Bata, DC
Well, the Batavierenrace has come and gone. I amazed myself in actually being able to run for 21 minutes and 51 seconds without dropping dead. (I actually might incorporate running into my workout now - seems I'm in terrible shape... as if I didn't know that ;->)
The whole organisation that must have gone into this event! 313 teams of 25 people, you do the maths... Every team ran 175 km in give or take 18 hours, from one city to the other and a bit through Germany as well.
I was on the night shift which meant I ran the first stage, then rested, then drove the bus for five stages and accompanied someone on his stage by bike. By the time we handed the bus to the morning shift (six a.m.-ish) we were pretty much exhausted. Not to mention cold. It was so cold at night. Then we were taken to the finish area where we needed to get some sleep. Five of us spent a few hours in one room, which was cozy but not uncomfortably so. I was pathetically grateful for the bit of floor.
We did get up around half past two or so... couldn't sleep anymore anyway. And the weather. The weather! Sunny and warm and lazy, oh my! After that cold a night, we basked! I'm even tanned!
Couldn't stay for the party... *grumble* Had such a thing as a Dutch Championship to go to on Sunday. And I wasn't the only one, even. The fifth runner on my shift took his own car to his starting point, ran his stage which ended at 3 a.m., went back to his car skating and presented himself in Leiden, which is at the other side of the (admittedly not that big a) country, at 8 a.m. thank you very much. Crazy bugger :D
Naturally, after all this I slept like a log. So was as well rested for the next day as could be hoped for. Championships went as expected. (Which I'm glad for don't get me wrong. But I'm still not entirely over hitting myself for my semi which I lost 15-14 and it was my own fault too.)
So, I ended in third! Yay!
The whole organisation that must have gone into this event! 313 teams of 25 people, you do the maths... Every team ran 175 km in give or take 18 hours, from one city to the other and a bit through Germany as well.
I was on the night shift which meant I ran the first stage, then rested, then drove the bus for five stages and accompanied someone on his stage by bike. By the time we handed the bus to the morning shift (six a.m.-ish) we were pretty much exhausted. Not to mention cold. It was so cold at night. Then we were taken to the finish area where we needed to get some sleep. Five of us spent a few hours in one room, which was cozy but not uncomfortably so. I was pathetically grateful for the bit of floor.
We did get up around half past two or so... couldn't sleep anymore anyway. And the weather. The weather! Sunny and warm and lazy, oh my! After that cold a night, we basked! I'm even tanned!
Couldn't stay for the party... *grumble* Had such a thing as a Dutch Championship to go to on Sunday. And I wasn't the only one, even. The fifth runner on my shift took his own car to his starting point, ran his stage which ended at 3 a.m., went back to his car skating and presented himself in Leiden, which is at the other side of the (admittedly not that big a) country, at 8 a.m. thank you very much. Crazy bugger :D
Naturally, after all this I slept like a log. So was as well rested for the next day as could be hoped for. Championships went as expected. (Which I'm glad for don't get me wrong. But I'm still not entirely over hitting myself for my semi which I lost 15-14 and it was my own fault too.)
So, I ended in third! Yay!