The 2011 and second Capital Punishment was held yesterday and what a great day it was. Luckily for all involved the weather was perfect, much different from last years mud bath. This was my second 100km race, with my first one being the flat and easy Back Yamma Big Foot. The training had been going fairly well till about 4 weeks out from the event. I started a new job at the beginning of the year and it was starting to affect the amount and quality of the training I was able to fit into my schedule. About 4 weeks out from the race I picked up a bit of a back twinge and then followed up with a cold. About 2 weeks out from the event a mild case of panic set in and it was pretty apparent that my goal for the race would have to change. I had been working towards a 6 hour finishing time but as I set off in the final wave I was purely focused on finishing.
The race is started on the edge of Kowen Forest just off the Kings Hwy. After a short firetrail section with a little climbing you hit your first bit of single track. These are some new tracks that are being constructed for the upcoming Mont. I think having 1000 or so riders go over the tracks will have helped a great deal to bed them in. The Kowen tracks were fantastic, fast and flowy. I enjoyed them more than Sparrow Hill and they are now my favourite tracks anywhere! There weren't any real difficult technical obstacles and not too many rocks (I am not a fan of the rock garden). There was a long single track section towards the end of Kowen Forest which ended up as a short congo line but this was the only one I experienced in the whole race. We hit the tarmac for a short burst and then rolled into the first feed stop at 34km.
It always surprises me at rest stops how long people stop. I did a quick rearrange of gels and was off again. After a short climb we hit the mowed paddock section around the airport and across to Majura Pines. It was fairly flat but very rough and you could feel the toll it was taking on the upper body.
The Majura Pines section was great, the tracks were fun. They were a little more difficult than Kowen (or maybe this was a bit of fatigue creeping in!) but all rideable. The vineyard popped up unexpectedly and the number of riders and supports were a bit of a surprise after being relatively alone for such a long period.
The speed was still fairly high over the first 50km of the race I averaged 16km/hr just over my target of 15km/hr. I had a stop at the half way point to refill the camelbak and eat a Power Bar. Feeling pretty good I headed off towards the untimed section. I walked the climb up Majura Summit track and was happy for a bit of downhill. The water stop and the walk up the hill would make this 10km section the first one below 15km/hr.
The untimed section had a very strange feel. It was wierd being in the middle of suburbia and it felt a bit like cheating to have time taken off my eventual finish time. I didn't stop in this section and to be fair think that I should at most be award an extra 10-15min for this piece. I understand the safety issues and think the organisers have come up with the best compromise.
After the untimed section we did a bit of a traverse around Black Mountain, it was pretty much firetrail but parts of this felt pretty sketchy. I guess with the mounting fatigue and fast downhill sections made it a little harder. Then there was some paved bits before the final feed station. I again rolled through this one keen to get the Mt Stromlo climb over with. My average speed as I entered Mt Stromlo had been 15.8km/hr so I was right on target and only slightly behind a 6hr pace (16.7km/hr is needed for a 6hr race).
I had been dreading Mt Stromlo all day. Not a big fan of rocks at the best of times I wasn't sure how I would go with 90km under my belt. As expected the climb was tough and my speed dropped right down to 10.9km/hr for the 80-90km section of the course. It seemed to take for ever to get to the top, but once there I didn't hang around. The descent down Skyline and Luge were fatastic and a great relief.
Some extra single track had been added to make up for the removal of some paddocks and I think this was the hardest part of the course for me. It seemed to go on for ever, you felt so close to the finish but as we turned away and headed to the back of Stromlo it was mentally tough to keep pushing. I was starting to feel some soreness and pain in the triceps from all the bumps. My speed felt really slow and I let a lot of riders go past me on this section. My bike had gone really well through the whole race without a single problem (thanks to Jason and Frederick at Durban Cylces for some last minute adjustments on Friday arvo). With 4km to go I smashed the hanger on a rock and for a brief moment thought I might have to walk to the finish line, but it all seemed OK if a little clunky.
The finish was great and I rolled across the line with 6:50 on my clock. There was some great food at the end and showers too. The only complaint was the terrible music but if that is my only complaint for the day I think AROC are doing pretty well. The official results are now up and my time has been adjusted to 6:18 finishing 522 overall out of 732 starter and the 23rd girl. I am pretty happy with the result and will be turning my focus to the Husky 100k'er after some well deserved rest! Congratulations to all those who gave it a go and special mention to Sue Thompson a Shire girl finishing 2nd!