BONDI		Photo: Alun - the day after. Bondi Running And Triathlon Club Six Foot Track - Doing it for Cedo!! by Alun J. Watkins   While visiting Cedric when he was ill, Phil and Tony kindly encouraged me to participate in the six foot track race. My fitness base was more that of an olympic distance triathlete than a marathon runner. But I knew Cedric loved the six foot track so I agreed and used this to try to keep Cedric's spirits up by continually telling him that he was an inspiration to us and especially to me and that is why I was doing the six foot track race this year. He always raised a smile and modestly told me that he doubted he could inspire anyone. But he knew I was sincere and I believe it helped him a little during his suffering.   Phil Clifton, with 8 six foot track finishes to his name and his sensible approach to this race, planned my 6 week crash course training schedule. And Tony Golden, with 10 six foot track finishes to his name and more enthusiasm and energy than Gunga Din at his prime, dragged me out for a long, hard run when I wanted a conservative 20K run around the park. Brian Hodgson joined us occasionally and gave me the best sports massage money can buy, at less than half the price, to get my knotted muscles straight. And to get the best out of the massage, I even shaved my legs for the first time in my life - I told my girlfriend that due to the long runs, all the hair had dropped off my legs! But I could not keep a straight face for long!   Phil gave me lots of advice and everyone frightened the S*** out of me. I was taught to respect the course! Of course, on race day, despite having been given all this advice, I threw caution to the wind and went out like a bat out of hell with the elite runners - charging like a wild bull down terrain most sane people would not even walk down. We were at the bottom of the steps in no time at all and racing on to the Cox's river at a good half marathon pace. One weekend in 1987, Paul Arthur relegated me to second place on the Saturday and the Sunday in 10K road races. But he wasn't going to get away easily this time!!   Hang on a minute!! He is over 2 hours faster on the form paper!   I was not doing bad at all considering I had not slept a wink the night before and had been in the bushes three time before the start to throw up. Never share a room with an insomniac! He was kept awake by the road trains traveling through Blackheath all night and I was kept awake by the noise of his tossing and turning in the bed next to mine! And having closed the window, when I popped out to check everything was OK when the fire alarm rang at 12:30am, the room filled with smoke from the bar below and by 4:30am when the smoke detector alarm went off I was feeling pretty sick! But I was more concerned with the effect of the carbon dioxide in my system competing with my hemoglobin for the oxygen in the air during the race. I needed as much oxygen as I could get! But in the scheme of things, these aggravations were just a part of the challenge to finish the race.   So, heading down to the Cox's river with the top 20 runners, I started to feel the effects of the steps on my thighs. By the time I had gone 5K, I knew that my legs were already stuffed and I had not even done a third of the first easy bit. And there was another 40K to go! So I drew on Phil's advice, dropped the pace significantly and analysed the damage in my mind. I had already blown it! My thighs were already hurting and that was not supposed to happen until the last 5K. The sensible thing to do now was drop out at the 8K mark, where I could get back to the main road, and try to be a bit more sensible next year.   As I continued past the 8K, I was recalling that I had been told that this race was mental as much as physical. All the downhill bits were already painful on my thighs and when I saw the Cox's river after 1 hour and 10 minutes even though I had slowed down, it confirmed that on the one hand that I had gone out way too fast, but I convinced myself that on the other hand that if I ignored the pain, I had enough time up my sleeve to still finish under 7 hours even if I had to walk most of the way. Anyway, I have never given up in any race and I decided that doing it for Cedo meant that I was not about to give up now. That would also let my training partners down, and introduce a new weakness into my character. No way!   Having asserted my will, I could feel the inner strength which was so familiar to me - not brute physical strength, but a flowing synergistic, "mind and body in harmony" feeling running deep through my entire being. Even so, when running painfully down hill I looked forward to he next uphill bit, and then when struggling on the steep uphill I looked forward to the next downhill bit! If it ever came!! My mental state was good and I joked with other competitors and others who were on the six foot track trail. Then, after 4 hours, with 8K to go, I started to feel light-headed and dizzy. I had made sure that I was well hydrated by sipping continually from a water bottle I had picked up at the Cox's river. And I had eaten the gels that I carried with me and drunk plenty of High5 drinks along the way. The last water refill I had in my bottle tasted funny, so I emptied the bottle and staggered on. My head cleared again after about 10 minutes and the only thing I had to deal with now was the pain in my legs!   I dumped the empty bottle at the next drink station and convinced myself that I was almost there! But I knew there was still a lot of tough terrain to cover because only 4 hours 10 minutes had passed. Everyone had told me how hard the last 2K was, so when it arrived, it was not a shock and I just ignored the pain as I pounded steadily down the steep descent to the finish. And I even managed to wave at the crowds below and could hear the cheers echoing up the mountain.   Jeannie and Jimmy were a welcome sight at the finish, cheering us and taking photos. The sight of me probably broke the lens of their camera! Thanks to my training partners, I was at Caves House in 5 hours 9 minutes. Goodness knows how I got there before them! I would never have placed a bet on it. In training they outperformed me. But this is not your usual race and on another day they could have got there before me. The main thing is that we all finished and we did it for Cedo. How long it took is of secondary importance.
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