A Good Day in Christchurch

Sunday morning was Christchurch Marathon day and my first chance at racing in a wheelchair.  It was an early start for me getting up before 5am and doing my morning routines as well as getting ready for race day.  The previous evening we had packed the racing chair into the car by removing the wheels and lowering a third of the back seat.  With advice from Denise and Thomas I started the morning with a fruit smoothie as well as my usual cup of tea.

After sorting out a few finer details like camel backs and clothing for the finish we head north on a frosty Canterbury morning.  We picked up Kate from Merivale on the way to Cathedral Square, it is a tight squeeze with both the racing and my normal chair in the car. As we were told at registration the day before, we drive through the road blocks and park at the organisers carpark on Worcester St near the Square.  We get to the start line with plenty of time and my helpers Thomas, Denise and Kate get me into the race chair and I make my way to the start line.  Denise is on her bike and she will chaperon me through the Christchurch streets. 

Getting Ready for the Start

At the start line I am poised just behind the electronic sensors surrounded by the elite runners. I am then given a one minute head start and I sprint away as quickly as I can. The road surface is generally pretty good and I get some reasonable speed up although there are quite a few corners that slow me. It is not long before the competitors in the 10k race fly past me and I start trading positions with the runners, generally they are going past me but sometimes when I get a bit of a down slope I will whiz past them again. The first part of the race loops around Hagley Park and then as we start heading back to the square I realise I probably started a little too quickly and I try to settle on a less vigorous pace.

Pushing Hard Early in the Race

Denise and I get back to the Square at about the same time as the lead female 1/2 marathoners. From here though things get more difficult as we head east and towards the red zone. To begin with I have to tackle some of the Avon River bridges that have been lifted up as a result of the earthquake.  This proves quite difficult, especially when I have to climb up the bridge while turning at the same time. We then get deeper into the red zone and start travelling on roads that are no longer used by cars. These roads or tracks are a mixture of pot holes or soft hot mix repairs that have not been completed properly. Some of these repair sites are quite long and the surface is more like a beach or a riverbed than a road.  This definitely slows me down but I managed to press on and after a bit of cursing at the racing organisers we do eventually get back to real roads. With the body pretty weary I 'push' on to the Square and the finish. 

Over the Finish Line!

At the the finish I am greeted by Kate and Thomas who tell me I have completed the race in about 1 hour 21 minutes. I am stoked as I had aimed to finish between 1:15 and 1:30. I am also greeted at the finish by my cousin Michael which is a great surprise. Michael along with my helpers manage to get me back in my normal chair and we head back to the car to stow the race chair and then head to a cafe for a well earned brunch.

Christchurch 2015 Wheelchair 1/2 Marathon Champion!!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has got me this far. Firstly Denise who has been 100% behind me. All my children; Kate & Thomas who helped me at this event and Harry who has trained in the rain with me and been a camera man.  Thank you to everybody else who has helped with my training and those who have helped financially and to people that cheered me on in Christchurch.  All the crowds along the route provided great support and gave the event a fantastic atmosphere.