Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Put a sock in it!


When you’re tired you sometimes do things without thinking that could end in disaster, I have done that three times in the last 12 hours, first I walked out in front of one of the cyclists who was zipping through the start finish area in the small hours, then I walked out in front of the same guy, only an hour ago as I was intent in getting across the track to talk with Simon, then last and I hope it is least, I deleted the last post instead of a duplicate photo of the Red Socks helping the White Rabbit cheer on Simon. So I am going to try and remember what I wrote and give you a prĂ©cis of the last post.
Simon was exhausted yesterday, I walked and jogged with him on several laps during the second half of the 7th marathon, he was lucid, but then only 4km’s short of his goal he fell asleep whilst running. I quickly decided to send him to his sleeping bag, I tidied all of the loose ends and then followed him into mine. Whilst we slept Kale was able to claw back some of the laps, as I said yesterday this is a fascinating event with all of the different strategies that carry competitors to the end. Simon and I really do want Kale to make it too and will help him and his Dad as much as we can to ensure that he too achieves his dream.
Once Simon was back on track this morning he was able to run again, having hobbled for most of yesterday and quickly took back some ground lapping much quicker than Kale, the goal for us this morning was to complete another half marathon plus the 4km’s lost last night. However the heat today is by far the most oppressive it has been, especially across the open car park area, we decided to only run the projected 21km and save the missing 4 until it’s cooler. I have left Simon sleeping in the shade on the favoured couch. The thought was to start again at 2pm but that might have to go out of the window until it cools down, Kale has his head down so I may as well let Simon sleep more too.



We have a new plan for finishing and finish we will.

That little fella Bourne is a marvel truly triumphing over adversity, when we finish tomorrow it is going to be very emotional, and from reading the posts, no doubt you will feel the same.

As I walked round the parque this morning I noticed the Red Socks getting aggressive with a band member, who was told in no uncertain terms “to put a sock in it”.

Sleep on Simon, come back strong.

Bringing it home slowly


Good Morning to all of you waking or at work or going to in the UK, Simon has just completed 290km’s at about 0315 race time 0215 local.

It has been purgatory watching him this evening and night, during the first half of the 7th marathon he could barely walk because his quads were so tight and shins so sore, but as for the blisters what blisters! But walk he did for the 21k/13 miles completing the distance in a little over 3 hours. We had not seen Kale during this period, he too has been suffering with muscle fatigue in the legs. Simon finished that half around 10.30 and I got him straight onto the favourite couch, he went straight to sleep and couldn’t eat the hamburger I had ordered, still sleep is a great healer. When he woke and stretched himself out at midnight he was a different person, the rest had done him the power of good, during the previous half he could only walk and barely registered a time quicker than 10 minutes for a km, but the first measured lap after the 1.45 hour break was 7.08, where did he get that from? Maybe Kale making a reappearance had something to with it. I try to walk trot with him every few laps, he was certainly in good spirits and lapped Kale at least once. But he began to complain about falling asleep, so I went with him to keep him company. The after the 290th lap he could barely stand, it was time to call it a day, Wednesday in fact. He had given his all, despite us falling short of our target of 294km’s, he still had a magnificent day, the accumulation of fatigue comes on quickly, a micro blink can soon become a loss of balance moment, which in turn could lead to a serious injury. So off to bed Simon, we will fight another day together tomorrow.

Kale too had his problems and is 59km’s behind Simon, we really do want him to succeed and have offered him and his Dad who is crewing for him help and advice, we like them and if Simon does cross the finish line before Kale, we will both be back here to celebrate him finishing, whenever that may be. When you race for this long a close bond develops, so bring it home Kale, of course it will have to be after Simon.

Rise high Mr Bourne.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Beunos Notches and it's going to be a long one.

Buenos Notches,
Simon had a long break of just over 2 hours, where he spent most of the time laying down with his feet above head height to promote recovery. We are now in that phase of the competition where getting going again after a rest becomes more and more problematic and takes longer to prepare both physically and mentally.


Simon’s feet are blistered, his shins are bruised ( not from me kicking them), and his quads are like a lump of lead, other than that he’s coping with it by reflecting on what it used to be like in his Pre Para days to just keep pushing on day after day, mile after mile, hill after hill. He is motivated and can see the finish line; he is on the downhill slope metaphorically of course.


