On the Friday night before the Relay T and I spent some time at UVic’s Centennial Stadium setting up the Support Team/Aid Station tent before heading home for a relaxing evening. We started Saturday morning off with an extraordinary breakfast at Mo:Lé and then made our way back to Centennial Stadium to finish setting up and get ready for the Relay. My first lap ‘ringer’, Jim Finlayson, met us at the tent shortly after we arrived and we attended the Team Captains meeting, which was set for 9:30, together. After the meeting Jim took off to warm up for a bit and I went back to the Support Tent to relax and double check everything was set up and organized.
10:00am came quickly and with the Support Team in place and ready Jim and I made our way to the Start Line. Ed Bain
from 100.3 The Q! was our official starter and after a 10 second countdown the first lap runners were led out by one of the campers who was riding on the back of a Harley. While I actually missed it Jim rocked our first lap, beating the next runner by over 30 seconds, winning the Money Mart Fastest First Lap Contest and was presented with $500, which we donated back to the 24 Hour Relay! As I was coming around finishing my first lap Jim was already walking back to the aid tent!
The first thing that really hit me after my first lap was that my legs were not feeling very fresh, I’m not sure if it was a matter of too much taper or maybe just an off day but the legs were really tight, especially my calves, right from the start. I was able to spend the next few hours cruising at a relaxed consistent pace, even with the legs feeling off, and was joined off and on by members of my Support Team.
I had gone into the day with an hourly checklist set up and with the help of the Support Team was able to follow it very closely. The main thing I needed them to do was ensure that I was eating and drinking after each lap and taking an electrolyte tablet every hour. Then there was to be a shoe and sock change every 6 hours and a weight check every 3 hours.
At the first weight check I came in 3 pounds down but was not too concerned as it was a warm morning and figured it would even off at the next check.
After 4 hours the feet were starting to feel the concrete pretty good so decided then to move up the shoe changes to every 4 hours and socks every second shoe change.
Packman showed up with M and the girls just before the second weight check, at around 4pm. They were there just to hang out and have some fun but Packman came over to see how things were going. I weighed in 6 pounds down and there was 
some definite concern at this point as I was in the 3% weight loss range and really needed to start concentrating on my fluid intake. To get some extra fluid in I started taking water at The Zone’s Watering Station every lap and the weight came back up for the third weigh in and continued to stay up for the rest of the Relay. I think the cloud cover we had in the afternoon helped a ton too as it was not nearly as hot.
During Packman’s afternoon visit he was able to help me out with some stretching and gave me a quick calve massage trying to loosen them up some before they caused too much trouble. He also arranged to get me some Calcium/Magnesium tablets which he thought might help with the muscle tightness.
At 8 hours it was time to change the shoes again and this time I was getting a new pair of socks too. I took the right sock off first and gave the foot a once over, it looked good. Unfortunately the left foot was not faring quite as well; there was a large blister on my big toe. I took a few minutes to take care of it, drained and leukotaped, and then back at it.
The legs were definitely starting to feel nasty by 8pm which was right when Packman showed up to help me out with some stretching and give me another massage. I was also hooked up with some Advil just before 9pm and popped one as soon as they arrived and then another an hour after that. It is very rare that I take pain killers but these were f#<king awesome! Once the ibuprofen fully kicked in I was able to rock some laps for about an hour and a half. If it had been up to me I would have started eating the Advil like candy but Scooter was at the Support Tent now and kept me in check. I took one more at
1:00am and then my last at 2:00am and again was able to pump out some laps.
Packman was my pacer from about 12:30am to 5:30am when the sun was coming up nice and bright. He also fixed up my large blister, as it had filled back up by the second sock change, and the second blister that had popped out on the toe beside it. Those dark early morning hours were the hardest, especially after the ibuprofen had worn off. I was quiet, grumpy and just trudging along but Packman was exceptional at keeping me entertained and keeping my mind off the pain and upcoming hours.
After he left and with only four hours left I figured it was about done and just kept with the relentless forward progress. It must have been just after 6am when I was joined by Coleslaw and BAM BAM for about 45 minutes, between them and the sun being up nice and bright the spirits were lifted once again. I’m not sure if I was too coherent at this point but
apparently I was pretty entertaining.
The last couple hours were not too bad, and they got even better after the brilliant breakfast that Joseph delivered from Mo:Lé Sunday morning. By this point I was checking the watch after each lap trying to calculate how many more I might be able to fit in before the end. I started lap 53 just after 9am and they were calling for a start to your last lap by 9:30 so had to push to get back and start 54 by 9:30. I was joined by Lisa and Alex for the last few laps and while I wasn’t communicating very much it was great to have the company and be able to listen to their stories.
I was DONE after lap 54 but did make the final Team Parade lap of the track before the final ceremonies. I was greeted by some great applause as I made my way past the main stage, which felt amazing, and was stopped on the far side of the track for a quick interview by one of the 100.3 The Q! reporters.
At the closing ceremonies I was caught totally off guard when they presented our team with the Best Team Spirit Award, this award is presented to the Team which has displayed the Best Spirit throughout and leading up to the Relay. I was in a state of shocked and was hit by a huge wave of emotion by the very supportive and enthusiastic reaction from the other participants, campers, staff and volunteers as I made my way up to the stage – it was an incredible way to end a very amazing 24 hours!
I was designated a solo team for the Relay but this was definitely not a solo venture as I had an incredible support crew behind me, ensuring I was eating and drinking, joining me for laps, telling me stories, putting up with all my shit, fixing my blisters, helping me with gear changes, giving me massages, and of course there was the amazing food that was being delivered throughout the event from Mo:Lé Restaurant.
My thanks are owed to many people …
First and foremost is my daughter Tori who allows me to pursue my running addiction so feverishly.
Jim Finlayson for absolutely destroying that First Lap!
My AMAZING Support Team:
Alex
Paul & Lisa
Stan
Beddall
Tree
Miss Smith
Lance
Jon
Paul
Rob
Mar-Mar
PanPan and Lindsaylator
Lindsay
Max
My ‘Witching Hour’ Support Crew: Packman and Scooter – You two are the best!
Uncle Jimmy for that 2:00am visit with Timbits and coffee
Coleslaw and BAM BAM for the early morning lift
Plus everyone one else that dropped by for a visit
Frontrunners Westshore for the continued support and encouragement
Kruger Paper
and Mo:Lé Restaurant for their support and incredible food!
[...] VI 24 Hour Relay 2008 – Reflections [...]