Ultraman Canada 1994 was the first time I participated in anything longer than an Ironman triathlon.I was living in Penticton at the time with my girlfriend Leisa,preparing for my third stint at Ironman at the end of August.My mate Mori,Leisa and I were preparing to crew for the second years running of Ultraman Canada for the same guy we had crewed for the year before,two time Irnman Canada winner and now Ultraman Canada Champion,Tom Price.It was going to be a great weekend out on the road and this time Mori had used his great skills marketing skills in obtaining,or should I say scanmming a full sponsorship for Tom from various local businesses.
We were all set for the weekend of crewing ,when,late on the Thusday night before the Saturday race start Leisa and I staggered home from another awesome maragrita Thursday at Cheers Pub (now Anthony's) and I saw that there was a message on our answering machine so I hit the button and heard Mori's voice.He told us that due to the huge forest fires that were blazing all around Penticton Tom would not be able to race this weekend and was pulling out of the event.I called Mori straight away and found out that Tom was an athsmatic and was worried about competeing with all the smoke in the air.Man what a bummer.Mori then told me that it was a shame to waste the entry as he had all this sponsorship for someone to do the race.He suggested that maybe I could do it and we could get my Aussie mate Lloyd who was also in town that month for Ironman to replace me as crew."No worries mate,I'll do it!"Stupid drunken Aussie entering Ultraman Canada 30hrs before the event started,what was I thinking!!
I rolled up to the start of the race at the Peach on Okanagan Lake on day one to hear the race briefing.We had to change the venue from Skaha Lake to Okanagan Lake because the Mars water bombers were using Skaha Lake to refill and fight the fires still raging around the town.Instead of swimming 11.8 kilometers the langth of Skaha we would swim six laps from the Peach around the line of big white bouys that stretched down the beach to the Sicamous,the beached paddlewheeler that is a Penticton landmark.We figured that it would be close enough to 11.8k's and we were all set to go.My mates all thought that I was nuts to enter a racce like this so late but I was fit for Ironman and would try to fill Tom's shoes as best I could.
The gun went off and I was in the lead from the start.I enjoy swimming and was having fun in the lake with all the other ultradudes and at the end of each lap I treaded water to grab a bite to eat and try to find out how I was going.Apparently pretty well as I was in the lead by quite a margin.After what felt like a pretty short 2hrs and 42 minutes I exited the water with a new swim record and a lead over pre-race favourite Berend Henkle of about 23 minutes.Holy cow, just like Tom the year before,I was leading Ultraman Canada and I couldn't believe it!
After everyone got out of the water I decided to hang out with fellow competitor Ean "action"Jackson who was an Ultra-veteran and member of the Canadian National 100k Running Team.My mate Dave Bullock (who'se house we were living in) was on Eans crew aalong with his wife Sybille.We all went down to the Pasta Factory on Front Street to celebrate our day and soon,Ean and I were downing beers and a couple of shooters to induct me into the Ultraman Hall of Shame.Sybille began to worry about me and she told Ean to stop encouraging me as I had never ridden 200 miles before and to do it for the first time not only hungover but hungover in Ultraman wasn't a smart move.I believe his response was to buy me another beer.It was a fun night.
The next day we all lined up at the start of the 200 mile ride and I remembe joking with a mate of mine,Lee Crocket that for fun I would go out hard and see what eveyone would do.Instead,I was dropped like a bad habit as the racers took off at a stupid pace.they were just nuts and rode the 55 kilometers down to Osooyos at around 39 kph leaving me way back in the process.Stupid move guys,what arre you thinking!!I rolled down quietly doing my thing and as we made the trip back toward Oliver I started to pass a few people.Lee drove by me and I asked him if that guy way in the distance was Berend.He didn't know and I told him that if the guy was wearing an orange Banesto jersey then could he flash his brake lights for me.He did and I knew something was wrong with one of the favourites.I mean Berend had won the bike the previous year.I rolled up next to Berend and asked him if he was okay and he told me that instead of following him to Osoyoos and feeding him they had gone for breakfast and he hadn't seen tham yet.He had gone 80 kilometeres with onyl one bottle of nutrition.His day was done,he would never recover.It was saddeneing for me to see such a great athlete and nice guy resigning himself to his fate and I rode past him feeling uneasy about beating him that way.
My crew on the other hand were a comedy of errors as Mori and Lloyd argued like an old married couple for the duration of the weekend.Putting them in the front seat of a car together was a huge mistake but it was all in good fun and even if they didn't really know what was going on some of the time at least they did keep me fed and watered,Luckily I knew the course backward after crewing for Tom the year before.