But if you can imagine a mountain where all of the difficulties are in the first 75% of the climb, where it is at its steepest and you cover the most technically demanding terrain and your bag is at its heaviest because you still have all the kit and the summit is out of sight. Then all of a sudden you crest the rise in the ridge, the ground eases in its steepness and you can see the top, but it is still miles away and doesn’t seem to get any closer, but you know it’s achievable. Well that’s where Simon is right now, it’s a slog and he’s in it for the long haul, he has that indomitable spirit that drives the best to the top. He needs your thoughts and positivity more than ever now, we are a strong team that supports Simon; let’s carry him to the top on his journey to becoming a Decaman.

On a much lighter note, I was asked about the infamous Red Socks, I suppose they could be the Monterrey Red Sox. The last report I had was they were seen heading for the Mexican/US border, but I can now tell you that that was a ruse, a distraction tactic, because they were seen just a few hours ago trying to get back in favour by kidnapping the Union Flag pair.
 
Luckily for us the Park Ranger was passing and has taken them into custody. I am sure though that those Red Socks have the same toughness as Simon and will make a break for it at some stage, to get back in the limelight.


Sixth Sense

It's still hot, a much higher temperature than forecast, the part of the track which crosses a car park is particularly stifling even more so with the heat radiating from the concrete either side of the strip of tarmac. Thankfully there are parts of the course which offer shade and a nice breeze has just sprung up.

Simon and Kale have stuck to their task and have continued to tick of lap after lap, Kale is almost at 200km's whilst Simon has just completed his 6th marathon, only 4 to go, whoop whoop and it's only 4.15 race time or 224 hours since the start !

Kale has just past me looking fairly demoralised but he will continue to drive himself forward, that is the neccesary attribute that an Ultra athlete requires, that indomitable spirit that will not be stopped. 
 
Simon has lapped him several times today, which cannot possibly help with his phyche, but is a massive boost for Simon. The gap is 53km's, but that will change because Simon is about to have a protracted rest until the thermometer drops,
before commencing number SEVEN.


 Relentlessly forwards Simon Bourne.

Plan? What plan ?


Ola Amigo’s,

It’s another blue sky day in Monterrey; Simon completed his fifth marathon at 0315 this morning, which gave us the opportunity to retire to the tents for a good sleep. We decided on 4 hours and set the alarms for 0730, Kale who retired earlier than us was already up and had taken back 10 of Simon’s hard earned kilometres. This is the fascination of Ultra events, sleep too long and your competitors may catch you, sleep too little and you may tire quicker, losing any advantage you may have gained. Working out a strategy that enables sufficient rest but still allows you to remain competitive is a key factor in success and you can transfer this to any walk of life. You must also be able to amend your strategy, as to strive forwards at all costs can be detrimental to accomplishing your aim.

It is that reason that Simon and I have reviewed ‘The Plan’, yesterday’s plan to enable him to finish this mammoth event in one piece. There are a few factors that need to be considered; the first to establish the goal – to finish, secondly at what cost – health (those 2 should be linked), thirdly in what time – WR, PR, or total time allowed, and the fourth is any external factors – the weather and opposition. We have a new plan taking all of the above into account, of course we can’t tell you; ‘the walls have ears’ but we are very confident it will work.
THE FINISH LINE

Simon is currently resting having completed a half marathon in just over 3 hours; he has seen the doctor and passed the medical examination even with the state of his feet, burnt face and ginger hair! He has re-fuelled, re-hydrated and enjoyed a laugh and a joke to keep the spirits high. The current leader board reads like this; Simon 231, Kale 186 a lead of 45 kilometres still, by the time Simon is ready to go again that will have been reduced to a marathon distance, which is a margin we are comfortable with.
THE CREW WRAPPED UP FOR THE LONG HAUL
Both of the boys are suffering now with blisters and muscular fatigue, so it’s our job to keep their spirits up and feel confident that what they are doing is right for them.

One thing is certain; this will live long in the memory. On, on Bourneo.
p.s.
The red socks were last seen tabbing on their way to the Mexican/US Border; apparently they are going to try a covert crossing tonight!  



Laughter, Giggles and Crying

Well what can I say; it's certainly been a very memorable night so far.
 
