Limburg Zwaarste 100km Race Report - 16 April 2016

 

 

In 2014 I ran my first 100km race The Limburg Zwaarste and this was also the last time that I visited all of my family. So.... perfect time to go back and visit my family and run a race :-)

 

Getting ready - only 1 hour in the dark

This race was particularly tricky for me. I felt great and with the cooler weather and the great preparation from my coach Brendan Davies I wanted to better my time from 2014 by at least 1 hour and 45 minutes (Under 13 hours). I have always been a back of the pack starter but needed to move forward to mid/front of the field for a better start of the race. 

 



At the start line



My biggest worry was starting too hard and not being able to pull it off but Brendan had told me plenty of times that I am much more experienced runner now and needed to trust in my training and it would all fall into place on race day. 126 people lined up for the 100km



Crew Nathan "WaterBoy" and Janny

I was lucky again to have an amazing crew, Nathan "WaterBoy" and my Mum and Dad. It was cold and windy but it was still dry, the forecast was not looking great but that did not made me feel an less confident.



Finding my rhythm



This race has plenty of checkpoints looked after by amazing volunteers with plenty of food and drink options for everyone. I decided to stick to my usual race "food" of SIS gels, electrolytes, bananas and bars.





 

We had to cross the roads multiple times and that was chaos as the Amstel Gold Race (Annual Road Bicycle Race with approx. 16000 competitors) was held on the same day and racing in the same region.

 

We had 4 seasons in one day, wind, sun, rain and hail and around lunch time some of the trail became nice slippery. It didn't matter... everyone seemed to enjoy the challenge and the landscape was pretty no matter what.

At checkpoint 7 I was told by the event organisers that I was first female going through for the 100km. 30km to go and I was still feeling pretty good. The hardest part of the race was done but because of the rain the trail was muddy and very slippery. Time to dig deep and get it done!

Last 10km..... Nath told me that if I put in I would be able to get under 13 hours. Although I felt exhausted I was able to find that last bit of energy to bring it home.



 

I finished in 12:47:10 - 1st Female and 25th overall (91 finished the 100km). I had an absolute awesome day!! 2400 meters elevation. Yes Holland is not totally flat ;-)

 

 

 

I improved my time from 2014 by almost 2 hours. What a difference training with a coach can make!!! Thanks again Brendan for all your training and guidance. I'm excited to find out what's next :-)

Thanks again to my awesome crew, Nathan, Mum and Dad!! I couldn't have done it without you. My training buddies from Australia that always keep me pushing a little harder and a little further, especially on the Saturday long runs. Run2Day Veenendaal organised all my nutrition, thanks for getting this ready, very much appreciated. Thanks to the events organisers and volunteers, it is a massive event to prepare and it was very well organised. I enjoyed every minute of it!

 

http://www.upcoaching.com.au/