Over 150 days in 2011, CSP physio Stephen McNally travelled with a record-breaking team of ultra-runners in a marathon journey from Istanbul to China.
After exactly 150 days on the road Kevin and Bai reached the finish line. They covered almost 10,000km, running from Turkey to China.
For the last week they actually slowed the pace, running only one marathon a day instead of two.
And while the runners celebrate, I have the chance to reflect on a life-changing trip.
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The final three weeks have been exciting and welcoming. We covered Zhingye to Qinghe, and while diesel fumes from cars and trucks caused problems for the runners, the idea of success feels ever closer. Bai Bin felt a little ill but recovered after a few hours.
The changes in elevation makes the runners feel really tired, which appears to be cyclical. Twisty roads...
The first sight upon crossing from Kazakhstan to China is a big stage with a red carpet and massive poster of Bai Bin and Kevin. We pose for photographs with police and local officials in the sunshine. Now, 50 police and 50 army recruits will run with the team.
The first full day on the road combines rough running conditions with an elevation close to 1,600 metres. The guys had to climb...
Kevin has had a minor incident with a rock and slipped over resulting in a minor Grade 1 ATFL sprain. I was watching him run. He stumbled but managed to catch himself before falling. I got the vehicle to drive beside him and asked how he was. ‘I’m fine’, he said. ‘No problem.’
We continued until the next 5km stop where I quickly assessed his ankle. No major problems, so I tape up for...
We make a smooth crossing from Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan and the remaining two runners cover 20km. They rest for the remainder of the day, and we commence our normal schedule the following morning.
We didn't know how hot it would be in Kazakhstan, and the unexpected heat reinforces the need for good nutrition and hydration practices.
The first days in a new country are always a...
After arriving in Uzbekistan a couple of the team developed viral symptoms including diarrhoea and vomiting. Then it was my turn. I slept well enough and woke at 4am to set off.
As the morning progressed so did the symptoms. The guys can run long distances but they have short memories - and they found time to laugh at me in my weakened state.
We covered 4okm that morning and...
At the border we had to empty the vehicles of all equipment, stoves and gases and mattresses included. It took time, shifting everything on to trolleys and wheeling them into arrivals to be scanned, which didn’t happen.
We had to get our visas as well. The border police were frightening; expressionless faces and long hard stares. Turkmenistan offered no great welcome, unlike the other...
What happened today will live with me for a long time. The day started as normal with all three runners covering 10 or 12km, but Chen Jun started feeling dizzy and disorientated. We continued and I monitored from behind in the vehicle. The running became more erratic so I pulled them in at 12km to check their pulses. Conversation and vital signs were strange.
We chatted for two or...
Day 21, and Kevin reported no shin pain but running over rough terrain just before lunch he accidentally kicked a stone which reignited his injury. After 25km, with police security at its optimum, our officers temporarily halted the run when persons unknown were noticed up in the hills. The police requested that the runners get into a vehicle and drive beyond this point. It was only 500 metres...
Two weeks since we set off and the guys are feeling fine, running 35km before lunch and 30km after. That evening, Chen Jun had a little pain in his left shin which I treated intensively with ice massage, TENS, soft tissue techniques and passive stretching.
That evening we camped in a private school outside a town called Amasya. The evening involved a...
