I took a GU about an hour into the race and slowly started feeling better and enjoyed the run/climb/walk. We got to the top of Mavis Bank in 4h15, it took us 45min to climb the approximately 1km up Mavis, pulling ourselves up along the fence and grabbing on the tufts of grass in order not to slip on the ice/snow, although there was not much snow on Mavis. The cut off was however moved to 6 hours at the end of the mountain which must have been about a 9/10km distance (not sure don't have a Garmin). They moved the check point as there was so much snow on the top they could not get vehicle's up there.
The walk/ run from the top of Mavis took us about 1h40min and we managed to get to the cut off in 5h38, although at some stages on the mountain going through the snow we weren't sure that we would make the cut off, as no-one was sure how far we had to go to the check point.
Most of this section was not runable as the snow was knee deep in some places and with lots of ice, ended on my knees a couple of time's, but did manage to make a snow angel and have a couple of snow ball fights with Joseph and some random women that started it with me, my stomach muscles got a good work out from all the laughing that was done.
At the 6hour check point I changed into dry socks, as the streams we had to run through very early in the race started to take it's toll on my feet, but with about 10km's to go we again had to run through about another 3-4 streams, but by this time although the water was still freezing it did not feel to bad. I found the next 21km's reasonably easy but the very steep down hills took its toll on the quads and the trudging through the snow also sapped a lot of my energy, so the last 7km's felt like I was dragging tree trunks along with me. Managed to finish in 8h49, slower then I wanted to but hey this race bites you in the bum without you knowing it!!!
I will say again this is by far the toughest race I have ever done, and felt more exhausted after Rhodes then I did after Comrades, but it was an experience of a life time and I have wonderful photo's and memories from the weekend. Will I do it again.......right now I don't think so as the memory of the pain and the exhaustion has still not left me, but it must be one of the most stunning races around, and one that everyone should do at least once, but knowing us runners we will always want to go back and conquer the race......
