Sorry To Leave You Hanging
2024 has been one of those years.
Life over the last seven months have been some of the highest and lowest moments I’ve experienced.
First off apologies for leaving you on a cliffhanger leading into GUMBY, I reached my target loop of 8, well actually I turned around on that loop without completing it, and if I had’ve known I’d get injured a week later playing footy, I probably would’ve kept running and showed some serious grit like a couple of my other friends that day.
I then somehow made it to the Kowen Marathon, after being the sweeper in the half last year I wasn’t missing this, and off a four week preparation of 80 kilometres I missed the target of six and a half hours by 15 minutes.
A huge credit to my coach Shiree and also Mark from Peak Health for helping me even put that race on the table.
Then a moment that still hurts months later, while Cassandra and I were out walking Duke and Luna, Duke being the way he is bit back on his lead in excitement and popped his hip out. This time not as traumatic as the first time he popped it out, but that weekend having him at home, hoping it would stay in was one of the sickest feelings I’ve ever felt in my stomach.
Duke was unconventional. I got him with my ex, I drove to Sydney in the pouring rain and picked up this chunk of a dog, he sat on my lap and slept the whole way home, and from that moment we were pretty much inseparable.
When that relationship broke down and I didn’t know where I was at in life, going for an hour walk each morning with Duke was sometimes the only motivation to get out of bed, and when he met Cassandra for the first time, I knew I wasn’t allowed to let her out of my life.
He was the best judge of character, but on the Monday after the weekend he popped his hip out, I came home and he couldn’t put weight on his leg, somehow his hip had come out during his time in the crate, I dosed him up and just hugged him. I was shattered knowing these would be our final hours together, he rest his head on my knee and Luna cuddled up as well, it was like he was telling me it was his time.
Duke packed a lot into his eight and a half years of life, he was unique which is one way of putting it, he hated car rides, the groomer, motorbikes, the garbage truck and when you left the house. It was especially hard to distract him so you could leave the house without a bite (sorry to everyone that happened to over the years), he was much loved and I miss him greatly.
I attempted and failed a 100 kilometre race. Andy and Nat who crewed me at Gumby got me to 52 kilometres off the back of just one month of training again. I simply couldn’t get going which was always going to happen given my lack of ability to train, they’re two of the best people I’ve ever met and I’m going to miss them when they move to New Zealand in the next month, but it’s a goodbye for now not forever.
In October, I married to the love of my life Cassandra in Fiji. She’s the greatest person I’ve ever met and I love her dearly, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I obviously didn’t learn my lesson from Kowen earlier this year so decided to run the Stromlo Marathon and 10 kilometre run last month, the 15th Anniversary of the race, the first time the marathon was run.
I got to enjoy Nat’s last race in Canberra for a while and we picked up some silverware in the form of a cool joint medal. Memories I’ll cherish for a long while.
Then a moment that absolutely changed my life, getting to commentate Coast to Kosci.
Rob Mason is just one of those people you meet. I don’t know whether it’s aura or what, but he’s just incredible. He picked me up the Thursday afternoon before Coast to Kosci, coming to Canberra from Kiama to grab me. We then proceeded to just talk running and life philosophy over the next two and a bit days.
Some deep lessons learnt over those couple of days which has seen me make a shift in my own goals, and be a bit more ambitious with what I’ve been trying to achieve.
It was also incredible to watch Benn Coubrough and Allie Corripio have one of the most epic finishes in the race’s history. To see the courage of Cassie Cohen run as hard as she did, Matt Pilley run an hour better, and Thomas White have a great run to round out the Top 5, was so cool.
But also to everyone else who finished this race, or even had the courage to start, you’ve made me realise that the only thing stopping me from one day claiming my own Akubra is myself.
So Where To Now?
It’s probably the right time now to say that I’ve brought on the incredible Justin Hiatt as my coach. Justin just coached Allie Corripio to a win at Coast to Kosci, and to watch him and his passion for his craft crewing some of the country’s best runners has made me realise I want him in my corner, helping me strive to reach my goals which are a little bit more specifically geared to getting to, and finishing Coast to Kosci.
I’ll still be doing Elevate and appreciate all the love and support that Shiree has given me while being my coach, during that time I’ve completed six ultras including my first 100 kilometre race, three marathons, and nearly eight thousand kilometres running.
Thank You
So thank you to everyone for sticking around, it’s about to get pretty interesting as I prepare to run I’m Still Standing Sydney and then Dead Cow Gully. But, if I don’t write before the end of the year a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and those of you that you hold dear.
I’ll see you on the trails soon!
RIP Duke. Losing a dog sucks.
Very good