The annual trip to Atlanta is always an interesting experience for anyone. Each year something strange and ever lasting will happen.
As an Australian and a wheelchair athlete, I have heard every strange question in Atlanta: from, ‘Can you drive to Australia?’ (My response being, ‘Yes, drive to LA, turn south west and keep going till you get to Australia.)
Another time I was asked what language I was speaking, as the person believed they couldn’t understand me. Well, I was shocked and just replied, ‘Australian’.
There are so many moments like these that I could go on forever, but I’ll leave a few of these for another blog. I have been coming to Atlanta for the past ten years; this year I headed into the Peachtree 10km race with great confidence and racing form after a huge Marathon PB only a few days previous in Grandma’s marathon in Duluth.
I have changed my racing wheelchair into a more aerodynamic position to help with the distance events, as this is my focus for the year, and to help with going down the hills. I have never really been able to roll very well downhill, but this year my position has allowed me to roll with some of the best in the world, while also maintaining my climbing ability.
Peachtree is a great race for any athlete, as it is the largest 10km race in the world. But for us it’s a real challenge, and not just because everyone wants to win this one race. I have been trying for ten years, and will keep trying each year until I win - as the trophy is one of the best in the world, being a glass peach. These are what every athlete wants, so I’ll be back ‘till I get my own.
The wheelchair athletes place huge importance on this race, due to fact that we are given a huge amount of respect from the race and given TV coverage. The wheelchair race is aired live on television from start to finish - not just a glimpse here and there - the whole race, with lead camera vehicles and everything. Once we finish, the helicopters travel back from the finish to the start to follow the elite runners. This really is something special and there is a huge amount of media exposure for each of the top wheelchair athletes.
The race starts as the sun is rising over the city of Atlanta, and with a huge media presence it’s always great to be recognised as the elite athletes that we are.
Peachtree is a hard race with lots of climbing. The race starts with a gradual 1km rise, followed by around 4km of steep downhill before around 4km of climb. That 4km climb is an all out sprint, where the race is usually won and lost, before we get to a relatively flat section coming into the only turn of the course that leads into a downhill section to the finish.
Each year the pack usually stays together on the first rise, as athletes jostle for position and try to get in the draft of another athlete who rolls well down the hill to help increase their roll. Once you get a wheel you never want to give it up to someone else, and once you lose it going down the hill athletes just roll past you. Usually I join up with athletes near the bottom of the hill that roll the same as me and climb just as fast so we can work together to try and pass as many as we can up the long climb.
The long climb is a test of strength and endurance, but moreso a test of the athlete’s mental toughness to hurt and go through the pain for such a long climb before that final sprint to the finish.
This year we were greeted with very wet and windy conditions for the first time in many years. Most of the athlete assembled early, around 5am for the 6.45am race, but this year no one was very keen to get out and warm up early in the heavy rain. But once one person makes a move, others seem to follow.
The rain always throws a few surprises, as we use a special glue on the outside of our gloves to help give us grip in the rain. It’s always a gamble with who gets grip and who slips; some people get grip early and then start slipping, while other slip early and develop grip later.
This year, the race started out slower than normal, as we faced a stiff head wind for the 10km race and no one was very keen on pushing the pass during the early stages. As the lead pack formed, I managed to get into a great position and was able to stay with the great rollers during the downhill. I have never been able to stay with them on this hill or even see most of them by the bottom, so this year was a surprise and a great confidence booster.
We were hitting speeds over 60km/h on the downhill and as we started to climb I quickly went past a number of athletes and found myself in the lead for the first time ever on the climb. But just as I hit the lead my grip vanished, my glue turned to slim and I lost my speed.
There was not much I could do but just work as hard as possible trying to get to the finish without losing to many spots. Gradually one after another, athletes went past as I was unable to push with any speed. I slowly went backwards through the field to finish a disappointing 7th place, but I now know I have the ability to win this race one day and for sure I will be back.
Straight after the race it was off to the airport to catch a flight to Paris for the Diamond League 1500m wheelchair race 48hrs later - no rest today.
To watch the race video on my YouTube channel follow the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Htfgxc818
Till next time, keep searching the world for your dream, train hard and enjoy life.
