At 9 p.m. on Sept. 21 I was standing next to the No. “24” painted on a road, on the Island of Rarotonga in the Pacific Ocean. It was raining and I had 100 kilometres to run. This was the start to my fourth Quest and, as I headed off, I knew it was going to be a long night.
The Round Rarotonga Road Race is 31 kms. I had to do three loops plus seven kms to make up the 100 km. Every kilometre was marked and I soon passed markers “25” and “26”. The rain was continuous. My socks and shoes became soaked. I knew this was going to cause big problems later on. I reached marker “0” after 45 minutes, feeling wet, but good. Only three loops to go.
The island has a public bus system. The front of each bus says “Clockwise” or “Anti-Clockwise”. To be honest it really doesn’t matter as there is no wrong way. I had been told about another service, “The Party Bus”. One passed me at 11 p.m.. The strobe lights were flashing and techno pop was pounding out. This is actually a great idea, as it stops drinking and driving.
I had been told to be aware of the number of dogs. However I have to say they are the friendliest dogs I have ever met. They seem to practice “Adopt-a-Visitor”. They weren’t aggressive or pushy, just friendly. I made a friend on my first loop at 15 km. He trotted next to me for 20 minutes then turned around. He joined me for part of each loop.
I completed my first loop in three hours and 50 minutes and a runner Val joined me. She and her husband Harold had signed up for Cook Island Quest 100 and had been fundraising for Right To Play. It would be Val’s longest run, twice round the island. I was starting to slow down as my feet were turning to prunes and starting to blister. Our objective was to get around the island by 5:30 a.m. for the start of the official race. But time was slipping away.
We arrived 6:45 a.m. and the other runners had set off. My feet were fried and I was starting to fall asleep on my feet. Then an angel arrived. Her name was Toru and I had met her at a Rotary Club meeting the previous Wednesday. She saw the condition I was in and asked if I’d like a coffee and chocolate bar. The sugar and caffeine kicked in and I started feeling better.
We continued walking the final loop. Toru picked bananas and fed me. She made a hole in a coconut and I drank the milk. The rain continued. I was losing body heat big time and starting to shiver. Amazingly she pulled a wind proof hoodie out of her back pack.
At 1:15 p.m. we saw the “30” km marker on the road. One kilometre to go. As I shuffled across the finish line a small group of supporters cheered me in. I was given a flower lay, an engraved shell medal and more coconut milk to drink.
Rarotonga is an amazing island with amazing people.
