On the Other Side of the Fence....

Packing again...

After having no event in 2017, the World 100k championships were back for 2018.....this time being held in Sveti Martin na Muri in Croatia. As the only female to have run under the ladies' qualification time, I had a difficult decision to make this spring when selections were being made. I could take a chance on my leg healing and be able to compete, or I could ask to be considered as part of a team (as 2 ladies had run the team standard).....but I did not want to put myself under pressure to run before I was ready and I also did not want to let the other ladies down. Luckily, British Athletics was able to use the "wild card" rule and enter a team without all of them having achieved the required standard and I was asked to go along as a team manager.

I wasn't sure if I could do it....help and support the others without just being plain grumpy at not running "my" event (in 2016 I was the sole representative of GB),  and also see all of my 100k friends from other countries, but once I'd agreed I threw myself into it. It wasn't easy as I just tried to remember what I'd wanted to know/not know prior to attending events myself, without ever saying "in my day...." or "when I ran the 100k..." to our current athletes.

There was a lot to do before the event....contacting the athletes, setting up group chats, ensuring flights and transfers suited everyone, getting the right accommodation arrangements, dealing with kit issues, working out how to include family/friends coming along, discussing race plans and nutrition, dealing with dietary requests and also any injuries arising (I liaised with both individual doctors and British Athletics to see if any TUEs were required....and luckily they weren't).

Team GB on parade

I flew out a day early (as I did not want anyone to have to go through the sagas I had in 2016....finding myself on my own at the race venue with the accommodation having been booked for the wrong dates, so I had nowhere to stay and was in danger of failing a drugs test) but I think I had enough travel dramas for the whole team (a cancelled train, a lady collapsing and fitting in the scanner queue in front of me in the airport and then a very delayed flight so I arrived at 2:30am).

My "feed station"

Once the athletes arrived there were accommodation glitches to sort, race and nutrition plans to revise, the course to be reccied, shopping to be done, technical meetings to attend, numbers to be collected, masters' entries to be paid (and then I had to work out whose number was whose and what age group they were, so that I could attach the right stickers to the right numbers), and the opening ceremony to attend. Add into this, an athlete missing a connection so having to stay a night courtesy of an airline and arriving (without his luggage) just as the opening parade started. I managed to get enough gels and drinks for him from various sources (but it did involve donating some of my GB clothing to other teams for goodwill purposes).

The race started at 7am and consisted on 7.5k out and back loops from the hotel. I was manning the GB aid station (well, I had a chair at the side of the road) at the far turnaround so I had to leave prior to 5am to get up there with everyone's drinks, gels and chews before the road was closed. It was still rather chilly and dark as I hung my flag up in the trees behind me.

Drafting Lisa in to help out

Lisa was "allowed" to offer her husband
more encouragement than the others

During the race I kept in touch with the feed station at the start/finish point of each loop, and we let each other know how the athletes were feeling and if they wanted extra things not in their race plans (which did involve begging, borrowing and swopping from other nearby country teams - I was between France and Germany). I would spot my runner coming, cross to the centre of the road to check what they wanted, and then be back at my chair ready to "stand and hand" while they went the extra 50m to the turnaround and back. It was easier at first when the lads came along followed by the lasses, but as they started lapping each other it got more complicated (and so Lisa, the wife of one of the runners, came and helped "spot" for me).

Catching up with Nikolina pre-race

Supporting Nikolina

I had caught up with several friends before the race and explained to them that although I would do my best to cheer them on during the race, my priority was the British team and so they'd have to excuse me if I ignored them on the day. Luckily, I managed to see (and shout to) my Croatian friend Nikolina (she was second and I was 3rd in Spain .....no further mention of the rule breaking we saw on that day) on every lap, as she led the ladies' race practically from start to finish finishing in a well deserved new Croatian record.

Feeding Sue on the run..

I couldn't abandon my post to see anyone finish but did run back alongside our last runner (a good friend who I've been fortunate to have run with for years), trying to encourage her for the last bit of what had been a long day out, and then whipping a Union Jack out of my bag for her to raise aloft as she ran in.

Our runners were fantastic and I felt so proud to have been able to be a part of it, even if not able to run. My job was still not done as I spent the rest of the day trying to offer individual congratulations, support, encouragement etc as it was wanted/needed.....and then making sure people felt well enough for the closing ceremony,only and that transfers and flights were all sorted for the way home.

I "think" Ant was happy with his run!!

After the race, I managed to sit down and grab a drink with a couple of our runners, and celebrate Ant's huge new PB and V40 win, but I needed to go and check up on all of the others (some were feeling a bit low as they'd found it a tough day out and one had had to DNF due to injury). I spent the rest of the day trying to offer individual congratulations, support, encouragement etc as it was wanted/needed.....and then making sure people felt well enough for the closing ceremony, and that transfers and flights were all sorted for the way home.

I took the bad luck on the way back as my airport train morphed into a rail replacement bus but I finally made it back to Scotland and fell into my bed. I'd averaged 4 hours of sleep a night since leaving home, but it was worth it as I felt I'd done a decent job (though it's a steep learning curve and so I've asked for both positive and negative feedback to improve for the future) and had been able to help share some of the enjoyment of the event. I have always run for the love of running, and so if I can help smooth the process for others so they enjoy it as much as I have done, then that's good enough for me!