Kepler Challenge, done

Well, there it is. My project for the past 6 months, and go-to topic when people ask what I'm doing instead of work, is all over. I'm no longer 'training for the Kepler Challenge', I'm officially just 'hanging out for the summer' (which is not a bad thing, by the way).

After a race like this, it seems several things happen. First, there is dealing with the "Great Big Empty feeling", with no training plan to crunch out any more, and no race planning in the back of my mind at all waking hours. Second, there is the reflection and post-race analysis, trying to figure out: did I do well? Did I run a good / smart / strong race? Finally, there's the deep, dark question: will I do it again?

So leaving me to deal with the GBE feeling, I'll start with a race report before getting into the performance analysis. The star of this show is definitely the track (or trail for those in the US): a 60km circuit with about 1800 m (6000 ft) of vertical ascent / descent, winding through some of New Zealand's best wilderness. (If you are more into the pictures than the story, the full photo reel is here.)

The first few miles were a nice flat warm-up through lowland beech forest, the calm before the track heads for the sky. Nice and easy, a chance to check everything is working. But during that first steep climb, I began to get nervous about my race plan: a lot of people (who didn't look like mountain running heroes) were puffing their way hard up the hill alongside me, while I was trying to conserve my legs and keep my heart rate in check (which was the plan). I stuck to my guns, cruised up the hill, and reached Luxmore Hut a shade after 1:40 - pretty much in line with my race pace, and feeling relatively strong. Later I passed a bunch of the hill-puffers, which made me feel better about the self-control I mustered there! At Luxmore we had the gear check (rules require runners to carry a pack with full mountain clothing) and a chance to enjoy some gels, and the view.

The next stage was where the surprises began. Turns out my memory of the track from 2 years ago was a little, ah, optimistic. Instead of a rolling, smooth blast across the mountain tops, the trail was a brutal up-and-down, with lots of scrambling and balancing on rocks, and no chance of finding a rhythm. It was near freezing, with a strong head wind; my energy bars had to be hand-warmed just to make them chewable. I debated adding an extra layer, but decided to just keep on moving. Despite all this, there was no better place in the world to spend Saturday morning - amazing views over Lake Te Anau and the tops.

The descent from the tops redefined the term 'steep downhill'. Too steep to run, and with switchbacks every few metres, this stretch was an hour of making every footstep count - don't twist anything, don't burn out the quads, while using gravity to make up as much time as possible. Towards the half way point, the downhill eased, the track smoothed again, and it was possible to stretch out. About time after slogging through the rocks and peaks for over three hours.

At Iris Burn (28.4km) I took stock, stretched out, put my iPod on. The rest of the trail was well-made, mostly flat, and a chance to get rolling - in my race plan, this was the time to settle into a strong pace and drive home the negative split. On the flip side, I'd just been up and down over 1500m vertically, and there was still 31.6km to go. My longest distance previously was a marathon, so I was soon going to be in uncharted territory. In the back of my mind, I remembered the last 3 miles of the Big Sur marathon: pure agony, with cramping calves and burning hip flexors. If that happened this time at 40km, the last 20km weren't going to be fast...

So I played it smart, and kept my overall race goal in mind: be running strong at the finish. Ticking off the checkpoints, disaster was duly avoided, and I didn't cramp up, break down, or tear anything. I was able to enjoy the scenery... if you haven't walked the track, the Iris Burn Valley is a truly spiritual place. The field had spread out, so much of this half was run with nobody in sight, cruising through the rainforest on a leaf-litter path. I passed many hikers, who all clapped and cheered me on (even though I sure they thought we were all mad) - I even saw the Canadian guy who I hiked the Routeburn track a week previously, who was wearing a "Go Luke Go!" sign on his pack... thanks to Keith for giving me an extra burst of energy there.

After 50km, it's all a bit of a haze. The legs didn't really want to go, I cracked the whip and skipped songs until I found inspiration, and at last I saw the Control Gates around the bend in the river. With about 500m to go, I had enough for a 'sprint' (or at least what felt like a sprint) and claimed one more place (I had reeled a few people in on the back half) before crossing in 7:22:44, good enough for 105th out of a field of 400.

Which brings me to the next part - how did I do? After all the training, did I play it right? In terms of pace, you can do the numbers: over 7 hours for 60km is pretty slow. I was hoping for something the 7:00, but in hindsight my pace calculations weren't well figured. Consider that the winning time of 4:56 equates to 5 minute k's, or 8 minute miles - pretty slow for a winning time in an elite race. And this guy (Martin Lukes) recently placed 6th in the world ultramarathon champs, doing 100km at a pace of 4 minute k's, or 6.5 minute miles. So it's a tough course!

At the very least, I achieved three things: a negative split (about 4 hours for the first half, 3:20 for the second), running strong at the finish, and no disasters (cramps / hitting walls / etc) along the way.

I then got to wondering about the folks who finished around me, as a way of benchmarking. A little web-stalking revealed some interesting stuff. The girl who I sprinted past at the finish (with the possibly illegal help of Jay-Z's 'Encore' on the iPod) turned out to be a fairly serious triathlete from the US, highlights being: 2nd in the Big Sur trail half marathon, 1st in her age group for the ITY World Triathlon Champs (she's in the background of my 'sprint' photo). Behind her was a guy who recently clocked a 1:24 half marathon - certainly better than me, he's clearly no slouch. A few minutes ahead (7:20) was a guy who did the Badwater 15o miler Death Valley this year... so there's some inspiration.

When it's all said and done, though, this is called a "Challenge", not a "Race" for a reason. For me, it was simply unlike anything I've ever done, and everyone out there has their own story. The race has been run 21 times, and there was a guy running his 20th - at 72. There was also a young gun going for the big win, but who hit the wall with 10km to go, and came in second to the self-proclaimed 'wily' and experienced Martin Lukes.

Now for the big question: will I go back? Talk to me in a couple of weeks...