Wednesday 17 March 2010

My Finish

As you may have guessed by now I withdrew from the race around 6pm local time after 180 miles (82 hours of racing) .

I was suffering from extreme mental exhaustion this being brought on by lack of sleep (seven hours in total) , solitude , dehydration , lack of nutrition and cold.

My physical well being being intact I was in danger of making mistakes that could harm myself and was not seeing the point of continuing past the point I had reached, given that I walked for a further two hours after informing the very supportive race director that I needed more time to consider my feelings, bearing in mind that walking into the wind the temperature was around minus 40 (with wind chill).

Having now had a little sleep and some real food I feel much better and am not disappointed having not finishing and am personally proud that I made it so far in such a tough race and managed to finish the 120 race and am one of only 6 competitors have made it past the 120 mile mark

There are currently 3 competitors still in the race all each of them being just unbelievable athletes Chris (the walking machine - last years winner), Sean and PJ. I will update on their news as the race continues.

My special thanks to all those who taken the time to have supported me it has given me great encouragement

In the very apt words of TS Eliot:

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

9 comments:

  1. Richie, your an awesome athlete, you must surely be proud of what you have achieved. Well done mate a superhuman effort. Look forward to the stories of an unbelievable experience when you get back. Bring on London!!!

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  2. Well done Richie for getting as far as you did. Absolutely awesome achievement in such extreme conditions.

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  3. Massive congratulations. You should be so proud of yourself. Having seen you perform last year in the MdS I know what a superb athlete you are and how tough you are mentally and physically. Noticed your tracker didn't move and kept checking. Thank God you had the sense to know when to stop. Look forward to hearing your story. J... would have been proud of you!

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  4. Well done Richie, you should be proud of your achievements and the abilities you have. Im just glad you had the presence of mind to stop and not risk your health!

    Your forever pushing the boundaries and you inspire most who know you to do the same. See you when you get back.

    "Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds."

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  5. Well done webby,no one could underestimate this super human effort i think it was a wise decision to stop given punishing conditions and i can imagine it was not one that you took lightly !

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  6. You are the strongest athlete we know and we are so proud of that. You have taken a brave and wise decision in such difficult conditions...whaoo!!! We are looking forward to hear your adventure and share your feelings. Enjoy the Arctic and ... come back home!!
    Vittoria and Marco

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  7. Rich, it must have been extremely tough. You are not the kind to withdraw without giving it your all. The fact that you got so far is very impressive and am sure all who know you are very proud of how well you actually did. It must have been the experience of a lifetime. Well done. Martin

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  8. Rich

    The conditions looked absolutely extreme.

    A mammoth achievement to even enter in to such a challenge.

    Respect!

    (Have stopped moaning about my cold office after reading your post).

    Neil Eriksen

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  9. Well done Rich, have enjoyed both the build up and watching from a distance, phenomenal acheivement, well done, glad sense prevailed over guts, like Steve I think J would be thrilled with you efforts, maybe next time drop the husky for the traditional J stick and all will be well!!, beers with the Mds boys on your return a must!, speak soon, Rob

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