Simon and I have been in fits of laughter over the 'Paula Ratcliffe', which kept us amused lap after lap. Then we have been giggling over Chris Miller's pastie that John Binghams dog, Ben wolfed down, no truer phrase than 'The dinners in the dog'. We were crying over 'spilt coffee' after counting the laps incorrectly, were holding our noses when Simon finally realised jsut how bad his socks were and we have continually taken back any laps that Kale was able to gain and even better by 3.15am race time 2.15 local Simon will have completed the fifth marathon, which will put him on schedule to finish the 10 marathons in 4 days !!!!!!!

 Lets not be too hasty, Wayne Kurtz (Read his book Beyond the Iron) has given us lots of good advice, which we are heading but there are still 210 km's left or 104 miles, caution is the name of the game. Every step forward is a step closer to the finish and Simon's dream.
 
Dream on Simon it's on it's way.
 
 
 
Simon hunting down Kale
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kale being haunted by Simon

Monday, October 29, 2012

Squelch squelch

Last post for today to celebrate Simon's FOURTH marathon.


He is going really well, hopefully not too well, as he still has a long way to go. Kale is clearly suffering as Simon is consistantly lapping much quicker. Despite having rested for almost 2 hours, giving Kale the opportunity to close the distance between them, 'The Boy Bourne' now has a 43km lead, at Kale's present pace that's about 8 hours. I must keep Simon together and prevent the injuries and muscle fatigue that will come after riding and running such a long way.

Simon is delighted that there are so many folk out there rooting for him, he enjoys the comments and no doubt will giggle and cry in equal amounts once he can absorb them all properly. We reached another milestone today, I finally wrestled the infamous 'Red Socks' of him, I had to hand wash them about 10 times. You can see just how filthy they are from the photo, oh yes and a rather natty blister.
He now sports a natty Union Flag pair of socks.


He has just past through 177km's and reported that he has done a 'Paula Ratcliffee' except not so quickly or as stylish, there was carnage on the dance floor.


Squelch on Simon.

Beunos Tardes


.Buenos tardes from Monterrey,

 "It's hot, damm hot" said Robin Williams in 'Good Morning Vietnam', the forcast told us that today would be around 29 celsius, but it seems much hotter.
Both Simon and Kale have struggled today at various stage...
s, Kale more so than the boy Bourne. Our plan today was to complete marathon number 4 by 1530, but that went by the way side as Simon was falling asleep as he ran. So instead of an admin break at the half point, I got him on the doctors table covered him with my sleeping bag and bang........straight to sleep.
Did I tell you that the main road through Monterrey is 20 metres from where the race HQ is, if not you know now, the traffic noise is incessant but that does not deter a tired athlete from getting their head down. When he woke we fitted in the mandatory doctors check, he is 68 kgs, has a 65 resting pulse rate and 130/80 BP, not bad, not bad. His face is falling apart and the blisters have begun to appear on his face and feet, the worst on his big toe and under the pad at the front of the ball of his left foot which we will keep dressing, and his calf's have swollen, so we get those in the pool as often as practicable.
Despite all that, he still managed to get back some of the laps this morning, taken by Kale whilst we slept well last night and this afternoon before the power nap, he had got back to somewhere near were he was, whilst Kale had to sleep. He is now a marathon in front again and is laping a lot quicker than Kale, we just have to manage his speed and keep his body together.
Rock on Simon we're behind you.
 
p.s. he completed the marathon at 1640.

The sock, the socks, my kindom for some socks.


We could have had a disaster this morning, last night as Simon determinedly fought to complete his third marathon in 36 hours both he and I naturally became very tired. We decided that I should start to write the blog rather than when he had finished running, there by speeding my time up in getting to the tent. As it was when I got to the tent at 2.45, we agreed to be back on the road at 7am, so I set the alarm on my phone. My tired brain forgot to take into account that we were running on race clock time and not day light saving hours (yes they do that here too), consequently when my alarm went off earlier it was 8am race time, we had lost an hour.

