Now that I’ve settled back in to Dunedin again (after my whirlwind weekend away in Wellington), it’s a good time to reflect on the race that was the 2017 Crazyman Duathlon.
We lived in Wellington for two years in 2007-2008. During that time, I was riding bikes a lot and was training for various XC events. We had been out to spectate the Crazyman in both years that we were there. The MTB aspect looked challenging but doable, but the run was something I could only dream of doing. (Kayaking, the other leg of the full multi-sport race, is something that’s never crossed my radar).
Fast forward to 3.5 weeks ago. I’d just finished running 15km of the Three Peaks mountain run event, and was casually looking around other events to fill up the winter months. On a whim, I checked to see when the Crazyman was – 7th May. Not too far away, and I’d just received some bonus money for work I’d done a couple of months prior. “Scotty, hypothetically speaking.. would it be crazy for me to sign up to do the Crazyman next month?” I asked. “Why not?” he said.
I sorted out the logistics of flights, transport, and accommodation. I looked at borrowing a bike off a friend, then ended up buying a carbon 29er hardtail to ride instead. I crammed in a few extra runs and bikes in the 3 weeks prior that I could, under the guise of “panic training”. It hasn’t been a particularly good year for me exercise-wise – I’d badly bruised my ribs at the start of January in an OTB (over-the-bars) bike crash and it took until March for it to settle down enough until I could run 5km without hurting. To add insult to injury (or more injury to injury), I rolled my ankle slightly running down a hill last week, so I had an enforced “taper” for the past week.
Things all came together and on an overcast Sunday morning in Wellington, I found myself at the start line (along with 200-ish other people) of the Crazyman Duathlon. It was a frantic start, with the first 10km along the Hutt River Trail. I had hoped to get into a bunch and work with some people to get some drafting going along, but that unfortunately didn’t happen (I’d sit behind someone for a wee bit, then pull in front so they could sit behind me but they all dropped right off when I tried that). When we turned off to head up Boulder Hill, I was grateful for the riding I’d been doing on the clay 4wd tracks on Signal Hill in Dunedin. The track started off at a fairly gentle gradient but got steeper towards the top. I rode as much as I could (and more than most of the people who were walking their bikes around me), but did end up pushing the final portions near the top. The 360 degree views from the top were amazing! I enjoyed admiring the scenery and historic bunkers, while trying to remember how to navigate a hardtail across bumpy farmlands (I’ve been riding full-suspension bikes for the past 10 years, so it was a bit of an eye opener how rough things felt without rear suspension). I said hello to the cows and the horses, thanked all the marshalls on course, and chatted to a few other riders who were riding around the same pace that I was. The final 4km of the 28km MTB course was down a nice piece of singletrack – I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face at that point. It was heaps of fun and challenging enough to keep me on my toes.
I got into the transition zone around 2hr:12min in (faster than the arbitrary 2:30 time goal I wanted to do for the bike), and then it was time for the 13km trail run. The first few hundred metres on the flat were fine, but by the time I reached the first short 1km climb, my quads had locked up completely and refused to be cooperative. It was a very slow walk up that hill, and then the next one, and then the third hill almost broke me mentally. At one point, I was considering how I could possibly pull the pin and whether there was an easier way out of there. The third climb was super steep, with lots of hands and feet to be used to pull over tree trunks and roots. But finally I reached the top, and it was mostly downhill for the next 4km or so. As I’d taken my time clambering up the third climb, my legs were finally feeling a bit more rested and ready to move again. It was good to get a bit of speed up and stretch out my stride. The final trail section involved many, many creek crossings. By the time I hit the sealed road, I felt like I was running in concrete boots, and my pace dropped off again. The final 3km on the flat felt like an eternity and I was disappointed I couldn’t run any faster. The last km running on the rocky, pebbly beach with the finish line in the far distance was tough work in particular, but I knew I would make it there.. eventually!
I was so relieved to cross the finish line (run time of 1hr:58min – was aiming for sub-2hrs so at least I got there in the end) and it was great to see my friends, Lisa and Kim, cheer me on. A bit of finish line chat with other competitors who I had rode or run with during the race, and then it was time to head back for a shower and a well-deserved lie down!
Would I do the race again? Probably. Would I do things differently next time? Hell yeah. Doing something like this with no actual training was tough – probably the toughest race I’ve done (although 12 hours solo at the Naseby 12 Hr MTB comes pretty close). I was fairly happy with the bike, but I know I can be a stronger rider with some more kms in the legs. I was pretty disappointed in my run. I’ve done a handful of duathlons in the past year, but they’ve all been on flat courses, so it’s been much easier to pace myself, even with sore legs from the bike. Nothing I’d done previously could have prepared me for the completely knackering feeling of going from a 28km mountainbike to a hilly run course. I’m curious to see how much faster that run would have been if I’d only done the run segment – I know the first two hills are definitely runnable, so it was disappointing that I walked so much of them, and my pace on the flat portions near the end was terrible (around 7:30 mins/km instead of my usual duathlon race pace of between 5:30 and 6:00 mins/km).
All in all though, I’m glad to have ticked the Crazyman Duathlon off my bucket list. It was an amazing race, with such fantastic organisation and atmosphere. I am incredibly grateful for the support that Lisa and Kim gave me while I was up in Wellington – for transport and transition on race day, and for the dinners the nights before and after. I’ve met so many awesome people over my years of riding, running, and racing, and it’s great to have people who will happily me out whenever I put out a call for assistance. Finally, this all wouldn’t have been possible with my super-duper awesome husband, Scotty, who did a fantastic job of solo-parenting all weekend. I hope that if I head up again to do the Crazyman in the future, I’ll have Scotty and my girls cheering me on as well.
So, what’s next? Mother’s Day 5km fun run/walk this Sunday, then it’s the first round of the Dunedin Tri Club’s Duathlon Series the weekend after that. Can’t wait!
Celia's Adventures 