My Experience: TNF100 2014

 It took me along time to write this, and it has taken me along time to post, but here it is, my TNF experience for 2014.

After dedicating 6 challenging months to training, the ultimate pinnacle, The North Face 100 had arrived. The preceding 6 months had many highs and many lows, every minute, every race, every drop of sweat was all for this moment. It was a long hard journey just to make it to the start line. How exciting and surreal it was to arrive in Katoomba late on Thursday night prior to race day, then to peek out the window early Friday morning and catch a glimpse of the cliff face that was so near to us. The morning sun highlighting the magnificent beauty of this place, it really felt like magic.

That Friday was a day full of every single emotion you can possibly feel, and of course I loved the final day of carb loading bliss! I also relished and too despised trying to organise my check point drop bags, planning how much nutrition and what gear I needed between each point was not an easy task, it took me a good few hours! That morning we took a short walk to Echo Point lookout and I became exhilarated at the sight of pink tape and the course arrows, all though not so happy when I saw the giant staircase, I forgot how bloody steep it was! Try attacking that with almost 60kms in your legs!

Late afternoon I began to get excited as it was time to head to Race HQ for the event registration, expo & briefing. On arrival, this place was electric and buzzing, so much that it was quite overwhelming. Mandatory gear check complete, rego done, race number in hand and a bag full of goodies, I was ready to run! I loved the elite athlete Q & A session and hated waiting around for the race briefing, afterwards, I was happy to be going to bed, but my grumbling stomach had other ideas! So off to the town centre we went, and pizza was the eventual winner! Returning to our cottage, disaster struck! I managed to break the sim card reader in my phone whilst trying to put a Telstra sim I had just purchased in my phone. Oh dear this stressed me out big time! I was doing so well in the weeks leading up to this event, staying relaxed (okay so I banned myself from coffee and that sure helped!) but I was super happy with this and then I went and bungled it! Why did I stress so much? A mobile phone (in working order!) was part of the mandatory gear, and we realised I would have to use Tristan’s phone, and he would have to buy a new one after the race had started. This was very important because I also needed to be able to communicate my estimated arrival time at checkpoint 4 to Tristan. 

After a poor night’s sleep the backup alarm went off and before I knew it we were out the door and at the starting line. Scenic world was abuzz with runners awaiting the race start, and at 6:38am my start group was off and I was shuffling my way up and down cliff drive. After a few kilometres of bitumen which felt like we were running a road marathon we disappeared down the Furber stairs and out of sight. It didn’t take long for the group to come to a standstill as people stumbled through the landslide section of the course. It didn’t get much better climbing the golden staircase as the pace was very slow and passing not possible. As we came into the clear heading along narrowneck runners were able to spread out and it was nice to have some room to move! I enjoyed shuffling along narrowneck and eventually we came to taros ladders. I opted for the alternative route which was just as difficult! I had to hang onto ropes to keep footing and not fall down the side of a cliff! The longer route was faster than waiting in line at the ladders. I was stoked to reach the second checkpoint at 31km and also happy to receive a text from Tristan letting me know all was good with our mobile phone saga! After this checkpoint, the climb for Iron Pot ridge quickly came into view, there was more clambering than climbing up this section! The views were stunning and the sounds of clap sticks and the didgeridoo filling the valley was special. The descent from Iron Pot was tricky, very loose dirt single-track, it was difficult to stay upright, but I only stacked it once! After this we ran through some very pretty farmland with some creek crossings, it was testing trying not to get the feet wet! After this came Megalong Valley Road, I enjoyed the flat section of the road running past some horse properties but soon it was a climb, one the seemed never-ending! I was happy when I became a gentle downhill and it wasn’t long before I had made it to checkpoint 3, wow the atmosphere here was spectacular! This was the first checkpoint that support crews could access and they were cheering! It was also the first checkpoint we could have drop bags, wow never has changing shirts, shoes and socks felt so good! I tried to change and refuel as quickly as possible and I was on my way again. I had heard that the next section had some tough climbing and stairs, but I was pleasantly surprised how well I handled this part. I ran most of it, and I passed many people climbing the stairs. The stairs hurt like hell, and seemed to never end, but I was so happy to arrive into Katoomba as the course headed towards to Aquatic centre. Coming into the centre I was quick to spot the support crew (party of 1) and stuff my face. I spent longer than I would have liked at this checkpoint but I was happy to be out the door. I was looking pretty fresh here, even with 57km in the legs! 

Upon leaving CP4 it was time to wear the headlamp and fluro vest in preparation for the upcoming and dreaded darkness! After leaving the comfort and normality of CP4, running along a walking track that lead to Echo Point Lookout, I felt like an absolute rock star, it was quite special to run through here, there were tourists as well as race spectators cheering everyone on, but it wasn’t long before civilisation disappeared before me as we descended the giant staircase. I really enjoyed every little part, every moment of this race, except as darkness began to fall, the fun and joy soon slipped away. The joy was replaced by anxiety and fear. Have I taken a wrong turn? Will these bloody stairs ever end? At the 60km point I rolled my ankle, but decided to push on. The stairs just never ended, up some stairs then down again then up and down repeatedly. I was frustrated because I found this terrain impossible to run in the dark, so I spent 4-5 hours walking this section heading towards checkpoint 5. It was towards the latter stages of this section that I allowed the negative thoughts to take over, I became emotionally desolate and destroyed. I gave in. I couldn’t bear the thought of battling the cold, the darkness, and continuing to battle my fears for many continual hours covering the final 22km. I had made up my mind coming into the checkpoint and I withdrew from the race. It was 9:30pm and I was lured by a hot shower and warm bed. Physically I was in pretty good shape, my nutrition plan was well executed and my legs felt great but mentally I was shattered. 

The following morning I was heartbroken and angry, but after a few days these feelings turned into excitement about tackling the event again next year. This is such a special event to me, it really means so much, I cannot put it into words. Failure or not it is truly out of this world, even if I only completed 78% of it… this time around. What is that I hear you ask, will I be back next year? You bet! I’ve got another 22% that remains and I must fight it out, I don’t care how many attempts it takes, how many times my heart will break on this course, I will make it to the final furlong, I will climb those dreaded final 900 stairs that will see me cross the finish line. For all those people that I met along the way whether or not I ever cross paths with them again will forever stay in my memory.

To end, a quote from the official TNF program 2014 “For everyone who doesn’t think they can do it, we celebrate the courage it takes to find out you were wrong!”

There is always next year!