Simon was out of the tent like a shot, we noticed that Kale and his Dad were not in theirs, how much time had we lost on them, more importantly how many laps. Simon threw his kit on and was on the track in no time. When we got to the start finish and checked the computer screen, it revealed that Kale had been up for 2 hours and had gained 12km’s. Thankfully not much damage has been done, but what if it was a closer race, we could have lost it with just that one mistake; lesson learned, apologies given, time to crack on. In the first hour and a half Simon has already taken 3 of those laps back, he is on fire again, I will have to try and temper his effort again today.

I haven’t told you about Simon’s socks, he likes his red ones, so much so that when he put them on to start the bike leg last Monday I have not been able to get them off him, they are his lucky ones! It’s just as well that we are good friends, because peeling those socks of his feet is not a pleasant task. He won’t let me wash them, nor will he put another pair on, thankfully his feet are still in surprisingly good condition, we check them regularly, but if I left those socks alone for a few minutes they would walk themselves to the finish.

More road pounding today, more ‘Air Bourne’ shuffling, closer to the goal, did you know that there have only ever been 5 British finisher Decaman ?

You do now!

Almost 3 Marathons 1 Km shy !

It’s been another emotional day, watching these Ultra Triathletes compete, not just about Simon and Kale but the others who are completing 1 Ironman a day for 10 days, it was their seventh in a row today. Sergio Cordeiro from Brazil has jus...
t finished his in 17 hours 42 minutes having started the swim late because of a stomach upset. Simon has been running since 5 this morning, completing his second marathon at 5 in the afternoon and starting his 3rd around 6.55 after a little rest on the doctor’s bench by the pool.

 He and Kale have been battling it out physically and mentally, against each other and themselves and at times their crew, not in Simon’s case however. The temperatures have been kind again today, but still hot enough to run in only the race bib. We have come across Kale lying on the tarmac trying to stretch tight muscles several times today, I am sure that all of the fast riding to try and shake of Simon has not helped his cause, neither has the fact that he has almost always been a full marathon behind.
Meanwhile Simon seems to go from strength to strength, all I have had to do for him today is massage his right calf twice, he just pushes on and on. All of these athletes have special qualities, but Simon seems to have more and he has certainly raised the eyebrows of the Ultra Community, especially with the pace of his runs today until the inevitable fatigue set in this evening. He is a fast rising star in these circles and it is a pleasure to be his crew.
The 3rd marathon could have been left for tomorrow or at least part of it, but Simon has been determined to complete the remainder of this enormous challenge as soon as possible, hence him pushing on today, it may also have been the last straw for Kale who no matter what he has tried has not been able to get close to Bourneo. Simon has just had a severe blister problem, so we have decided to leave the last kilometre of this 3rd marathon until we clean it up in the morning, so we are off to the tents now for some well-deserved rest.
More from the Bourne Trilogy tomorrow, he’s staying on top.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Hello All,
For those of you that are curious about the pace of ultra running, here's our guide.
Last night Simon was running very comfortably at about 6.30 per kilometer, or roughly 10 minutes per mile, which may seem slow but over 262 it's 
too fast. So if we can temper that to around 12 minute miling (5 hour marathon pace) that would be good. Simon's shuffling/tabbing gate is perfectly suited to efficient ultra running, the only problem we have is getting him to run slowly enough, and to ignore anything that Kale may be doing.
Dominic O'Sullivan is right with the lead that Simon had; Kale would need to run a minute a mile quicker to catch Simon sometime during the last marathon.
But that's a long way off yet, we will monitor Kale's pace today and ensure that we have the right strategy to counter his moves.
One thing is certain, Simon is the right man for the job. 

 I have been asked to post a photo of Kale, this was taken on the night of the 26th when Enrique Terramoto had just finished his Triple Ironman, he is on my right, Kale is on Simon's left.

And so the run begins.

Phew here we go again, it's 6.03am here and Simon is the only one on the course. The live feed followers will know that Kale finally finished the bike leg around 5am, he took a long time to complete the last 100km's after I went to my sack,... He's in his tent now, whilst the boy Bourne is out there doing it.

 Simon gave so much yesterday that he was falling asleep running, which is why I sent him to bed around 11pm. He has had the best sleep of the trip so far around 5 hours, has showered (at last) and is looking really comfortable after completing 10k so far today.

