PAVEY PUSHES TO PBS

Contributed by Amanda Pavey, AURA member (Heathwood, Qld)

SOUTHERN SYDNEY 24 HOUR ULTRA, BARDEN RIDGE (NSW), 3-5 June 2022

It started off so small, insignificant, barely noticeable. The size of a pin prick, easy to miss…nothing to worry about. What nobody could know except me is inside, beneath the tough exterior, it was pulsing, strong, warm and growing. By the time my blood splatter had become noticeable to all, so had my heart…and for the next 12 hours they would grow together.

The perfect reminder of how life delivers both agony and ecstasy, and we can live with both if we accept in the present. Some people live life with their heart on their sleeve, so it seems fitting as a runner, I am wearing the contents of mine on my shoe. I make a dedicated effort to say hello to everyone at least once, even if just a high five at the turn. Being a more quiet, shy person, this has been one of my race goals, and I decide to tick it off early.

But let’s go back a little.

At 6 hours I began to realise I was far ahead of where I had thought I might be. My previous PB for 100km on the track had been 12hrs 20min…and here it was looking like I could take off two hours.

Head down, let’s go…about 3 hours later, and I started checking with my crew where I was at. A sub 10hr PB was on the cards. It was with huge elation I went through 100km in 9hrs 50min, taking a massive 2.5hrs off my PB!

Nicola captures\d this moment on video, for which I am so grateful to be able to watch that back later.
I message my friend Kerry:

Me: ‘100km PB, by 2.5hrs’ (I was excited, but brief because, you know, I’m still running).
Kerry: ‘Sufficient so long as we hit the 24-hour target’ (I smile, typical Kerry).

My celebration is over. Back in the zone…there is still a long way to go.

My heart continues to grow, and as I look down at my shoe, I am able to marvel at the amazing capacity of my body, feeling gratitude and appreciation for the ability to overcome the discomfort. The sun sets, and my wonderful crew have layers ready for me to put on so I can make it through the night.

It’s cold and I’m from Qld. There can be no stopping tonight or hypothermia is a real risk. I can’t let that happen and although I haven’t sat down at all yet, some 10 hours into the event, I know I just can’t. As I change from my shorts to long tights, crew member Tanya tries valiantly to retain my modesty and shield me from those in the tent and running past on the track. However, she is unprepared (as were our two male tent buddies) for my large running knickers that have the potential to provide emergency shelter if required. So, the shorts come straight off, and tights on…no fanfare, built for speed (me, not my knickers)!

The night comes and goes in a haze of cold soup and Tailwind. A man called Graham crews for me. Calm, and quiet, he provides many words of assurance. I’m grateful for his experience of crewing to guide me through that night. As dawn begins to break, I start to believe the magic 200km might be possible.

At this point I am 180km in, my previous PB is a distant memory, surpassed hours ago. My blood splatter has grown large and visible, bubbling over, and exploding for all to see. Locked in and focused I’ve shifted into a quiet place, moving through the kilometres methodically and with purpose….with a simple mindful mantra ‘One step. One moment. One thought’. Until….

FRAN ARRIVES TO CREW ME TO THE FINISH!

Everyone on the track knows Fran has arrived, loud and vivacious, she breathes life back into all who surround her. With that, I know we’re traveling to the finish. Although a solo runner, I never felt alone. The support on and off the track is always there and it’s amazing.

We’re in the last few moments. I turn the rough wooden block that marks my finish position over in my hand, I’m spent. I’m cold, tired and very, very ready for my first sit down in 24 hours that isn’t inside a porta potty. I wonder what my foot inside of my shoe looks like. The whistle goes, and I look up to see Fran running 200 meters with a chair, coat and blanket. I think that should be a special running category, because she is both fast and focused.

So dedicated and inspiring in her role, that as she passes other crew tents, they scramble to do the same for their athletes. For one moment I smile through my pain at the scene unfolding among the crews, before she arrives at me, and I sit. I’m done.

• 24 Hours – 202.5km
• 2nd place, Australian National Championships
• A personal best by 40km
• 100km PB by 2.5 hours
• Also set PB’s for 30km, Marathon, 50km, 50mile, and 100mile.
• C-qualifier for Australian National team selection

‘And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from’ – T.S. Eliot.

Pictured: Amanda Pavey being awarded her 2nd Female Trophy by AURA’s Simone Hayes at the 2022 Southern Sydney 24 Hour Ultra. Photograph – Supplied/Facebook.