be an experience richer for my next race. |
The start of the run was cool. Getting of the bike,
I ran to the changing tent at high speed. My legs felt strong, a lovely feeling. Things were looking good, my game plan was working. Of course, once the actual run started, I felt some slight
cramps coming up, but no hassles, seems normal as the bike ride was more than tough enough. So after about 2 km, everything was going smoothly. Two guys did pass me very early in the run, so I
was now running in seventh place (even though I finished the bike in sixth, try to work that one out).