The plan now, is to complete 2 marathons a day !!!!!!!
Bourneo is focused and has less than 400km's to go, each step takes him closer to his dream, being a Decaman.
Simon being congratulated by Kale's Dad Wes
 on finishing the bike and starting his run

Lets keep him light on his feet, 'Bourne by air, Air Bourne' perhaps !

Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Bike leg has finished


Simon crossed the line on his bike at 20.28 local, a stunning performance. Apologies to all for posting 2929 earlier, you may have realised I was not wearing my glasses!

Wow, what a day, no what a week! Two finishes so far only one to go, simple.

I adore my sport and live sport is best of all, therefor I am very lucky to be totally immersed in this event. Sharing the physical ups and downs and the emotional highs and lows with a close friend is an experience that I will never forget. Today has flashed by for me, not so for Simon as there were times when he doubted that a finish today was possible. This battle with Kale has been absorbing and will no doubt continue to be during the run, but to witness two good cyclists trying to out wit each other with early starts, late finishes, fast laps, slow laps, admin breaks and food breaks has been immense. There were times today when both looked completely spent, nay were exhausted but neither would quit. Nursing Simon to the finish line and being able to leave time and energy to be able to begin the run after completing the bike was paramount. There were times when the racing head came on, a firm hand was required to stop him burning energy that he did not have, despite eating as much as the body would accept.

I am very happy to report that Simon came out of this battle far better than Kale, as Simon finished Kale still had 107 laps to go. As Simon took time out to reflect on what he had achieved so far and to decide on the next plan, Kale continued on his bike.

Simon and I chatted about what to do; all of the experts at this sport suggest running as soon as possible to allow the muscle groups to adapt to the change. So we decided to run as soon as we could, I accompanied him on the first two laps to establish a rhythm, we decided to see how far he could go. But by 11.30 he was falling asleep on his feet, hardly surprising after such a monumental effort today, he’s gone to the tent, I will let him sleep and review a start time for tomorrow morning.

A fantastic day my ‘pintsize’ friend, thank you and sleep well you deserve it.



Friday, October 26, 2012

Almost there, on the bike at least.


What a day, the weather has turned, it’s now a British summer, thick cloud 64f and some light rain, oh and the wind, not a cyclist friend when it's a head on. Those of you that have been observing the live feed, will know already that Simon is only about an hour away from breaking through 1500km's, which is going to be an important milestone because it means a shorter day on the bike tomorrow and a start on the 252 mile/442km's around this park course.

There have been a few celebrations today, Glenn Hatrick from Northern Ireland and Yves Beauchamp from Canada completed the Quintuple Ironman; 5 Ironman events in 5 days, I must say it’s an emotional experience greeting them as they cross the line for the final time. It’s difficult not to let the celebrations interfere with the other athletes who are still trying to complete their own events, Simon in particular.

He is still churning out the laps on the bike, getting closer and closer to his goal. I am expecting it to be personally extremely emotional when we get there #largeboxoftissues.com and once tomorrow is out of the way it’s just that simple matter of 10 marathons left. Not an out of reach feat over 10 days but Simon has 8!

As for this afternoon and evenings riding, it’s been epic; Simon has maintained a very respectable distance to Kale who must be so frustrated that he has not been able to make any significant gains, despite him trying many ways of out-manoeuvring us, Simon as ever has responded in every way and has been the complete gentleman with it.

 True grit is required to complete one of these events, everyone who starts them must have, but some slightly more than others, Simon is one of that breed. He has earned the respect of some of the best Ultra Triathletes in the World, and you can’t help but be carried along with their confidence in him. The Ultra Triathlon Community is a close knit one, they have an intense passion and the camaraderie is incredible. If a competitor needs help, it is offered without thought and they are truly concerned when a rival has a problem, Simon has become one of them and he has yet to finish.

We are going to try and get 4 hours sleep before completing the remaining laps through the rest of Saturday, then the real race begins and I don’t say that because I adore running. All of the assembled Ultra’s have told us that these events are won and lost with the run. Strategy, pace and personal admin will all be crucial to success, Simon has that ability in spades.

Turning the pedals again


 Good Afternoon Decaman fans.

