We (Michael, Vincent, George and me) won the championship of corporate cup in a charity run, a 42km race on a mountain trail. The win was a bit surprising and surely sweet for us, as there was a strong team another corporation almost every year to take the trophy. This year they sent out a new team (team B), two members of which were said to have hit the wall later in the race and only finished third.
Last year I pushed a bit too hard in the beginning and got cramped mid-race and had to drop out. This year, I’ve learned the lesson and trained hard (for a solo 100km trail race). So all along the way I felt good, though a bit tired toward the end. I was however slightly ahead of the rest of the team in checkpoint 1 and 2, managing to just tag along with the last member of the 2nd team, sizing up the competitors. I almost knew from the beginning we might have a chance to get the 2nd place, as that man appeared strenuous catching up with his team. A bit surprisingly, the usual champion team only overtook us at checkpoint 2 by 1 minute (and after I got there). On the catchwater section, we overtook the slowest man of the 2nd team so we were in a nice position to attack the leading team. Post mid-way, we finally approached them. They were not fast. We overtook them, still worrying they might push later and surpass us.
As in any hard-won race, drama is not lacking in this one. In the reservoir section, George lagged behind. Trusting he’d come back, we three ran along as planned. In the upward section leading to the Lead Mine Pass (a climb of vertical 200 meters over a few km), he caught up but said he felt some cramping feel in his legs. I said to myself “No, not now”. So I pushed him around his waist on the way up. In addition, I also carried the water belt for Vincent, who was a bit struggling from the beginning. Luckily we carried on, with no sight of other teams approaching. We began to believe the trophy would be ours. The last section was downhill. And we hit the paved road, the last stretch before the end point. I looked back a couple of times, making sure no other team could sabotage our race in the final stage. We kept pushing so hard that Vincent almost threw up. With the end point in sight, we picked up speed and crossed the finish line together.
The official time was 5 hours 38 minutes, about 20 minutes ahead of the 2nd team in corporate category. This time also placed us as the 2nd in all teams (both open and corporate, excluding elite). Each one of us got a championship trophy. And it’s a sweet revenge for me personally. Till next year then.
