Wish I had more time for a blog update, but preparing for this race is a full time job. Here come’s a quick update …
Tim Pearson has been a fantastic help — fixing my kayak, lending me gear, and giving me wise race strategy tips. Tim has placed in the top 5 before and has won the two-day version of the race as well. I’m grateful for his help !
Tim and I first met at the Explore Sweden Airborne Expedition race in 2004 when we were teammates (along with Jodi Zwicki (middle right) and Vytenis Benetis (far right)).
Tim on top of Kebnekaise
Here is a small “taste test” of the things I’ve been working on during race prep — my nutrition plan. The goal of the plan is to ensure access to the 60 grams of carbs the body can absorb each hour (for a well-trained athlete under ideal conditions) as well as the protein requirements to stay awake and alert. Only time will tell if this plan will get me through the race !
As a reminder the course looks like this, with Bike 2 being a key time to take on calories before the long paddle:
Run 1 (3 km) … Bike 1 (55 km) … Run 2 (33 km) … Bike 2 (15 km) … Kayak (70 km) … Bike 3 (70 km)
In other news the race website has just undergone a much needed overhaul. Have a look:
http://www.coasttocoast.co.nz/website/index.php
You may also want to “like” their facebook page to get updates during the race (which starts at 6 pm Friday night 8 February Swedish time)
Tomorrow is an easy day of training and prep, then Tuesday night I’m doing a 16 km time trail bike race –> Full gas for 25 minutes. Should be a good indication of where my form is …
Good night from Christchurch
Scott