Simon is on the bike and I notice from the Facebook page, that the word is spreading faster than I can write now that the life result page is online. After my last post which I wrote in the middle of the night, we re-evaluated ‘The Plan’. Kale went to bed at 1am so I left Simon sleeping, when he woke at 2.30 feeling worse for wear, we decided that just a few more laps would do before getting into the sleeping bags at 5.45, having ensured a 100km lead, we did just that and arranged to be back on the bike for 9, I set my alarm. When I woke I checked on Simon, who was in a deep sleep so I left him to it again, he roused naturally at 9.30, so we took our time getting ready, eating breakfast and got on the track again at 10. In the 4 hours that Kale had been back on the road he only managed to claw back 50km’s, a result for us that really lifted Simon’s spirits.

We have just had lunch, Simon is feeling fairly good and was raring (well perhaps that’s a bit strong) to get back out on it! During the morning session he managed to gain 6 laps and has just passed 1300km’s, hurrah only 500 to go! The plan is to tick as many of those of today as he can, so that at some stage tomorrow (Saturday) he can put his running shoes on. We are told by the Ultra veterans here, that this is one of the slowest tracks they have competed on, which explains the bike times of the one Ironman a day boys who would normally complete the bike an hour quicker, there is approximately 15 meters of climbing on a lap, not much you might think, but after 1800kms, well you do the maths.

Simon has continually impressed all of this die-hard Ultra family with his grit and determination and above all his friendly happy go lucky personality even in the dark times. It’s a privilege being out here to be his crew.

Roll on Bourneo.

Through a bad patch


After I wrote my last post, I came back to the race HQ to find Simon and Kale still feverishly ticking of the laps. Kale needed to take back kilometres from Simon, so increased the pace to attempt to ‘un lap’ himself. As you might expect, our boy refused to allow the invisible chord to snap, but I felt that this tactic was not conducive for either of them, eventually Simon headed my advice and allowed Kale to go. By just decreasing his speed by 10 seconds a lap would enable Simon to conserve vital energy, but Kale would be burning more and more trying to catch his man again.
We have been going for almost 5 days now, during that time Simon has not slept that well (always concerned about mileage), when I stopped him for fuel later, he was clearly tired. He ate as we discussed tactics for the next stage, we decided to allow the opposition to gain back laps whilst Simon had a well-deserved and much needed rest. This gave Kale the opportunity to close within 50 laps whilst, Simon was sleeping on the doctors bed which is under an open gazebo by the pool. Inevitably Kale would have to sleep too, that time came at 0115.
But Simon was sound asleep so I chose not to wake him to let him know. He eventually woke at 0230, despite the 3 blankets I had covered him with, he was cold. More food and a hot drink required, I had to walk him to the loo as his muscles had stiffened up, it also was apparent that he was a bit delirious. He genuinely didn’t know where our tents were, so I took him to the kitchen for hot food and coffee, whilst we decided what to do.

This event is very emotional and tears are common place, not just from the pain but what the mind puts itself through to find coping strategies. Simon and I had an emotionally charged chat, it was good to release it, the longer we talked the better he felt and the more food he consumed the stronger he became. The upshot is he is back on the bike, in a good place, riding past me every few minutes and I check him.

We have a new plan; to get to 1300km’s and then sleep again, but if that’s not feasible we will stop at 9 o’clock regardless. It’s meant to be cooler tomorrow (today, it’s 3.30 in the morning), which will be a relief after the last few scorching days.

Simon is on his way to achieving his dream, being a ‘Decaman’.  

Thursday, October 25, 2012

The gloves are off.


It’s been a day to remember; for the first time since we arrived there has been no cloud cover in the morning and no wind, consequently it has been a very oppressive day.

During the heat of the day, it was almost impossible to ride quickly without damaging the health of the competitors, trying to keep the ‘lid on’ things though is not simple. I finally persuaded Simon to rest at 1 o’clock this afternoon, the plan being to do nothing for 4 hours, I followed to our tents an hour later and slept like a baby, little did I know that Simon had got up at 3.30 and started riding again! I woke at 4.30 could sense the heat, got no reply from Simon’s tent so closed my eyes, 2 hours later I woke with a start and discovered he was gone.
 

Before we decided to rest, Simon and Kale had reached a Gentleman’s agreement to sleep through the heat of the day; I guess Simon’s ‘Sixth Sense’ is better than mine, because Kale had started riding just before him. It’s now 6 hours later and they both are still at it, Kale has been really pushing the pace and I have finally got Simon to ‘back off’, it’s Kale that has to do all of the chasing as Simon has a 110km lead…… which on this course at these speeds is over 5 hours.