I rode on to Okanagan Falls and the to the infamous Wall which is a 2 kilometer climb that on its's own isn't a huge problem but at 100 k'ds into a 320 kilometer ride it is worrying and an important point in the course.i was very surprised to find myself catching the whole field and at the top of the wall caught the two leaders who were our male model from the previous year Jim Brazil and the voice of Ironman himself Steve King.I remember pulling up to them and asking if they would give me a second to pull ahead just so I could say that I actually lead the field on day two.They obliged but what I didn't expect was to continue to pull away over the hill that took us to Twin Lakes.I was just hammering along and as I approached Keremeous I was caught by Jim and for the next few hours we played cat-and-mouse for around 80 kilometers all the way to Princeton.
I nearly lost a crew member in Keremeous as the boys decided to stop and grab some food for themselves.My girlfriend Leisa had worked until 5am that morning and had been asleep in the back of the vehicle for the first 150k but woke up at Keremeous.She saw that the boys were shopping so got out of the car and went t the toilet.While she was gone the boys got back in the car and drove off.It wasn't until some time later one of them mentioned how quietly Leisa slept and turned to look at her and realised that she wasn't there.WTF!!!!They hit the brakes,turned the car around and sped bakc toward penticton too try and find her.They did find her chatting to another crew at the Bears Fruit Stand where they left her.Idiots!
I had no clue this was going on at the time and was busily trying to put time into Jim who just refused to let me go.It wasn't until we started the climb out of Princeton that I began to pull away and once I realised it I went even harder.It was hell and the hardest 60 kilometers Inhad ever ridden.Once I hit the turn I realsied how much my feet hurt and it was agony pushing that bike down the long undulating drop into Princeton.I coasted as often as I could to relieve the pain but nothing worked.I did make it to the finish fiirst though in a time of 10hrs 33 minutes but more importantly had taken 27 minuts off Tom Prices record from the previous year.I was over the moon!The pain and swelling of both feet made me think that there was no way I could run the next day but I didn't care,I had won two stages,set three records and was sitting 54 minutes in front of the other pre-race favourite Jimmy Brazil.Totally awesome!!
My crew and I hung out for the longest time cheering on all those who finished behind me but the time came to get to our motel and change for the dinnner that was to be hsted in our honour by the mayor of Princeton at the Bromley Station Pub.Unfortunately for him.TThere was a pub between the finish line and our motel and with three thirsty Auatralians on board there was never any chance of us driving by.We went in and Team Mallett got toally shitfaced.Thankfully Lloyd decided to stay sober enough to drive us to the pub where the mayors dinner was,the only problem was that we had missed it.We met up with the mayor at the bar and he looked at Lloyd,being pretty fit looking and the only sober one,and asked how he was doing in the race .He told him that he wasn't doing it and pointed to a very drunk guy next to him.Me!The mayors mate asked jokingly if I thought i would win and I said "I dunno,maybe,I'm 54 mintues in front" and then we all cracked up and they gave us the run of the kitchen to made ourselves some dinner.it was a priceless experience indeed.
My hangover didn't last long the next day and I figured that all that beer was just replacing the lost nutrition from the previous days effort.At the start line all eyes were on Steve King and Ean Jackson both of who were noted Ultra-runners and both on the national 100k Running team.I just wanted to defend my 54 minutes over Jim and figured that if I ran with him for as long a possible there was a chance that steve and Ean would not be able to make up the 90 minute of so lead I had on them both.Jim and I ran together and I told him of my plan,he didn't like it but agreed that it was a good one as I culd just counter each move he made knowing he would run me to a win.Steve and Ean vaniished from the start and Jim and I held oon t each other for about 60k when the course hits Trout Creek and the massive 11k climb to the top of the range above Faulder.It wa during this stretch that Jims achilles gave out and he had to slow down.I felt bad leaving him as he had helped me so much over days two and three but I had a run to finish so off I went dwon the long hills into Faulder and within strike of the finish at Summerland.
I was really starting to hurt with about 8k to go and wanted to know if Steve and Ean had finished.As if on command a vehicle drove out from the finish to meet me and it was a local friend jerry Feenstra who told me that Steve had beaten Ean by about five minutes and even though they had been in the finish fr nearly an hour I was so close that I culdn't lose.I sarted to walk right there and then.I was in so much painand the bottom of my feet were on fire but my crew insisted that I run it in and I hobbled my way to the finish line and thrird place for the day.
I was truly amazed.I had managed to win Ultraman Canada and set all kinds of records along the way.Steve and Ean had tried valiantly but in the end I still had 37 minutes up my sleeve.Incredible!!To this day I don't know how I did it and I've stopped asking myself how.I just use it as an example to all that if you put your mind to it and have the right attitude then almost anything is possible.
I would,before I forget,like to put some thanks out to my awesome,if not dysfunctional crew.Most people would just fall apart from dealing with a bunch of crazy nutters who seem to have their mind on everything
but their job but that is what I loved about those three.Mori, Lloyd and Leisa,thank you so much for stepping up and being there to help me achieve what was an amazing ahievement.I wouldn't have wanted to share it with anyone else..
www.ultramancanada.com/race-results/1994-2
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