Race Day 7 - Running for the bus!
Distance: 17.5 km
Time : 2 hr 21
Water : 4.5 litres
Temperature : Who cares?
Our last day is a sprint for the bus!
Gavie has his Aus flag waving on his Leki ready for our finish even as we start.
We take 115, 116, 117 one final time for good measure. Oh .. la ..
Team Go splits as the boys up the pace for the line.
My man and I do the last few kilometres alone. We are chatting, enjoying these moments as we near our finishing chute.
Now we are Team Australia. Husband and wife. Holding hands. Partners in everything. Strong individuals choosing to stand as one.
Those last few metres to the finish I feel my feet lifting so high I must be trotting! My face grinning so wide it must be splitting! I am laughing! We are waving to friends cheering us home. Our Aussie flag waves high held by my boy .. this is the moment I have seen in my mind 100 times ..
Crossing the line. Hand in hand. Smiling. Southern Cross flying.
I am so proud.
I am so thankful.
I am so grateful.
The relief floods through me and pushes great sobbing tears ahead of it.
Relief that I have done it! That this time of physical, mental and spiritual struggle has paid off so beautifully.
Aches; pains; worries; doubts: all fly from me as I cry onto the shoulder of an unknown fellow runner.
What remains is the clean, bright, shining awareness that I have done something amazing. I am amazing. We are all amazing!
Days highlight?
Finishing. Tears. Joy. Pride.
Things I will always remember ..
· ACDC
· Adrenalin pumping starts
· Patrick and Sarah on jeep top
· Helicopter side sweeping photo op’s
· Erg = sand mountain?
· The family at each check point
· Crying over the first night delivery of emails
· Sleeping through sandstorms
· Waking with sand crunching in my mouth
· Sand. Sand. Sand. Sand.
· Learning RAF dirty ditties
· Singing .. loudly ..
· Laughing .. constantly ..
· Team Go .. go .. ?? .. go ……………GO!
· Socially acceptable “pishing”
· A general relaxation with regard to most bodily functions
· Being so filthy it’s liberating
· Savouring 1 nut and 1 jelly bean and being satisfied by them
· Planning extravagant post-race menus
· Plush velvet blue night skies with diamond bright stars as my bedtime canopy
· Snoring in the night
· Sleeping through snoring in the night
· Farmer Dave, Tent 82’s 5.30am alarm call
· Hunter gathering
· Sharing everything
· Berbere blue men breaking camp before the sand gritty sleep is from your eyes
· The daily M*A*S*H* at Doc Trotters .. blisters slashed and iodined
· Blue plastic slippers & "Dawn of the Dead" movement about camp
· Opera in the desert snuggling with my boy
· Last night sadness .. over too soon ..
· Loving all Tent 82!
· Meeting Rory
· Meeting our sweet marine docs
· The finishing chute
· Smiling so wide my face hurt
· Tears
· Joy
· Relief
· Pride
· “We are all amazing!”
· Tears
· Tears .. tears & a finish line hugs from an angel
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