Oh yes forgot to tell you, ‘the gloves are off’ and Simon has reached 1200km’s only 600 to go and the small matter of 420km’s of running !

So we will see how the night unfolds, stay focused Simon, we’re watching over you.

The Psychological Battle may be over.

Well the boy cracked a big, nay huge milestone this morning; 1000kms, hip hip, hoorah.
After last nights meteoric efforts, Kale went of to bed fairly early but Simon and I decided to stay focused and pile on the pressure, the result of that...

being, that when we thought we had done enough to maintain a lead even with us sleeping we would. That point came at 4am when Simon had ridden himself 117 kms in front with 953 laps
I decided that I would help, the last one Ironman a day boys to complete his marathon as he was really struggling, so I packed Simon of to our celubriious tent, whilst I ran with Enrique (no not Inglasias) to cover his last 24 kms. He had been struggling and looking as if he would not complete in the 24 hours, I got him there with an hour 20 to spare.
During this jaunt Kale appeared on the track (runners runclockwise to the cyclist anti circuit, at least they see the same tarmac from a different direction), he looked shattered. So I decided not to tell Simon as I didn't think that Kale would be able to take many laps back, I was right on two fronts, not only was he riding slowly, but 'Sixth Sense Bourne, reappeared just after 6, and was zipping round the track in a flash.
Which is why he now has over a THOUSAND kilometers ridden, only another 800 to go.
The plan today is to consolidate, cover Kale's moves and hopefully, get some sleep.
 
Some wisecracker moved Simon's socks just as I was taking the photo of him relaxing !!!!!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Taking it to him !


What a day we have had, 2 more competitors dropped out today, that’s 4 in total the two previous were withdrawn by the doctor; this event is so brutal there is one here all of the time.

Simon though goes on and on; we began today at 10 am and since then (it’s now just after midnight) he has taken 2 major breaks (over an hour) and several minor ones, the best of those was in the shade with his legs dangling in the pool, we have discovered that this is not only a good way of keeping his feet in good order but naturally cools the body, which is essential in these temperatures. Three other competitors have followed our lead.

As for the contest, the aim of course is to finish this debilitating event, but when there are two athletes like Simon and Kale competing, it has turned into a game of cat and mouse, neither wanting to cede to the other. Whilst we were sleeping between 6 and 10 Kale was able to gain some ground, 80 kms in fact, there’s an adage that springs to mind “you snooze, you lose” but in this case it’s a double edged sword if you don’t snooze you can lose. So it’s all about finding a balance and deciding when it’s right to sleep and when to drive forward. There has been some serious ‘chess moves’ today, some very bold tactics, only an hour ago Kale tried to destroy Simon with 2 laps each covered over a minute faster than his [Kale] usual, Simon responded, despite me asking him not to because there is still a very long way to go and using too much energy early could have disastrous consequences, for 6 laps Kale tried in vain to break Simon, eventually he broke himself.

Simon has now passed the 900 km mark and has increased his lead to 65 kms; how far will he go before the next long break?

‘The walls have ears’ especially in this cyber space age, so watch this space.

 Stay strong, ride long Simon.


Ariba ariba, andele andele as they say down Mexico way

This post should have been read before the previous but had saved as a draft. Sorry.

Simon's battle with Kale is pheonominal;
 
Kale has been trying to outwit him and confuse our strategy with different messages, Simon's answer was to follow everything that he did, apart that is when he decided to put 'The Hammer Down' and ride the fastest 2 laps of the day a 2:09 & 2:03, to put some distance between the pair, it worked because Kale's speed dropped dramatically and he decided to take a break at 8.30pm. As I write at 1230 he still has not reappeared, Simon has used that time to put distance between the two and did not rest himself until that gap was a 100 kilometers ! Then Simon himself took a rest of 1.5 hours sleeping on a magnectic field bed, and has since got back on the bike and is 'ripping it up again lapping comfortably at 2.30 km pace. He is going to try and ride until 8am and hopefully will have posted 720kms by then, his total stands at 600+ at the moment.

