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| The journey... still thank you |
23-May-2010 10:39:43 AM [(GMT+08:00) Kuala Lumpur, Singapore]
Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2010 |
Stage 4 was pretty much hell and nothing short of the difficult terrain we were put through from day one. Toes for the morning - severely blistered, the blisters were underneath my big toenails. My other toes looked pretty awful and potential for being amputated. The first section of the stage entailed dunes, going across uneven rocks and loose sand. I think the lack of sleep caught up with me as well. There was this part we had to go down huge sand dunes and loose rocks. I had missed a turn on the pink flag so it was really tough to get to the other side where it was. I had to move horizontally. I dug my heels and hands into the sand but I kept sliding. It was royally frustrating and i knew it was eating into my overall time - i had to make it to checkpoint 2 by 3pm. I struggled to move sideways with my backpack and front pouch in the debilitating heat. There was so much sand packed in my shoes pressing on my blisters. Next we had to go through a dirty and muddy river creek to get to checkpoint 1.
I ran in the first part from checkpoint 1, followed by sand and more sand. There was this sharp pain that radiated from my left hip area to my thigh I can't even describe it. The heat was unforgiving. I kept looking at the tiny pink flags in the vast distance. It was neverending desert. I was close to being in a delirious state as I tried to separate my mind and body. I told myself to suck it up and kept pushing. It's amazing how you can push your body to withstand pain somehow. I made it to checkpoint 2 in a good time for that section but i had missed the overall cut-off time. It was 4pm, I had to pull out. Still I gave it my all and wanted to see how far I could go.
Previously at Stage 2
I got to checkpoint 3 about 1.5 hours ahead of the cut-off time. But the course was no less tough. Plenty of river crossings. My height or lack of it was clearly a disadvantage. The freezing waters mostly got to my thigh or waist level. I lost my balance on the rocks beneath and fell twice. Next was sandy ground and loose rocks. Each time I hit my toes on the rocks which was pretty much every time, it hurt like hell. It got to a part where I was almost numb from the pain. Still I was afraid to take off my socks to look at the state of my toes. I noticed competitors hardly talked to one another, each coping with his or her own struggle. I had a bout of nosebleed due to the altitude near sundown. I got to camp at 9.30pm. Thanks Marilena for helping me to the medical tent and Dr Laurie for sorting out my blistered toes so I could continue.
Stage 3
The first section was long grass that got up to my eye level, dry and crusty terrain for around 20km. There were salt flats mixed with mud, which were anything but flat. We were made to climb killer sand dunes to get to camp. I took some pictures and i thought i'd be ok with camp in sight. It started to get dark and i had to use my headlamp. I had to go through thick bushes and climb sections of rocks. The weight of my backpack and front pouch was impeding my balance as i got on my fours. I tried not to lose my grip and footing in the dark. I was also running out of water and felt my throat getting drier by the minute. I kept looking out for the pink flags and glow sticks as i went along, hoping to see the next one. I couldn't see beyond a glow stick and came to the realisation that I was lost. I saw light from a distance on my left and imagined it to be camp. The more I walked towards that direction, the more lost I felt. The thought of being lost in the middle of nowhere and dehydrated ran across my mind. I took a chance and walked to the other side. I saw what looked like a tiny light from a glow stick at the top. A bit more climbing with my headlamp before I could see camp.
It was a challenge to stay hydrated along the course, strategising having enough water to get to the next checkpoint (warm Accelerade from the blazing heat leaves you even more thirsty). Some sections of the course entailed longer mileage around 13-14km. It was alot of slogging getting to the next checkpoint or camp each day.
You cannot image the pain one endures in this race - the brutal heat, the varied and punishing terrain. For stages 2 and 3 I pushed myself, carrying my backpack of about 8kg for over 12 hours each day. I also questioned my own sanity. It was a toss between that and wanting to get out of my own comfort zone. The race has taught me more of my strengths and weaknesses. I surprised myself with the way I coped and I'm glad I got the chance to test the limits of my physical and mental abilities.
I wanna say thank you to Mary and Samantha from RacingthePlanet, the helpful volunteers - Deanna, Cristobal, Alasdair, Julia, Joanna, Bev, Andrea, Rick, Grace, Alina, Anthony. To my tentmates from 12 Parinacotta, hang in there guys!
Thanks to Rachel Lobb for taking care of my blistered toes as we limp together at San Pedro. Laurie Brophy, you're an inspiration.
To my family, my sister and friends in Singapore for your love and support. I'm thankful for all your messages and email, reading them from the other side of the world. To Michele, Chris, June, Ashley, Jacinta, Melani, Adeline, Lynn, Belinda, Wan Ling, Ron, Ben, Carol, Kevin, Jason, Irvine, Osbert, Matthew and your team at BV sport, my colleagues at Argus Media, the Singapore Cancer Society, Ryan and Eileen from Maxout Hydrosports, Drs Alex Fok, Jit Kheng Lim, Jaclyn Reutens, Gino Ng, Andrew Yeo, coach Aziz and Oli. Thank you everyone for making this such an incredible journey for me.
And Mel, thank you for your unconditional support and your faith in me. I couldn't have got this far if not for you. |
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