 This is an event like no other, brutal in its intensity both physical and mental, if you're brave enough why not give one a go ? You could start with a Double continuos Ironman or 2 inn two days.
Bourneo leads the way, but there is an awful long way to go.

Titanic has got nothing on this.


It's 'Tea time' in the UK, lunch over here, what a night you all missed.
Simon's battle lifted a notch last night, whilst his rival slept he poured on the pressure; amassing kilometer (mile) after kilometer, by the time Kale came back on the track at 2am Simon had increased his lead to 130kms.
We think that Kale and his crew were expecting Simon to have gone to bed as he had been on the go since 1pm, so they got a shock when we appeared from a coffee break and joined in the fray, what happened next was remarkable.
Kari Martens from Sweden, regarded by most of being the best Ultra Triathlete in the world also came out after a break, the 3 joined in a titanic battle, Kari is the best cyclist here and continued to force the pace, Simon responded which forced Kale to, for 2 laps they all rode faster than 2 minutes a lap, which on this course is a remarkable time and don't forget Simon had been at it for 12 hours, they were both rested, wow. Of course it's not possible to sustain anything like that pace ina an 'Ultra', thankfully Simon responded to my signals and slowed down. He stayed out until 6 then we both took an opportunity to take a shower and garb a nap, Kale of course stayed out, Simon was back on the road at 1030 and only lost 75kms to Kale. Simon has just gone through the 700km barrier and is looking very good despite the 91f temperature.
Smooth pedals Simon.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Race is definitely on !


I am a little late in posting because there is a lot going on in the race, read on.

Guess what? We had another plan, which was to sleep through the worst of the day’s heat and then get out on the road and make any time up that he had lost. We had heard that his closest competitor who did not have a good time in the heat yesterday during the cycle; would also rest during the day. Kidology that’s what it was!

Simon’s pursuer made up 80 kms whilst we tried to sleep and rest, so to make a statement Simon was up and at it at 1 o’clock, the upshot of that is that he has now completed 445 kms and leads by about 50 kms . The man is a machine, it’s 96 degrees Fahrenheit again today and the sun is relentless in its intensity and of course as in Formula One the track temperature is even hotter.

I can’t tell you when he is going to rest right now, but he and his pursuer, who by the way, is called Kale Poland and is from the USA are matching each other lap for lap and are recording the same times.  Neither of them seems to want to rest, Kale’s crew were expecting him to do that an hour ago, clearly he doesn’t want Simon to gain any more of an advantage.

This is a race of epic proportions, and I have no time to report on the other events of an Ironman a day for 5, 10 or 20 days, phew makes me even hotter just thinking about it. But there is no doubt that the event is Simon’s 10 continuous Ironman distances as quick as possible.

He is almost at a quarter of the distance now on the bike, he is living the dream.

The Morning after the first night ride

And so it continues; Simon has just finished a 14 hour stint on the bike and clocked 380kms or 226 miles, thats an average of 15.5 miles an hour including stops. He is in great spirits, has just passed the Doctors Medical and will be ready ...
to get on the bike again later; the strategy is to sleep through the heat of the day and ride all night again. When we left the race HQ his nearest pursuer was 120kms behind, that might change as he has chosen to ride on.
Everyone here is impressed with 'Pintsized Rocket', as he made the ride look easy, and as expected is in great spirits and laughing and joking with everyone.
More from us later, till then keep following his exploits, he's doing us all proud, but more importantly he is doing himself proud.
On on Bourneo.

Simon doing what he does best, tearing up the roads.!

Apologies for the late post; Simon is fine but I have been helping out other crews and athletes.
It's almost 2am here, Simon has been on the bike since 5.30pm, we are having a major break every 2 hours and little ones when needed. As of 5 m...


inutes ago he was almost at 300kms only 1500 to go......! He has been amazing so mentally tough as well as physical, there are some superb riders here in the 1 Ironman per day events and they are all commenting on how strong and easy Simon is making the bike look. Anything can happen of course, a broken saddle already, but I will keep looking after him and make sure he is fueled and hydrated, he can take care of the bike.
I took the photo at about 10pm, he intends to cycle till about 7am but may go longer if he feels good antd the temeperature doesn't rocket like today 95f again.
He is doing himself proud, stay on top Bourneo.